Lieder des Nordens

The last ice age shaped the wild natural landscape that many people associate with Northern Europe: rugged mountains, glaciers, fjords, lake landscapes, endless forests and treeless high plateaus. The sun and the very special light close to the Arctic Circle in summer and the persistent darkness in winter have also shaped images and impressions of nature that are so very different from those in Central Europe.

These often frightening impressions of nature are certainly reflected in Nordic mythology and folklore, in which eerie creatures such as elves, trolls and evil spirits also play a major role. Gloom and melancholy on the one hand and summery joie de vivre on the other characterise the folk songs of the northern regions. Some of the classical Scandinavian composers took and still take folk music as the basis for their own works.

Many modern groups and bands have rediscovered Scandinavian folk music for themselves and combine some of the old songs with modern popular elements and musical styles. Scandinavian folk music festivals have become established, especially in the Nordic countries, where musical folklore is being revived and further developed.

Some of the songs from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland included here are so well known in Germany that they could be mistaken for German folk songs. Others, however, such as the Icelandic songs, are hardly known, they sound as unique as the landscape and therefore have their own special charm.

For information and better understanding, the appendix contains the song texts, some of them abridged, in the original language, supplemented by a German version or summary.