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Jew’s Harp festival 2010

This yeas we will arrange a combined

Munnharpe and langeleik (Norwegian zither) festival

in Fagernes from 24th to 26th September.

Download the program here.

Reserve time for this! More information to come.

Videos from the 2008 festival can be viewed on YouTube, look here:

The videos are recorded and edited by Fernando Sallum, www.wuante.com

Listen to some music samples from our festivals

Landskappleiken 2010

Results Munnharpe senior

1 Anders Erik Røine Øystre Slidre spel- og dansarlag 123 points

2 Thov G. Wetterhus Numedal spel- og dansarlag 121 points

3 Tom Willy Rustad Harpefoss spellemannslag 120 points

4 Kenneth Lien Lillehammer spel- og dansarlag 108 points

5 Kjetil Carolis Jore Setesdal spelemannslag 104 points

6 Bjørn Sverre Kristensen Hedmark folkemusikklag 96 points

Congratulations from Norwegian Jew’s Harp Forum!

Munnharpe forging and playing in Gjøvik

Here are some glimpses from a successful arrangement:

Photos: Lasse Stang and Robin Bell

You may find more photos by Lasse Stang on Oppland Arbeiderblad's web pages

Here is a video from the courses in Gjøvik, made by Morten Rognstad

Teaching Norwegian Jew’s Harp

melody playing in Nepal

See article about Svein Westad on the Fredskorpset’s web pages:

www.fredskorpset.no

New Jew’s harp CD!

Rammeslag II

Sigurd Brokke, Jew’s Harp and Daniel Sandén-Warg, Hardanger fiddle.

Read more on the record company’s pages.

Tour with Prøysen and Jew’s Harp

Elin Prøysen and Egil Johansson are touring, performing the musical treasures after Alf Prøysen. Egil also plays munnharpe, which is received very well by children. Elin works on publishing old medieval ballads, and the munnharpe is also used here. We will certainly hear more about this in the future.

(Photo: Vestlandsnytt)

Dance with munnharpe in Gjøvik

See the article in Oppland Arbeiderblad here (incl. videos).

Member gifts: CD and NMF pin.

All membes will get a CD and a member’s pin. The CD is produced in a limited number, and new members will only get it as long as the stock lasts. The CD has recordings from our festivals, and it shows the broadness of our performers and their repertoire. In totalt there are 29 tracks with 25 artists. The CD is not for sale. It is recorded by Øivind Abrahamsen and Tor Magne Hallibakken. Producers are Øivind Abrahamsen, Erik Røine and Viggo Vestel. The member’s pin is designed by Reidar Ottesen.

Courses in Jew's Harp playing

There will be couses at the JH Festival, see above.

New Jew's Harp CD: Fille-Vern

One of the reasons for establishing Norsk Munnharpeforum (Norwegian Jew's Harp Forum) was to make available the old Jew's Harp material hidden in archives around the country, mainly in the NRK (the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation). Norwegian Jew's Harp Forum have now released the double CD: "Fille-Vern - Old and new masters in Norwegian Jew's Harp tradition". The first CD contain archive recordings from 1937 to the1970s. The second CD gives samples of what has been performed at the NMF festivals and at "Landskappleiken", the main national competion for traditional music, song and dance.

The album has got brilliant reviews, e.g. in the music guide "groove.no": http://www.groove.no/html/review/96255731.html

Here is a translation of the end paragraph:

"Productions like this are seldom seen, even iternationally. There is no doubt that 'Fille-Vern' is one of the most important and excellent (publications). Initially, I called this CD a monument over the Jew's Harp. It is a monument over a highly vital, vibrant and electrifying instrument, that has gained new vitality and energy from the enthusists' love and cultural roots. May the sound of this publication carry far off! I have no doubt; this is the Norwegian 'record of the year'.

The album contains 93 tunes and the total playing time is close to two and a half hours. Included is also a 104 page booklet with descriptions of traditions and musicans plus some notes and pictures (half the booklet is in English).

This album is a must for all those who are interested in Norwegian Jew's Harp traditions.

Thesis in music archaeology on Jew's Harps

Norway has got it's first music archaeologist. Gjermund Kolltveit has been conferred a doctor's degree on the history of the Jew's Harp in Europe. This is the result of ten years of research on this part of European music history that so few have been working on till now.

Gjermund Kolltveit has documented and analyzed 830 Jew's Harps from archaeological excavations in Europe. The material represent hundres of years of Jew's Harp history, most of the instruments are from the period 1200-1600.

Download the summary here. (English summary on page 2.)

The Jew's Harp is an instrument with traditions in many countries: Norway: munnharpe, Sweden: mundgiga, Denmark: jødeharpe, England and USA: Jew's Harp or Jaws Harp or Trump (old name), Austria: Maultrommel, Germany: Maultrommel, France: guimbarde, Italy: scacciapensieri, the Netherlands: mondharp, Russia: vargan, Central Asia: khomus, Japan (Hokkaido): mukkuri, Japan: koukin, Philippines: ruding (kubing), Indonesia: genggong, India: morsing, India (Rajastan): morchang, Thailand: rab ncas, China: hoho, sheng, sho, Spain: Arpa de boca.

Norsk Munnharpeforum (NMF) (Norwegian Jew's Harp Forum) is a forum for all who take an interest in the Jew's Harp, be it just for listening, learning to play themselves or learning to make their own instruments. On the web site of Norsk Munnharpeforum you will find news about events in the Jew's Harp field in Norway. Overseas members receive an English translation of our quarterly newsletter "Munnharpa".

Teaser: Can you find the Jew's harp melody on this page?

Jew's Harps made in Setesdal, Norway:

1: Knut Nikolson Berg, ca 1930. 2: Knut Gjermundson Hovet, ca.1970.

3: Knut Tveit, ca.1988. 4: Bjørgulv Straume, ca.1998.

5: Folke Nesland, ca.1995. 6: Bjørgulv Rysstad, ca.1994

Brass harps:

1: Munnharpe-Jakob (Jakob Lavoll), 2003. 2: Einar Turtum, 2005.

3: Leif Arne Bakke, 2005.

Our main activity is to arrange the annual festivals. We often have participants from several countries, and one of the festivals has been arranged in cooperation with "the International Jew's Harp Association", "the 4th International Festival and Congress for the Jew's Harp" held in Rauland in 2002.

Norsk Munnharpeforbund is also involved in the publishing of new and old Jew's Harp music. We will especially emphasize the double DVD and the double CD + DVD from Rauland 2002. You will find more about this on the productions page.

If you are interested in learning how to play Jew's Harp the Norwegian way, please tick.

If you are interested in Jew's Harp music, either Norwegian or international, here are some links.

If you are looking for a Jew's Harp, here is a list of Norwegian Jew's Harp makers. Prices and quality vary – you strike a deal with the individual maker.

©2000 Norsk Munnharpeforum

Sist oppdatert 2010-06-28