Jorun Marie R. Kvernberg:
album
The tunes on this album come from Nordmøre and Romsdal: Deep red, sober and sonorous tunes from Tresfjord; bright green, breezy and upbeat dance tunes from Midsund; steel blue and razor sharp tunes from Nordmøre.

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Øvrevoll Spelemannslag:
Gypsy horses
Horse –related music from Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Ireland and Iceland:  
Untraditional performances of traditional fiddle tunes in virtuos and cheerful arrangements. The ensemble includes two members of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, one gypsy-and folk music player, and one of Norway’s most famous jazz musicians. Øvrevoll spelemannslag, (in English; the racecourse fiddlers) is a popular live band at the Norwegian folk music scene With this CD they intends to honour the horse, the symbol of freedom, like a gypsy caravan through 10 European countries.

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Kristian P. Åsmundstad:
Å syngje gåmålt (singing the old way)
The recordings demonstrated a capable singer, truthful to his local vocal tradition, with a large repertory of religious tunes, medieval ballads, broadside ballads, lullabyes, shepherds’ worksongs, stev, slåttestev and lots of short tunes. All this material had been handed down in his family. I was fascinated by Kristian’s style of singing. He himself called it ‘singing the old way’. Kristian was aware of different singing traditions, and he adapted to different occasions. The songs on this album were culled from his 1937,1954 and 1959 NRK recordings. Kristian is one of the most significant singers from Gudbrandsdalen. His songs deserve public attention and being taken up and kept alive by people like you and me / Camilla Granlien

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Skogumsbrørne:
Slåttespel frå Gudbrandsdalen
In the Gudbrandsdalen valley the local community Lalm has fostered a number of outstanding fiddlers, the oldest among them being Ola Sjugurdson Skaar (1773-1863). In his youth Gamel-Skårin (Old Man Skår) as he was later called, was a state musician, which meant that for a contract and a fee he had gained the sole right to play at dances within his district. In the early years of the 19. century he served as a soldier at the Swedish border, and on his return home he was able to enrich the local repertoire with some new marches and menuets. In his old age his eyesight weakened, leaving him almost blind. A spectacular figure in his day was Hansliguten (the Hansli Lad). His real name was Ola Brurusten (1806-1892).

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Henning Andersen og Marit Mattisgard:
Underlege makter 
The bells ring
From time immemorial the church bells have rung in to festival and feat, to sorrow and joy.  For people here in Norway the church bells have been a sound and safe landmark for over a thousand years.  Over the years they have served various purposes but primarily have been God’s voice here on earth.  They have summoned the congregation to church service, baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals. Gradually they gained other duties than the sacral as they were used to warn of war and mobilisation, accidents and catastrophes.  The bells marked the passing hours, the start and end of the working day and the commencement of church holidays when tired bodies could rest.

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Hans W. Brimi og Aslak O. Brimi:
Blå september
My grandfather was regarded as a nice fellow by those who knew him. He had many close friends nationwide among people interested in folk music. The music and everything connected with it, was an important part of his life.
I myself did not know Hans W. Brimi as a concert musician or a great fiddler. I started to play the fiddle too late for that, and when I got interested in earnest, he had put the fiddle on the shelf. I am sorry to admit never to have played with him. But there is a host of nice memories. To me he was Grandfather Brimi, the one who kept the kids on a straight line when we visited the farm. To me he will always be the Old Man with the wool cap put askew, or the one lying comfortably on the sofa in the old farm house. No one snored louder than Grandfather.

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Camilla Granlien:
Begjær
I am fascinated by powerful history and great emotions. In these ballads people die from heartache, gamble  away honor and faith, old lovers return, and people battle with trolls, giants, and gutless emperors. A  common thread in all these ballads, in my eyes, is desire.  Desire for the beloved, for more power and wealth,
and for new knowledge are, in other words, immortal and universal themes. Several of these songs are reconstructed.

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Furnes, Holsen og Sandal:
Hardingfelespel frå Sunnfjord
This record presents a selection of village dance and old-time dance tunes from Sunnfjord. The performers are three of Sunnfjord’s foremost fiddlers in the 20^th century: Nils Furnes, Johannes Holsen and Knut Sandal. These three fiddlers display both similarity and diversity, as well as three unique musical visions: Holsen’s energetic dance rhythms, Furnes’ lyrical, ornate style, and Sandal’s simple, forceful performances.       

