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International Khomus/Jew’s Harp day 30th November

During the 7th Festival-Congress in Yakutsk, the President of Sakha-Yakutia,Mr Borisov,

officially has declared 30th November as the Day of the Khomus/Jew’s Harp.

On this day the people of Sakha-Yakutia will celebrate the Khomus.

Eit knippe av munnharpespelarar frå munnharpefestivalen i Jakutsk.

Norwegian Munnharpe Festival 2011

An other Munnharpe Festival is well accomplished.

For the second time, it was in cooperation with Norsk Langeleikforum.

Festival musican Tom Willy Rustad together with Jo Asgeir Lie.

Consert in Sundrehall:

Saturday’s consert:

Beginners course:

Master class:

Stong munnharpe class at Landskappleiken!

Results Munnharpe, senior

No	Name	Spelmannslag	Points
1	Anders Erik Røine	Øystre-Slidre Spel- og dansarlag	124
2	Thov G. Wetterhus	Numedal spel og dansarlag	123
3	Tom Willy Rustad	Harpefoss splm. lag	121
4	Sigbjørn Høidalen	Landslaget for Spelemenn	110
5	Ådne Øvregaard Søyland	Vibå Spelemannslag	106
6	Arnt Magne Haugen	Ringebu spelemannslag	104
7	Katariin Raska	Katariin Raska	100
8	Jon Tharaldsen	Gjøvik Spelmannslag	76
8	Rebecca Egeland	FolkOrg	76
10	Svein Olav Løberg	Sandar Spelemannslag / Norsk Munnharpeforum	73

We congratulate the winner and

thank all the partisipants for their contribution!

7. internasjonal jew’s harp festival i Yakutia

22th to 26th June 2011

Svein Westad was appointed ”World khomus virtuoso” by Nikolay Shishigin

Partisipants in Ysyakh (New Year and mid summer celebration) forming a giant jew’s harp while playing (see YouTube).

During the festival a new Guinnes record was set: 2011 jew’s harp musicans played together.

Course in Munnharpe forging

in Gjøvik

Here are som glimses from the arrangement.

All photos: Mona Ottesen

You may find photos from 2010 by Lasse Stang on Oppland Arbeiderblad's web pages

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

Jew’s Harp festival 2010

Here are some glimses from the combined

Munnharpe and langeleik (Norwegian zither) festival

in Fagernes from 24th to 26th September.

Consert with Marit Karlberg, Rolf Karlberg and Magne Olav Selland

Consert with Hallgrim Berg, Erik Røine, Knut and Ole Aastad Bråten – ”Brøtagutadn”

Elisabet Kværne with dancing puppet and Svein Westad with dancing goat.

Watch Svein Westad on YouTube here:

Course masterclass - and advanced

Two consentrated beginners - and ensemble playing

Just playing

Photo: Einar Turtum

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

New munnharpe CD

”Sputer og drev - munnharpe i 100” of Hallgrim Berg and Erik Røine was released at the Munnharpefestivalen 2010 in Fagernes. On this CD we encounter a rich variety of tunes, rhythms and sounds from two of the top Jew’s harp players in Norway. Erik Røine and Hallgrim Berg, veterans in the field, now have a combined total of 100 years as virtuoso performers. They are marking their jubilee with a ”full speed record” which presents som e suprising tracks. The CD is published by Grappa Musikkforlag.

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.

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.

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, Italy (Sicily): marranzano, 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 2012-01-10