Riksspelman - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The title of riksspelman (pl. riksspelmän), or "National Folk Music

Swedish folk music

Swedish folk music is a genre of music based largely on folkloric collection work that began in the early 19th century in Sweden. The primary instrument of Swedish folk music is the fiddle. Another common instrument, unique to Swedish traditions, is the nyckelharpa...

ian" of Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, is a generally recognized badge

Badge

A badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...

of mastery for Swedish folk music

Swedish folk music

ians. It is an honor bestowed upon bearers of the silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

or gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

Zorn Badge

The Zorn Badge is an award that is given to prominent folk musicians in Sweden. The prize is awarded by Svenska Folkdansringen, the Swedish national organization for traditional music, dance and handicraft.-History:...

, awarded annually by the Zorn Jury, a panel of experts under the auspices of Svenska Folkdansringen

Svenska Folkdansringen

Svenska Folkdansringen , usually just called "Folkdansringen," is Sweden's largest amateur folk culture organization...

. The silver

Silver

Zorn Badge

is the highest award attainable for musicians who play before the Zorn Jury in their annual Zorn Trials. (Other possible awards include a certificate, bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

Zorn Badge

, and post-bronze certificate.) The gold

Gold

Zorn Badge

cannot be sought, but is reserved for one or two master musicians pre-selected by the Jury.

Since the creation of the riksspelman title in 1933, it has been awarded to an average of ten people per year. Sweden

Sweden

today has approximately 300 living riksspelmän.

Etymology

In 1910, a national folk musicians' gathering (riksspelmansstämma) was called at Skansen

Skansen

Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....

, Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

's open air museum

Open air museum

An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...

of Swedish folk culture

Folk culture

Folk culture refers to the lifestyle of a culture. Historically, handed down through oral tradition, it demonstrates the "old ways" over novelty and relates to a sense of community. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place...

. A number of musicians were invited to play; the 65 who heeded the call were all awarded a silver badge

Zorn Badge

designed and financed by the painter Anders Zorn

Anders Zorn

Anders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...

.

Later, in 1933, Svenska Ungdomsringen för bygdekultur

Svenska Folkdansringen

Svenska Folkdansringen , usually just called "Folkdansringen," is Sweden's largest amateur folk culture organization...

(The Swedish Youth Ring for Village Culture) created a system by which folk musicians

Swedish folk music

could play music before a jury of experts. Various awards for the participants of these Trials would be handed out at an annual "National Folk Musicians' Gathering," a name taken from that original event in 1910. The highest award for participants in the Trials would be that same silver badge

Zorn Badge

Anders Zorn

Anders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...

. Those who received this highest honor would be known as "National Folk Musicians" (riksspelmän).

In other words, while the name of the event was taken from that initial gathering in 1910, the meaning was changed in 1933. In 1910, the national folk musicians' gathering was a National Gathering of Folk Musicians. In 1933, it became a Gathering of National Folk Musicians (riksspelmän).

The Zorn Jury

The Zorn Jury (Zornjuryn) is made up of nine members. When a member retires, the Jury selects a new member, subject to the approval of Svenska Folkdansringen

Svenska Folkdansringen

Svenska Folkdansringen , usually just called "Folkdansringen," is Sweden's largest amateur folk culture organization...

. Generally, the Jury is made up of folk musicians with a great deal of experience and knowledge, most of whom are also riksspelmän. One position on the Jury may also be held by a scholar, whose primary credentials are academic. As of 2008, the current jury members are: Jan Burman, Verf-Lena Egardt, Christina Frohm, Wille Grindsäter, Pers Nils Johansson, Krister Malm, Gert Ohlsson, Peter Pedersen, and Tony Wrethling.

The Zorn Trials

In any given year, three members of the Zorn Jury are selected to adjudicate

Adjudicator

An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges and arbitrates during a formal dispute. The term adjudicator essentially means a judge, without invoking the legal term. An ombudsman is a type of adjudicator in local government in the United Kingdom....

the week-long Zorn Trials (Zornmärkesuppspelningarna). The Trials are always held during the summer months, each year in a different location in Sweden

Sweden

. A local representative is appointed as a fourth adjudicator

Adjudicator

. Each participant in the Trials is given a fifteen-minute time slot, and asked to play three to five tunes

Tune (folk music)

In folk music, a tune is a short instrumental piece, a melody, often with repeating sections, and usually played a number of times. The most common form for tunes in folk music is AABB, also known as binary form....

for the Jury. The Trials are closed to the public, but are recorded by Svenskt Visarkiv (The Centre for Swedish Folk Music

Swedish folk music

and Jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

Research) for posterity. The results are posted at the end of each Trial day, and the awards are distributed at the National Folk Musicians' Gathering (riksspelmansstämman) at the end of the week.

Criteria

The adjudicator

Adjudicator

s judge participants on four criteria: rhythm, technique

Musical technique

Musical technique is the ability of instrumental and vocal musicians to exert optimal control of the their instrument or vocal cords in order to produce the precise musical effects they desire. Improving one's technique generally entails practicing exercises that improve one's muscular sensitivity...

, intonation

Intonation (music)

Intonation, in music, is a musician's realization of pitch accuracy, or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously.-Interval, melody, and harmony:...

