Karin Løberg Code
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle Music

Karin Løberg Code is a master of the Hardanger fiddle, an instrument sometimes called the national instrument of Norway. Similar to the violin, each Hardanger (or hardingfele in Norwegian; Harding for short) is a work of art; the hand made instruments are heavily decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay and black pen-and-ink drawings called rosing.
Usually the instrument is topped with a carved figure, sometimes of a young woman's head or more frequently an animal, usually a lion.

Its most distinguishing feature is the four or five sympathetic strings that run underneath the fingerboard and add echoing overtones to the sound. The traditional playing style is heavily polyphonic. A melody voice is accompanied by a moving "drone" voice. Together, the instrument and the playing style create the sound for which the Hardanger fiddle is famous.

There are over 1,000 distinct Hardanger tunes, or slåttar, each of which has a history and lineage, transmitted as carefully as the tune itself. Some tunes are simply for listening but most are meant to be played the for dancers. Hardingfele can be played for gammaldans (waltz, reinlender/schottis, pols, etc.), but are most associated with bygdedans (regional dances) such as springar and gangar. These dances are found in Norway's central areas such as Hallingdal, Telemark, Setesdal, Valdres, and on the west coast in Voss, Jølster, and Sogn.

Code, of Norwegian ancestry, has twice lived in Norway where she was invited to play for two bi-monthly folk dance groups in Oslo--a rare distinction for a foreigner in this conservative milieu. She also performed at national and regional competitions, on Norwegian State Radio and Radio Norway International, and for dance courses, concerts, and other special events. In the United States she performs and teaches at a variety of folk music and dance events.

Links

http://www.hfaa.org/hardanger_fiddle.html
http://www.hfaa.org/music_samples.html