Search - Gunvor Hegge, Jacques Leninger, Knut Kjok :: Norway: Langeleik

Hey! It's Langeleik Music

T. Edgar | Wyoming, USA | 10/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you know what a langeleik is, you probably also know that there is little available about it, either in CD's or text. As an American, living far from the tradition of Norway or of its current competitions for traditional musicians, I have very little to which I can compare it. Be that as it may, I know about American dulcimers and Norwegian Hardanger Fiddles, and so I know a little about the sound it should make and the music it should play. Within this context, I find this CD to be compelling. From the first sweep of the plectrum to the last ringing of the strings, you know that you are being drawn into a music that is old and unique, complex but also welcoming. The langeleik is an 8 stringed instrument, on which the melody is played on the first string and the other strings are tuned to be ringing drones. It is like a richer toned dulcimer. Much of the CD is comprised of dance tunes, the Springars and Gangars and the more recent forms also. Hence, much of the music is about good times played on a solo instrument that is so quiet that the dancers had to be quiet and often dance with their shoes off so they could hear the music. Gunvor Hegge is the daughter of musicians and is interested in maintaining that old Norwegian folk traditions. The other musicians bring in fiddles and more langeleiks, so there are many textures to the music. I got the CD about a week ago and I've probably listened to it end to end eight times so far. I hope there will be more in the future."

Hur nu! Det är mycket bra!

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 09/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
The langeleik is a Norwegian folk instrument closely similar in sound and construction to the French epinette de Vosges, the German Hommel, and/or any of the "zithers" of Europe. These zithers were the ancestors of the Appalachian dulcimers of the USA, one of many good reasons to think that German and Scandinavian immigrants contributed a lot more to American "Bluegrass" country music than has been widely recognized. You can see the langeleik on the cover of this CD; it sounds much like it looks. It's an intimate instrument, perfect for playing in the solitude of a fjord-side farmhouse with a grass roof on a day of "Norwegian sunshine", i.e. drizzle. Gunvor Hegge plays it very well alone, but on several tracks she's joined by a second langeleik or a fiddle. Fiddler Knut Kjøk has a couple of very fine solo tracks in the minor mode melody of trollish evenings. Their playing style is uncompromisingly traditional and pure. If you enjoy bluegrass, Celtic, or French folk music, there's a good chance you'll be fascinating by this performance."