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Einar Løndal:
Løndalsspel
It might be said that the Løndal fiddling style represents a special genre in Norwegian folk music. The Tuddal writer O.J. Rui described some of its characteristics as “the soft and pure playing and the light and effortless finger work”. Many a fiddle player has taken the Løndal style to be the ideal and has tried to emulate its special lyricism. There are not many fiddlers from Telemark that have escaped its influence—and that holds for fiddlers from many other places as well.

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Einar Olav and Gjermund Larsen:
Søttenpassingen
The brothers Einar Olav (b. 1979) and Gjermund Larsen (b. 1981) come from Verdalen and were both spoon fed with traditional music, or as their father, the folk musician Geir Egil Larsen (b. 1944), likes to say, “they are environmentally damaged”. Einar Olav began playing violin as a six year old, and at seven the tune “Trønderbrura” was in his repertoire. Gjermund already on his sixth birthday played Blind-Ola tunes for the guests.
 
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Eivind Mo:
Hardingfele
Eivind Mo was born in Rauland, Telemark, 20 November 1904, to Gunnhild Kvåle (1872–1951) and Halvor Mo (1869–1949). When one drives from the center of Rauland toward Rjukan and comes to the upper part of Austbø one sees the two Mo farms, Øvre Mo and Ner-Mo (upper and lower Mo), to the right below the hill, with their characteristic ocher-colored main buildings on the old farmyards. Here on Øvre Mo, Eivind grew up as the fourth of six children in the family. His parents were learned people with cultural interests, not the least of which was music. They both valued fiddle music highly, and Gunnhild was the sister of the fiddler Høye Kvåle (1879–1967) of Seljord, who became Eivind’s first important teacher.
 
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Alfred og Mattias Bismo:
Felespel frå Skjåk
The twin brothers Alfred and Mattias Bismo were born September 28, 1918, at Bismo in Skjåk township. Their father was a carpenter, whom many called the wheelwright. He made carts and wagons, but he was also the local coffin maker. Alfred and Mattias had two older brothers.
The two small boys showed an early interest in music. The first fiddle came to their home as payment for a bookcase. Later Alfred and Mattias got fiddles for themselves. They earned good wages hunting squirrels with a muzzle-loading gun and thus were able to acquire instruments.

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Hans Haugen:
Felespell fra Susendalen
Hans Tøgersen Haugen was born November 22, 1900, at Gammel-Haugen farm in Susendal. His parents were Tøger Johansen Haugen (1861-1955) and Sina Pedersdatter Haugen (1866-1941). He was the second youngest among four siblings. His paternal grandfather, Johan Nekolai Nilsen (1813-1905), bought the Haugen farm from a widow and moved there in 1853. The family lived at Haugen for many years, but when Hans’s father was a grown man, he began to build a new place on the flat area down the hill, where the farm still stands.

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Trygve Bolstad:
Aleis
Trygve Bolstad was born in Øystre Slidre in Valdres in 1943 and grew up in a living folk music environment in Heggenes and Daleng. At age six or seven he received his first fiddle, made by his uncle Olav Daleng (1908-1993). Like most youngsters in those days, Trygve learned to play at home and from relatives. His father, Knut (1921-2002), as well as his uncles Ingvar Daleng (b. 1921) and Magnus Daleng (1911-1999) inspired Trygve and left their mark on the young fiddler. Traditional music surrounded him throughout his childhood and youth. 
 
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Laget for folkemusikk:
1903 - 2003
“Laget for Folkemusikk” in Oslo started as a gathering of friends around the hardangerfiddle, and it`s special type of music, and dance. After 100 years of existence, it still sticks to this goal. This CD is meant to be a musical monument of the fiddlers who have made a deep impression in the folk music environment in Oslo during the past 50 years. “Laget for Folkemusikk” means “The Folk music Association”. This association (LfF) came into existence in 1903. Until 1931 it was called “Huldraleiken” which is the equivalent of “The Elf Dance”.

