Sven Nyhus

Outside of Scandinavia the best-known Norwegian fiddler would probably be Annbjørg Lien, but folk music purists usually prefer Sven Nyhus. Along with Hans Brimi, Nyhus represented an archetype in Scandinavia, the stern-looking fiddler playing dance music, sometimes accompanied only by his own foot stomping out the beat. Born in 1932, Nyhus was from the Østerdalen region of Norway. In this region, the flatfele ("flat fiddle" or violin) predominates, but he sometimes played the Hardanger fiddle, the distinctively Norwegian version of the violin popular elsewhere in the country, an instrument rather like the Baroque viola d'amore, with four extra strings vibrating sympathetically under the first set. With his good ear and exceptional ability to transcribe music -- no mean feat considering that Norwegian folk music does not keep to standard Western tone intervals -- Nyhus became one of Scandinavia's great archivists of folk music. He was also one of the country's popular performers, playing for many years in a traditional dance band. Although he only had one CD released in the U.S. (Traditional Norwegian Fiddle Music in 1991 on Shanachie), he issued several others in Scandinavia. On the American album, he played solo, but on the Scandinavian albums he usually performed as part of a quartet, quintet, or sextet. He received an honorary Spellemannprisen award in 2000 (Norway's version of the Grammy) and was named a Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 2002. Nyhus died on May 20, 2023, just one day before his 91st birthday. ~ Kurt Keefner