Life In The Finland Woods: A Song History

← Back to Browse By Song

"Life in the Finland Woods" is one of several English titles for "Livet i Finnskogarna," a Swedish waltz credited to the accordionist Carl "Calle" Jularbo (1893–1966).[1][2] According to the Traditional Tune Archive, the Swedish name refers to the stretch of Swedish forest settled by Finns.[1] The Archive and the Discography of American Historical Recordings both date his recording of it to 1915.[1][2] Store norske leksikon reports that the waltz sold more than three million copies and was the high point of his career in performance as well as on disc, and adds that Jularbo, born Karl Karlsson in Dalarna, played by ear and could not read music.[3]

Etching of a smoking cabin at the edge of tall spruce trees

Johan Christian Dahl, Peasant's Hut at the Edge of a Forest, etching, 1828. A cottage at a forest's edge by a Norwegian artist, shown for the forest of the title; it does not show the Finn forests of Sweden.

The waltz was also recorded in America: on July 27, 1926, Columbia recorded accordionist Eddy Jahrl's quintet playing it in New York and issued the side for both the Scandinavian and the Finnish markets.[4] The Archive describes it as a popular waltz among fiddlers in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, says it was once locally popular among Slovak and Croatian communities in northern Wisconsin, and lists a recording by Richard Callihoo on a 2001 album of traditional Métis tunes.[1] Both sources tie it to "Mockin' Bird Hill," a hit of the early 1950s, with the Archive saying Patti Page's version borrowed its first two parts and DAHR naming Les Paul and Mary Ford's 1951 record.[1][2]

Dana Gruber's Waltzes, a Fingers Of Steel collection of waltzes from around the world written out in both standard notation and mountain dulcimer tablature, includes it.[5]

Our book that contains the song "Life In The Finland Woods"

Sources

  1. The Traditional Tune Archive: "Annotation: Life in the Finnish Woods".
  2. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Carl Jularbo".
  3. Store norske leksikon: "Calle Jularbo".
  4. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Columbia matrix W106998. Livet i Finnskogarna (Vals) / E. Jahrl Nyhetskvintett".
  5. Fingers Of Steel: "Dana Gruber, Waltzes".
  6. Image: Johan Christian Dahl, Peasant's Hut at the Edge of a Forest, etching, 1828. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

← Back to Browse By Song