Description
The Nyckelharpa CADENCE cooperation is an outstanding example of cultural adult education and cooperation in Europe, supported by the European Commission. This unique project was brought to life through the joint efforts of the educational institutions “Eric Sahlström Institutet” in Sweden, “Akademie BURG FÜRSTENECK” in Germany and “Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli” in Italy. Between January and October 2010, a multinational study group delved deep into the world of adult musical education, focusing on the nyckelharpa, a traditional stringed instrument.
The fascination of the nyckelharpa
As a captivating stringed instrument played with a bow, the nyckelharpa has a keyboard, the so-called “keys”, to change the pitch, while resonating strings enrich its unique sound. This instrument, which has been documented in the three participating countries Sweden, Italy and Germany since the late Middle Ages, is part of Europe’s common cultural heritage. After a long history in which the nyckelharpa was mainly played in Sweden, it is now experiencing a worldwide renaissance thanks to passionate musicians and is being used in various musical styles.
Insight into the CADENCE cooperation
Participants in the Nyckelharpa CADENCE program had the opportunity to immerse themselves in music education by learning about the methods and activities of the host educational institutions. In addition to music lessons, public conferences and concerts as well as meetings with local cultural institutions were part of the varied program. The aim was to compare pedagogical approaches and explore the diversity of music education in Europe, with the nyckelharpa serving as a unifying element.
The importance of the nyckelharpa in music education
The nyckelharpa has not only inspired the music world, but has also contributed to the emergence of new pedagogical approaches and courses of study, particularly at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. The experiences and findings from the visits to the three countries have led to a deeper understanding of the musical and pedagogical possibilities of the instrument.
Cooperation across borders
The successful cooperation between the educational institutions has also led to a deeper partnership between the municipalities of Forlimpopoli, Eiterfeld and Tierp, which actively support the Nyckelharpa CADENCE projects. This shows how music and education can connect people and communities across national borders.
Discover Nyckelharpa CADENCE – A window to Europe’s musical heart
This booklet not only offers insights into the CADENCE Grundtvig program, but also into the fascinating world of the nyckelharpa. It invites you to learn more about this extraordinary instrument and its role in adult cultural education. Visit our website www.cadence.nyckelharpa.eu for more articles, sheet music and to become part of this vibrant musical community.
Let yourself be inspired and become part of the nyckelharpa community
The nyckelharpa is more than an instrument; it is a living symbol of Europe’s rich cultural heritage and its continued existence in the modern world. The CADENCE project not only preserves this heritage, but also develops and reinterprets it. If you are interested in music, culture and education, the Nyckelharpa CADENCE offers you the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into these topics and become part of an international community of like-minded people.
Your next step
Are you ready to explore the fascinating world of the nyckelharpa and broaden your musical horizons? Our publication “Nyckelharpa CADENCE” is the first step on this path. It offers you not only valuable insights, but also practical resources to begin your musical journey with the nyckelharpa. Get your copy now and be inspired by the diversity and beauty of European music!
Foreword
With the support of the European Commission, the educational institutions “Eric Sahlström Institutet” in Sweden, “Akademie BURG FÜRSTENECK” in Germany and “Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli” in Italy have established the CADENCE cooperation as a “Grundtvig Learning Partnership”.
A multinational study group of 18 participants (and additional guests) visited all three institutes between January and October 2010 to exchange information about organization, methods and activities, especially in adult music education. Since the teaching on the nyckelharpa is the outstanding unifying element of the partner institutions, this instrument was used as an example for the joint studies.
Nyckelharpa or keyed fiddle
The nyckelharpa is a stringed instrument. The strings are bowed and the pitch is changed with a keyboard (the “keys”). Resonant strings contribute to the special sound. Since the late Middle Ages, illustrations and descriptions of the key fiddle in a north-south axis can be traced precisely in the three participating countries, Sweden, Italy and Germany. It is thus part of the common cultural heritage of Europe. But since the baroque period, the nyckelharpa has only been played in Sweden, especially in the Uppland region, in an unbroken tradition as a folk instrument. Thanks to innovative musicians in Sweden, notably August Bohlin (1877-1949) and Eric Sahlström (1912-1986), and a number of enthusiastic musicians in continental Europe who discovered the instrument from around 1980, the nyckelharpa is now being revived worldwide and used in an increasing number of musical styles.
The study visits to the three countries lasted between five and six days. The program consisted in each case of a detailed presentation of the inviting educational institution with its local peculiarities, of music lessons to experience the typical methods of musical adult education in each case, of public conferences and concerts to present the project and the nyckelharpa, as well as meetings with the local mayors and small tourist-historical excursions.
The aim of the partnership was to compare topics, didactic methods and management of cultural adult education. In particular, musical and music pedagogical approaches, construction and playing techniques of the nyckelharpa, as well as peculiarities of general music education in the three countries were studied. The successful courses in folk music and nyckelharpa at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm aroused particular interest.
The nyckelharpa cooperation gave the impetus to a complementary partnership of the three municipalities of Forlimpopoli, Eiterfeld and Tierp, on whose territory the educational institutions are located. For their part, the municipalities supported the CADENCE project.
This booklet presents reports on our CADENCE-Grundtvig program, the genesis of our partnership, the music taught during the visits and played in the concerts, as well as references to further articles and sheet music that will be published separately and on our website www.cadence.nyckelharpa.eu.
Text on the back of the book
The Nyckelharpa – “… is no longer a disappearing relict from a small region of Sweden but a living force in the choir of music from different parts of the world, voices which together create good hope for the future of mankind.” Jan Ling, 2011
Between January and October 2010, a multinational study group visited three institutes for adult education in Sweden, Germany and Italy to exchange ideas and experiences about organization, methods and activities of musical education.
As nyckelharpa teaching was the exceptional unifying subject of the partners “Eric Sahlström Institute”, “Academy BURG FÜRSTENECK” and “Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli”, this instrument was used as the basis for the common studies.
The nyckelharpa is a bowed string instrument, part of the Medieval European heritage, but during the last 400 years has only been played in the Swedish area of Uppland. Nowadays the interest in playing the nyckelharpa has increased worldwide and in many differing musical styles.
This CADENCE co-operation was established as a “Grundtvig Learning Partnership” and supported by the European Commission in 2009 – 2011. Additional articles and sheet music that are outcomes of the CADENCE project will be published on the website www.cadence.nyckelharpa.eu.
