weaving Voices 01.04.2025 issuu - Flipbook - Page 58
the animals. Many of these sounds, songs and melodies were made
up individually by the vallkullor, and some were passed on and
learned by ear.
Videolink:
Fäbod culture and Swedish folk music
Challenges
Fäbod music is the oldest and most traditional form of work music
of the Nordic countries. The modality of the fäbod music, called
vallåtsmodus, originated from the säljflöjt and the vallhorn, two
simple wind instruments common in this time period. Many say that
there is a strong connection between this tone modality and the
latter development of Swedish folk music, and that you can hear
the heritage of kulning in Swedish folk melodies.91 Swedish folk
music and folk singing was taught and learned by ear, and thus the
songs that are known to this day, have been passed down through
generations and eventually written down.
Kulning today
Kulning – Ancient Swedish Herding Call (Jinton, 2016) 92
In the last few decades there has been a growing interest in fäbod
music and kulning. The songs and melodies that were once used
more as a work tool have become a form of artistic expression in
modern Sweden. Kulning and fäbod music has had an upswing
in part due to the feminist movement within Swedish folk music.
Much of this tradition is normally accredited to male fiddlers and
troubadours as they were the ones who normally performed, and
eventually wrote down the Swedish folk songs. However, as many
of these songs and melodies were deeply influenced by the fäbod
music and its tone modality, this interpretation of the music’s origin
is flawed.93 Thus, making the fäbod music heritage visible has been
an important part in bringing female contribution to Swedish folk
music to light. Some relevant names in this context are modern folk
musicians Sara Parkman, Samantha Olander, musicology professor
Anna Ivarsdotter and folksinger and university teacher Susanna
Rosenberg. The book Kulning – Musiken och tekniken (Kulning –
Music and technology) was written by the latter and is one of the
sources we used when preparing exercises for the workshop.94
Sara Parkman – Björnen 95
In preparation for our workshop we anticipated that giving our
participants the historical context above would be the easy part.
There were, however, a number of anticipated challenges that we
believe workshops relating to voice, theatre or other performative
practices may have in common. We knew from the start that learning
kulning is something that requires courage. This voice technique is
simply not possible while holding back. Therefore, we knew that one
of our greatest challenges would be to help the group let go of their
self-consciousness and throw themselves and their voices out.
Our group of participants was quite mixed in terms of field and
experience, which we anticipated would add to the challenge. Some
of the participants had a background in music and singing. This can
be an advantage in terms of understanding the musical theory and
feeling confident in how to control ones’ voice, but can also be a
disadvantage in terms of having bigger expectations of ‘succeeding’
and sounding a certain way. On the contrary, less experienced
singers may be less concerned about succeeding right away, but may
also have a harder time learning the technique. However, kulning was
never intended to be art or music, but was simply a tool used in the
daily lives of herding women across Scandinavia. It was not a practice
limited to people with certain skills, but a method passed down from
one generation to the next, something anyone can learn. Therefore,
our quest was to create a learning environment where participants
felt comfortable exploring new ways to use their voices, regardless
of background and experience.
Another question we tackled before the group arrived was: Who
owns a cultural tradition? By extension another question is formed –
for whom is there value in learning a cultural tradition? Is it only for
the people who share the same cultural heritage? Our participants
91 Ibid.
92 Jinton, J. (2016) Kulning - Ancient Swedish Herding Call. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=KvtT3UyhibQ [Accessed 23 Jun. 2024].
93 Ibid.
114
94 Rosenberg, S (2007) Kulning - Musiken och tekniken. Stockholm: Udda Toner.
95 Parkman, S. (2023) Sara Parkman - Björnen. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS47c4p9g0 [Accessed 23 Jun. 2024].
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