Mother & son team up to build Norway’s national instrument
By Julie Parent
On Oct. 10, 2024, Rinita Dalan of Moorhead and her adult son Gus Holley completed a feat most people would never even think of attempting. By combining art and craftsmanship, they finally finished making their first Hardanger fiddle.
The Hardanger fiddle, or Hardingfele, is the national instrument of Norway. According to Dalan, this unique instrument got its name from. “The Hardanger region of Norway where the oldest fiddles come from,” she said. Their custom fiddle is called Trollfela, or Troll Fiddle, because it has a winking troll on the scroll at the top end of the fiddle.
It took almost two years for Dalan and Holley to carve their fiddle out of more than eight pounds of wood. Weighing just over a pound now, their one-of-a-kind fiddle is made with maple, spruce, and ebony. Parts of it were also made with mother of pearl, plastic chopsticks, and deer and bison bones. Dalan said, “It was a laborious process that entailed learning many new skills as neither Gus nor I had done any woodworking before.”
These skills included: learning how to use hand tools for carving and shaping; learning how to use power tools, such as a band saw, a drill press, and a rotary tool; and learning how to draw floral patterns called Rosing or Rostegning with archival ink. In addition, they also had to master varnishing, sanding, and tool sharpening. An additional bonus is now that they have made their own Hardanger fiddle, they know how to repair it if needed in the future.
Luthiers are stringed instrument makers. Professional luthier Robert “Bud” Larsen of Brainerd taught Dalan and Holley how to make their fiddle.
“Building the fiddle was a time-consuming process, but Bud guided us through it step by step,” said Dalan. “We were also helped by the community of apprentices building under Bud who provided much needed local support and encouragement in addition to help with skills, tools and problem solving.”
Dalan, Holley, Larsen, and many of Larsen’s other apprentices play with the Fargo Spelemannslag, which is one of the largest fiddler’s groups in the country. This group, or lag, bonds while practicing and performing at dances and other events, including the annual Scandinavian Festival in Moorhead.
Dalan and Holley are no strangers to Norwegian culture. They have traveled to Norway several times. Dalan said Gus even, “Studied for a semester in the Norwegian Folk Music Program at the University of SE Norway Rauland campus.” Holley has studied music within a specific culture and, “Is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Ethnomusicology at UC Berkeley in California.”
Historically, Dalan said, “The oldest surviving Hardanger fiddles in Norway date from the 17th century when they were used for weddings and were decorated with magical symbols to protect against evil. The Hardanger fiddle is traditionally played solo, mostly for dance. During the 19th century this tradition was threatened by the church and many fiddles were burned for being the devil’s instrument.”
Today, Hardanger fiddles are as scarce to find as some endangered animals. More people are needed to make them, to meet the consumer demand as well as to simply enrich people’s lives. If you happen to find a Hardanger fiddle in your grandparent’s house or barn, Dalan recommends getting it restored so someone can play it.
According to Dalan, a Hardanger fiddle, “Differs from a violin, or flat fiddle, in a number of ways. One is that its upper and lower surfaces are more curved or bowed. Like a violin, it has four upper strings, but it typically also has four or five understrings (also called sympathetic strings) that resonate or ring when the upper strings are played. The wider F-holes of a Hardanger fiddle overlap, opening to the side rather than on the top as on a violin. These and other features give a Hardanger fiddle its characteristic rich and haunting sound. To many people it sounds like more than one fiddle playing at once. Hardanger fiddles are folk instruments and often highly decorated. Instead of a traditional violin scroll, a Hardanger fiddle will have a carved head representing a dragon or lion with a crown, another animal, or human. Mother of pearl or other inlay may cover the fingerboard, tailpiece, and pegs, and form a border around the top and back of the fiddle. The top, back, ribs, and pegbox may also be covered with inked decorations.”
When designing their fiddle, Dalan and Holley, “were inspired by Hardanger fiddles of the 18th century which tend to have highly decorated ribs,” said Dalan. “We modeled our fingerboard and tailpiece on a fiddle made by Isak Botnen and his son Trond Isaksen Flatebø in 1756. Like them we used mother of pearl and bone for our inlay, but unlike them we also used melamine chopsticks. Our rosing designs come from southern Norway from the Audnedal Valley of West Agder. My last name and Gus’s middle name, Dalan, comes from a farm in that area. Our primary inspiration was weavings made by our family there, chief among these is a large “Åkle” or “senge-tepper” (coverlet) made by my Aunt Mathilda, my Great Grandmother’s sister. We feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to build a Hardanger fiddle that is imbued with so much meaning, both from the experience of building it and incorporating the family-inspired designs. The journey was absolutely amazing, and we are very grateful to have become a part of this energetic and talented community of apprentice luthiers.”
Another stringed instrument, the Norwegian zither, or Langeleik, typically sits on a table when it is played. To play it, the right hand strums the strings like a guitar while the fingers on the left hand press the chord buttons. Now that the duo has honed their skills, Dalan and Holley’s next goal is to make a zither.
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