Blan-Olles Ganglat: A Song History

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The title Mark Gilston gives as “Blan-Olles Gånglåt” in his Scandinavian Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer appears to correspond to “Blånn-Olles gånglåt,” a tune tied to the Swedish folk musician known as Blånn-Olle; the match rests on the near-identical title, since no other candidate turned up in the sources consulted here.[1][2] Sweden’s national library catalogue gives his dates as 1917–1976 and, in indexing a 1976 magazine interview with him, files him under Dalarna and Rättvik.[2][3] A 2017 contributed piece in a local news outlet, reporting on a Rättvik concert, says he was born in Västgärde in 1917, later worked in Stockholm, and there gathered musicians into his own spelmanslag (fiddlers’ group), which put out several records of old-time dance music, most of the tunes his own compositions.[4] After his death a memorial fund was set up in his name, which, as of 2017, Rättviks Spelmanslag managed with the aim of awarding a yearly stipend to young folk musicians.[4]

Etching of a young woman from Mora wearing a headscarf

Anders Zorn, Young Girl from Mora, etching, 1903. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). A girl from Mora, in Dalarna, shown for the region; it has no connection to the tune.

The tune is listed first in Vid majstången, a 1967 Melodiförlaget booklet of fourteen pieces from Blånn-Olle’s repertoire set for two fiddles, whose catalogue entry notes that some of the tunes are his own.[2] His group recorded it at Swedish Radio in Stockholm on 5 June 1967 as the first track of an LP issued by Cupol, and the Swedish Media Database credits Blånn-Olle himself as its composer.[5] The tune also opens a Koster CD of the group, dated about 1991, which the same database describes as drawing on recordings made in 1967 and 1972.[6]

The Swedish Academy’s historical dictionary defines a gånglåt as a march within instrumental folk music, and by extension a song in march time meant for marching to.[7] Nationalencyklopedin describes it as a type of Swedish fiddle tune long used to accompany ceremonial marches, noting that today such tunes are often played by everyone together at fiddlers’ gatherings.[8]

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Sources

  1. Mark Gilston: "Dulcimer Tab Books" (Scandinavian Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer).
  2. LIBRIS (National Library of Sweden): "Vid majstången: 14 låtar ur Blånn-Olles repertoar" (1967).
  3. LIBRIS (National Library of Sweden): "Vem räddar den svenska spelmansmusiken? [intervju med Blånn-Olle Olsson]" (1976).
  4. Siljan News: "Hundraåringarna och deras musik" (2017).
  5. Svensk mediedatabas (SMDB): "Blånn-Olles spelmanslag" (Cupol, 1967).
  6. Svensk mediedatabas (SMDB): "Blånn-Olles spelmanslag" (Koster, [1991?]).
  7. Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB): "gånglåt".
  8. Nationalencyklopedin: "gånglåt".