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Klaus Sande: 
hardangerfiddle
Klaus Sande was born July 26,1888, on the Sande farm at Ortnevik, Kyrkjebø (now Høyanger). His parents were Lars Øysteinson Sande (1854-1929) and Marta Klausdotter Sande, born Nesse (1860-1928), and the family had seven children. In 1902, when Klaus was 14 years old, the family moved to Nessane in Vik (now Balestrand), where Lars had bought Marta’s brother’s farm. Klaus lived at Nessane the rest of his life, and in his adult years he operated the farm together with three of his siblings, Eivind, Øystein, and Anna. They carried on traditional farming with livestock and also grew fruit.

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Marit Mattisgard:
Tre ord te de
Among my books there is one that is almost worn out. The cover sags and the leaves are loosening. The books name is Valdrestonar  and it has been my companion for almost 15 years. It all started when my father advised me to look in to it. I had been interested in folksong for a long time, and wanted to learn more. As usual, when my father urged me to do something I was not to eager but also as usual, I started after a while to follow his advice. I haven’t repented this. Every time I open the book I find something new. It’s like magic- a never ending source.

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Ola Grihamar:
hardangerfiddle
Ola Grihamar Sr was born 9 June 1910 at Skogstad in Vang and died 5 December 1978. He was the oldest of four brothers, two of whom were fiddlers, Ola and Andris. Ola had an early interest in folk music and began to play at the age of 13. There was a living folk music milieu in the neighboring area, with many fiddlers who could teach him. Among those most available were Lars Svien, Ola og Andris Skogstad, and Arnfinn Hermundstad.

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Jan Beitohaugen Granli:
Lite nemmar
You often hear Jan while he`s playing for dance. He`s right there besideyou. And so he is on this recording. The most ringing possible is coming from the instrument, and the sound is up close and natural.You will also find a video of Anne Røine and Erik Onstad dancing the springar from Valdres. Together and separately, Anne and Erik stand out as masterly, detail-rich, and expressive dancers. They value the music highly, and they have developed the dance while being together with the older dancers in Valdres.

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Sigurd Eldegard:
Hardingfelespel frå Årdal
Early in the 1920s Sigurd took over Eldegard, a mountain farm with no access roads, electricity, or water. He was a livestock farmer, with goats, cattle, pigs, and horses, and he made superb fruit and vegetable gardens. More than 150 acres of fine pine forest belonged to the farm, and Sigurd built his own sawmill at Eldegard.

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Harald Fylken:
hardingfelespel frå Vestre Slidre
Harald Fylken (1910–1963) was born at Fulkji in Vestre Slidre to Nils Evensen, Vestre Slidre (1866–1961), and Agnethe Enger, Hamar (1876–1953). Nils played fiddle mostly for the household, but he influenced Harald so much that the son took up fiddle playing already in his boyhood. Early in the 1920s, Nils built the house at Fulkji next to the highway at Vøllabrune. He worked here year-round in his shoemaker workshop. The great fiddler Ivar Ringestad often dropped in on Nils, and the fiddle—which was always at hand—would come out, and there could be fiddling for hours on end.

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Haldor Røyne:
Hardingfelespel frå Øystre Slidre
Haldor Røyne was not only a superb fiddler, he was also an exceptional wealth of knowledge about fiddlers and playing traditions in the Valdres region. Haldor was born September 10, 1908 up on the Røyne farm in Øystre Slidre, the youngest of five siblings. His father and mother were Torstein Torsteinson Røyne (b. March 26, 1871) and Rangdi Haldorsdotter Rudi (b.June 6, 1878). Haldor began playing at age 10 on a fiddle made by his father in his youth.

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Olav Moe:
Hardingfelespel frå Vestre Slidre
CONCERT FIDDLER AND CARRIER OF TRADITION
Outside Valdres Olav Moe is principally renowned for being one of last century's outstanding concert fiddlers. These fiddlers played national music professionally. The genre was named during a time in which chosen elements from rural culture were held forth as nation building symbols.Lively social and musical bonds of ten occurred among the touring fiddlers. Confronting a broader audience they developed an alternative repertoire.

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