Myllarguten, Torgeir Augundson, was one of the legendary <strong>fiddle</strong>rs whocreated h<strong>is</strong> own style of playing.MyllargutenCD 2 – 11 Tarjei Romtveit, Hardanger <strong>fiddle</strong> Myllargutens bruremarsj(Telemark) Tarjei <strong>is</strong> the great-great-grandson of Myllarguten.Well-known dancers have also made their mark. Knut Andressen Skaga fromGol, or Rotneims-Knut as he was also known, was born in 1809. He was a masterdancer, but also a fighter, and was obsessed with the thought of being the biggestand strongest in the whole of Hallingdal. And so he was, until a new pas<strong>to</strong>r wasappointed in Gol par<strong>is</strong>h. Pas<strong>to</strong>r Kjelstrup was a powerful lad, and Rotneims-Knutdreamt of having a ‘tussel’ with him in order <strong>to</strong> show <strong>that</strong> he was the strongest.But it was not until h<strong>is</strong> own wedding <strong>that</strong> Knut came in<strong>to</strong> close enough contactwith the pas<strong>to</strong>r <strong>that</strong> he could measure h<strong>is</strong> strength against him. After theceremony, the whole of the pas<strong>to</strong>r’s family was invited <strong>to</strong> the wedding party, andKnut tried in different ways <strong>to</strong> get the priest <strong>to</strong> fight him. But the pas<strong>to</strong>r was notvery interested in fighting. Not even when Knut grabbed the pas<strong>to</strong>r’s little sonby the hair and ho<strong>is</strong>ted him high above the floor did he make the pas<strong>to</strong>r angry.Only when Knut threw himself over him, <strong>to</strong>ok a stranglehold of him and wanted<strong>to</strong> floor him did Pas<strong>to</strong>r Kjelstrup get fired up. He grabbed Knut by the back of h<strong>is</strong>trousers and neck and threw him straight through a shut door so <strong>that</strong> splintersrained down. He landed with a crash among the guests in the neighbouringliving room, so it <strong>is</strong> said.One of the reasons why we still know of Rotneims-Knut <strong>is</strong> because of the wellknownbragging verse we sing about him. Without doubt, he would have writtenit himself.CD 2 – 12 Øyvind Brabant, Hardanger <strong>fiddle</strong>: Rotneims-Knut, from manysources (Hallingdal)
In many village communities there were an individuals who <strong>to</strong>ok responsibilityfor the continuation of <strong>fiddle</strong> <strong>traditions</strong> which otherw<strong>is</strong>e would have beenforgotten. In Målselv, it was Johan Nymo who <strong>to</strong>ok responsibility of theextensive work involved in collecting tunes from the spread-out andd<strong>is</strong>organ<strong>is</strong>ed <strong>fiddle</strong>rs’ environment at the beginning of the 1900s. <strong>The</strong> popular<strong>fiddle</strong> playing in Målselv, with roots from Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen, washard hit by Piet<strong>is</strong>m after 1850. Dances were frowned upon and, in schools, the<strong>fiddle</strong> was forbidden. Around 1900, there were few <strong>fiddle</strong>rs again. Nymo <strong>to</strong>okcontrol of the situation and gathered a large number of tunes and songs fromthose who still possessed some. In 1949, he started the Målselv Spelemannslag.<strong>The</strong> society was central <strong>to</strong> <strong>that</strong> which later developed in<strong>to</strong> a Nordkalottgathering.CD 2 – 13 Målselv spelmannslag (Målselv Fiddle Society),Målselvhallingen, etter Wilhelm Taraldsen (Troms)In Alvdal in Østerdalen was Malena-Knut (1843-1928), one of the mostprominent <strong>fiddle</strong>rs of h<strong>is</strong> time. He grew up in the environment around thesmelting works in Plassen, Lov<strong>is</strong>es hytte. In th<strong>is</strong> community, where the <strong>to</strong>il atthe smelting works and on their tiny patch of ground consumed the majority ofpeople’s time and power, there was also space for a rich cultural life. Old <strong>fiddle</strong><strong>traditions</strong> were carried forth and mixed <strong>to</strong>gether with the new impulses whichstreamed through the country at the end of the 1800s.From h<strong>is</strong> grandfather, he learnt the old springlekene. He sweated h<strong>is</strong> waythrough the week at the smelting works at Lov<strong>is</strong>es hytte, but when the weekendarrived, he put h<strong>is</strong> <strong>fiddle</strong> case under h<strong>is</strong> arm and travelled from wedding <strong>to</strong>wedding. Fiddle players had a particularly important role at such celebrations,and Malena-Knut quickly got a reputation as an even greater <strong>fiddle</strong>r than h<strong>is</strong>grandfather. When the smelting works in Plassen burnt <strong>to</strong> the ground in 1879,Knut had <strong>to</strong> live off h<strong>is</strong> small holdings and f<strong>is</strong>hed in the mountains, but the <strong>fiddle</strong>still played a central role in h<strong>is</strong> life. He <strong>to</strong>ok h<strong>is</strong> <strong>fiddle</strong> case everywhere with himand, wherever he was, there was a dance.As early as 1918, the first tunes were notated exactly as played by Malena-Knut.Later, many tunes were written down as played by other players who havedriven the tradition forwards – either they played on the <strong>fiddle</strong> or the accordion,or quite simply diddled.Many other good <strong>fiddle</strong> players have a strong reputation long after their death,such as Lars Fykerud from Telemark, Jørn Hilme from Valdres, and Fel-Jakupfrom Ottadalen. Fel-Jakup (or Jakup Lom) was <strong>to</strong> Ottardalen what Myllargutenwas <strong>to</strong> Telemark. He was admired far beyond h<strong>is</strong> own valley and in Vestlandetand the Røros d<strong>is</strong>trict there were many who learnt tunes from him. But th<strong>is</strong>
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