Noon Hour Concert: Den Svenska Psalmboken (online)

Den Svenska Psalmboken: The Lutheran Chorale Tradition in Sweden, 1580 - 1937

Katherine Hill, voice and nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle)

The emergence of the Lutheran chorale in the sixteenth century relied on both tradition and innovation, and as certain melodies and texts became more and more established, they circulated all over northern Europe, leading to the publication of the first Swedish book of hymns in 1695. Singer and nyckelharpa player Katherine Hill will present the Swedish versions of some well-known chorale melodies, as well as unusual traditional variants, new melodies and instrumental music that emerged over time in more remote communities, drawing together some of the most beautiful and unusual elements of this centuries-old singing tradition.

Singer Katherine Hill first developed a love for old European text and music in her native Toronto. With support from the Canada Council for the Arts she moved to the Netherlands in 2000, studying, appearing in concerts, radio broadcasts and at festivals throughout Europe over many years. Her particular interest in music from medieval women’s communities has led to her developing and directing her own projects in Amsterdam, Toronto and Calgary, and she currently directs a women’s group, Vinea (The Vineyard). In 2010, she completed an M.A. in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto’s world-renowned Centre for Medieval Studies, and in 2012, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Katherine received a diploma from the Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden, where she studied the nyckelharpa (a Swedish keyed fiddle with

origins in the middle ages). Katherine is the Director of Music at St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church, an Anglo-Catholic parish in Regent Park, Toronto. She performs and records frequently with early, traditional and new music groups here in Toronto and abroad.

The concert video will be released on November 10th at 12:30pm on the Grebel You-tube Channel.

Programme

As the Reformation swept across northern Europe during the sixteenth century, many melodies were recycled or devised to accompany new, vernacular hymn and psalm texts. In Sweden, this momentum eventually led to the 1695 publication of a hymn book for the established, Lutheran Church of Sweden. This was the first official publication, but earlier versions existed prior to this date.

Today’s music is selected from both pre- and post-1695 versions of the Swedish Psalm Book, as well as from variations and new tunes developed through the centuries in specific regions of Sweden and in Swedish-speaking communities in Estonia. These variants were collected by ethnomusicologists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and some of them make use of quarter-tones, which have been a feature of Swedish music for centuries via the playing of instruments using the natural harmonic series, such as cow-horns.

SOURCES OF TODAY’S CHORALES:

Dalarna: a region in central Sweden, traditionally connected to herding culture (fäbodkultur).
Nuckö (Estonian: Noarootsi): a Swedish-speaking community in western Estonia, established in the 13th century.
Swedish Psalm Book: the official hymn book of the Church of Sweden, published in 1695, 1819, 1937 and 1986.

Jag lyfter mina händer
TEXT: paraphrase of Psalm 121, tr. Jesper Svedberg (d. 1735)
MUSIC: traditional, Dalarna (collected 1937)

1. I lift up my hands to the Lord; he will give aid to me.
2. He will not let my foot slip; his mercy will protect me from all dangers.
3. He will redeem my soul, and watch over my going out and my coming in.

Jag vet ett blomster skönt och fint
TEXT: Peder Dåleman (1583)
MUSIC: En liten psalmbok ‘A Little Psalm Book’ (1608), adapted from a German folksong

1. I know a beautiful flower, and love it dearly with all my heart, above all other flowers.
2. This flower is God’s holy word, given to us, and it lightens every dark pathway.
3. So has God taught us here on earth, that Jesus Christ will take us to his Father.
4. We ask you, o Jesus Christ, you who died for us; never abandon your own.

Dickapolska (polska from Dicka, Dalarna) and Psalmmelodi (notated from the singing of the mother of fiddler Gössa Anders, late 19^th century)

Min själ och sinne låt Gud råda
TEXT: Philipp Melancthon, tr. Gustaf Ållon (d. 1704)
MUSIC: A Swedish psalm book (1657) and traditional, Nuckö

1. Let God guide my soul and mind; without His help we are lost.
2. What can help us in our hour of need, in our trials and heaviness?
3. Sing, read and praise God’s ways; a happy man trusts in God alone.

Vad röst, vad ljuvligt röst ja hör
TEXT: J.O. Wallin (1813)
MUSIC: folk melody, Kopenhagen (1569)

1. What a beautiful voice I hear, my soul is lifted up, and goes to the Lord’s table.
2. I come, Jesus, at your invitation, clad in a saintly robe of righteousness.
3. As with Peter, who once forgot you, one loving glance from you will reach my heart.
4. Now, O Jesus, I give this heart of mine to you, and I follow where you lead.
5. O, come and dwell in my heart and I shall find my rest safely with the Lord.

Jag längtar av allt hjärta
TEXT: J.O. Wallin (1813)
MUSIC: A Swedish psalm book (1601), and traditional, Nuckö

1. I long with my whole heart to depart and be with God.
2. Forgive me, that I have broken faith with you, and comfort me.
3. Farewell, I wish to leave this world and find peace in heaven.
4. Now I am departing, to be with you, O Jesu Christ, for ever and ever.

Pärlor sköna
The Swedish Psalm Book (1740)
TEXT: Edvard Evers (d. 1919)

1. Of all the beauties of this world, one is a pearl is without peer.
2. In the same way, God’s Kingdom is without compare.

Our thanks go to Staebler Insurance for their generous sponsorship of this series

Katherine Hill's Photo credit to Bruce Zinger photography