, and "qualities as a folk musician

Spelman (music)

In Swedish, the word spelman is most often used to describe a player of Swedish folk music. It may also be applied to folk musicians from other Nordic countries, from other European countries, from non-European countries, and even musicians in other genres...

" (egenskaper som spelman). The fourth criterion relates to stylistic authenticity in musical expression, and is weighted more heavily than the other three. Also of import is that participants in the Trials demonstrate mastery over a single regional tradition. Attempting to play tunes

Tune (folk music)

from multiple different regions never results in a silver

Silver

badge

Zorn Badge

Eligibility

The Zorn Trials are open to musicians aged sixteen and older. Few receive the silver badge

Zorn Badge

on their first try, however. Notable exceptions include Marie Stensby (1975), Åsa Jinder

Åsa Jinder

Åsa Jinder is a player of the nyckelharpa , and composer, producer, journalist, author and lecturer...

(1979), and Jeanette Eriksson (2002), all of whom became riksspelmän at age sixteen.

Only players of instruments regarded as "traditional" may play for the Zorn Jury. There is no official list of traditional instruments, however. Musicians who apply for a time slot before the Jury are simply rejected if they list an instrument that the adjudicators regard as non-traditional. Instruments that have been accepted in the past include: fiddle

Fiddle

The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...

, chromatic nyckelharpa

Nyckelharpa

A nyckelharpa , sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a...

, silverbasharpa

Nyckelharpa

, kontrabasharpa

Nyckelharpa

, clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

, durspel

Diatonic button accordion

A diatonic button accordion or melodeon is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard is limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys...

, harmonica

Harmonica

The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...

, kulning

Kulning

Kulning, or herding calls is a domestic Scandinavian music form, often used to call livestock down from high mountain pastures where...

, spilåpipa

Spilåpipa

The spilåpipa is a type of fipple flute traditional in Sweden. It is traditionally from the pastoral/transhumant cultures of that country, though more widespread in the modern era. It is originally most common in the transhumant areas, generally north of Svealand...

, härjedalspipa

Härjedalspipa

The härjedalspipa is a Swedish traditional fipple flute, similar to the spilåpipa with a slightly softer sound and only six finger holes. The model originated in Härjedalen, hence the name, and the most recognized tradition bearer of the instrument was Olof Jönsson , called Ol'Jansa, in Överberg,...

, träskofiol, travers

Irish flute

The term Irish Flute refers to a conical-bore, simple-system wooden flute of the type favored by classical flautists of the early 19th century, or to a flute of modern manufacture derived from this design...

, hummel

Hummel (instrument)

The hummel is an old Swedish stringed instrument similar to an older type of zither and is related to the Norwegian langeleik. The name is thought to come from the German word hummel, meaning "bumblebee", referring to the droning sound created by the accompaniment strings.-History:The hummel is...

, näverlapp

Näverlapp

The näverlapp is a very primitive Swedish folk instrument consisting of a thin piece of birch bark, two or three centimeters square...

, cow horn, näverlur, and Swedish bagpipes. It is permissible to play multiple instruments for the Jury.

There are no restrictions with regard to nationality. Currently, three non-Swedes hold the title: Oline Bakkom-Härdelin (Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, 1996), Emma Reid (England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, 2006), and David Kaminsky (USA, 2007).

Musicians who are already riksspelmän are not eligible to participate in the Zorn Trials.

Common Misunderstandings

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

ians are occasionally credited with being riksspelmän erroneously. In some cases, these are musicians who have been granted lesser awards by the Zorn jury (a certificate or bronze

Bronze

Zorn Badge

). In other cases, they are well-known folk music

Folk music

ians who people simply assume are riksspelmän. The main reason behind these misunderstandings is that the title of riksspelman is far better known than are the official mechanisms and processes that grant it.

Controversy

The authority and expertise of the Zorn Jury, which awards the Zorn Badge

Zorn Badge

, is generally accepted within the Swedish folk music

Swedish folk music

community. The controversy associated with the system generally relates to the question of which instruments are regarded as traditional, and thus approved for judgment by the Jury. Many argue that no such limitations should exist, the argument being that "it's not what you play, but how you play." Others push for the acceptance of certain specific instruments. The best-known case in which such a movement succeeded resulted in the Jury's allowance of the diatonic button accordion (durspel

Diatonic button accordion

A diatonic button accordion or melodeon is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard is limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys...

) for the first time in 1979. Currently (as of 2008), a similar movement is pushing for the acceptance of trall, or vocable singing

Non-lexical vocables in music

Non-lexical vocables, which may be mixed with meaningful text, are a form of nonsense syllable used in a wide variety of music. A common English example would be "la la la".-Traditional music:...

, as a traditional instrument.

Another minor controversy regards the word "spelman

Spelman (music)

" (literally "play-man") itself, given the growing number of female "spelmän

Spelman (music)

" and riksspelmän in Sweden

Sweden

External links

Zornmärkesnämnden (the Zorn Badge committee in Svenska Folkdansringen)
List of recipients of the Zorn Badge in silver, 1997-2006
List of recipients of the Zorn Badge in gold, 1997-2006

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