My article "The Hardanger Fiddle: A Tour of the Instrument and its Traditions" was published in Volume 20, Number 2 of the Vesterheim Magazine and an upcoming issue of The Sound Post, the journal of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America. The article is intended to be an introductory primer on the instrument and its music, dance, history, and traditions, laying the foundation for future detailed articles. While I have never formally studied ethnomusicology or music beyond taking lessons, I am fortunate to have become one of the instrument’s few tradition keepers, sharers, and evolvers - especially in America, of my gender, and of my generation.
The Hardanger fiddle and I crossed paths on accident. Growing up in a small, rural, Norwegian American community I consider myself culturally Norwegian even though that is not my heritage. Playing violin since the age of 5, I was curious about the “fancy violins” in the Vesterheim Museum, the largest Norwegian American museum in the world, which happened to be in my hometown and was the destination of many boring school field trips.
Flash forward a few years, and I decided to attend St. Olaf College for the world-renowned mathematics education and symphony orchestra. Unbeknownst to me, St. Olaf is the only educational institution in the US where you can learn Hardanger fiddle for credit. Knowing I enjoyed lively folk music, my violin professor asked me if I wanted to learn. I recognized what the instrument was, so of course I said yes! I rearranged my schedule and petitioned to overload credits so I could learn. Over a decade later, the Hardanger fiddle is my most lasting and meaningful takeaway from my time on The Hill. It has become my biggest side hustle (value proposition: become an expert in a rare folk instrument) but more importantly given me the opportunity to travel, perform, learn, teach, meet new people, share music, and inspire others.
Here are some highlights:
Learning from famous fiddlers and reuniting with fiddler and dancer friends from all over the world every summer at the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America's annual workshop.
Performing on the gorgeous new Viking Mississippi cruise line and meeting passengers from all over the world has been my most unique performance venue so far!
Inspiring young people to be curious about their heritage, different cultures, and music. Kids always love the teeth and mustache on the carved lion's head scroll of my fiddle!
My musical career is not something I commingle with my data career, but I am too proud to add “writer” to my musical resume not to share! When asked to write the article, I knew it was too good of an opportunity to pass up: an opportunity to promote myself, share my passion and knowledge with new audiences, and practice my writing skills. Staring at a blank Word document, I was reminded why I prefer numbers to words. I consider myself a good writer, but I hate doing it. My dislike for writing was reinforced throughout school, from the ambiguous grading scale on high school papers -- I like things right or wrong -- to having to write dense religion papers to meet my general education requirements in college. For 2.5 years I even had a job where my main job function was to research and write large regional plans... Why?!?! The opportunity to challenge myself to do something I dislike - but about a topic I love - was a great way to dust off my writing skills. And it soon became a math game as I tried to cram everything I wanted to say into my allotted word count!
If you’ve ever been curious about “that weird instrument” I play give my article a read, a skim, or just look at the pictures here. Who knows, it could give you an advantage on a crossword puzzle or in a trivia game someday!
Special thank you to my mom for her time and advice in proofreading my rough draft! Nothing humbles you like asking your private tutor parent to proofread your writing, haha!
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