We had a discussion of nyckelharpa history with Gunnar Ahlbäck, including photos in a powerpoint-type presentation.  We then went together to the Tolfta Kyrka or church for more discussion and saw the paintings decorating this old church, including two nyckelharpa playing angels as well as those playing lutes. The church was built around 1300 (medieval) and the paintings in the arch that include the nyckelharpas are original from that time, although the walls were repainted after an 1802 fire.

Many of these historical photos of nyckelharpas are around the ESI as large posters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These pictures are from Friday the 12th. Last night the 19th we had lasagna. It is really fun to cook and eat together on Friday nights after a very intense week of study, either dance or nyckelharpa/fiddle. It was a busy, fun Friday evening of activity in the kitchen. We made pizza dough, and then groups of two made different pizzas. For example: Here’s a finished one. Our kitchen is very long.

1. The Eric Sahlström Institute (ESI) is the center of the nyckelharpa universe and the best place to come learn about the nyckelharpa. The dance program is equally intensive.
2. Tobotorsdag! Many Thursdays we have a small concert, fika, and dance in our dance hall. Täby Spelmansgille is coming up tomorrow.
3. Being in this remote setting far from family and friends and other activities, we are taking time out from our lives to concentrate on Swedish music and dance. There is time to explore these things in depth, with the help of teachers who know it inside and out. We can spend an hour stroking our nyckelharpas, trying to play the note “D” with the best possible attack, speed, beginning, middle, end, and in tempo, trying to match Olov’s sound when he plays it before and after each of us.
4. Our teachers Ditte Andersson, Sonia Sahlström, and Olov Johansson are really wonderful, knowledgeable and personable. They are grounded in the tradition with various backgrounds and each brings something different.
5. Olov has thought about every element of nyckelharpa construction, the keys, the tangents, the action, the wood, the bow and hair and tightness and firmness. And playing: the beginning of each stroke, the middle, the ending, where to stroke between the bridge and the key box, how to play fast, slowly, everything. And he is patiently teaching us all of these things. He has tried and adjusted all our nyckelharpas and bows.
6. Tobo is a beautiful small village and walking in every direction is lovely.
7. People have put windowboxes and planted flowers and added lovely decorative things all around their houses.
8. Fika! We have regular, scheduled coffeebreaks in the morning and afternoon with crackers or cake or snacks. Today we had freshly baked brownies, my favorite!
9. Our class has 20 really interesting, lively people who are fun to be around. Age range appears to be 18 to 70’s. We created a wonderful “Tobotisdag” this week, playing and dancing for and with each other for the evening.
10. The communal kitchen in the annex where we live together is a happy hubbub of cooking and talking laughter and stories and wonderful smells.

nyckelharpa class close encounter with a cow while walking beautiful flowers next to a house

Olov is trying out my nyckelharpa next to Harry Hedbom, who made it! He said it sounded good!

 relaxing in the annex kitchen/lounge area

Sonia Sahlström played a recording for us in nyckelharpa/fiddle class of Eric Sahlström on the radio where he was talking with someone and playing in an impromptu way as he would at home. His conversation with full of laughter and fun, and his music was very playful and fast and brilliant. He even played “Somewhere over the rainbow”!

Sonia Sahlström also described to us how there was a steady stream of fiddlers and nyckelharpa players coming to the house to play with her father. They all loved to play with him, as he was very kind and made them feel very good about it. Some people who are great technical musicians make those around them feel that they never want to play again by comparison. But Eric Sahlström was very kind and he made those playing with him feel good about playing too. He made it fun, with a philosophy and practice of laughing at mistakes and then you go on.

It was very inspiring and I think his daughter Sonia Sahlström embodies those characteristics too.

First classes, tour of TOBO map with Tobo in the middle larger resolution map showing Tobo relative to Stockholm and Uppsala and Tierp Our nyckelharpa classroom is downstairs in the Eric Sahlström Institute this year, due to construction work on the roof. The room is very beautiful, and there are chairs that seem designed for playing nyckelharpa. We had two days with Ditte Andersson and one with Sonia Sahlström. It is such a privilege to be here and study with these teachers. Here is the sign for Tobo, slow down! We had a lovely walking tour of Tobo with this gentleman. This sign means everything will be all right, or fine. Apples are in season. We are having a communal dinner in our housing annex, so it is a lovely, busy hubbub of cooking and talking. We are having apple pie too!

My sister came with me to Tobo Maria and me at about ages 8 and 3. It was a wonderful treat and privilege to have Maria accompany me to Sweden. We flew together through Rejkavik to Stockholm and spent a night there and some time exploring. Then we drove to Tobo and settled in. Maria helped me get to the Migrationsverket in Uppsala for fingerprinting and photo, then we explored a rainy Uppsala and got a few provisions at IKEA. Maria just left and I miss her! It was great to spend a few days together, and she made this transition immeasurably easier. Wonderful produce at the farmer’s market in Stockholm A happy sister selfie Beautiful Stockholm At the ABBA museum with Maria. We were both only vaguely aware of ABBA during their heyday, but Maria enjoyed the Mamma Mia! musical and showed me the movie, which we both very much enjoyed. The ABBA museum has been open only about a year, but is very well done, with many costumes and voices and music and a good recounting of their story. On our way to Tobo The Garmin GPS sent us on an odd labyrinth of little dirt roads to get to Tobo, but we found it anyway with help from Google Maps and the iPhone. We certainly had some laughs about a dead end in someone’s farmyard, and it was fun to share it with Maria. Maria in front of the Eric Sahlström Institute Me in front of the annex where we will live. Beautiful shrimp salad for lunch in Uppsala.