Author: Arild Hoksnes
Translation: Frode Inge Helland

The Hardanger fiddle may be more Norwegian than one thought before.
A big joint project is winding up the dating of old instruments. Both humanistic and technological dating methods are implemented to find the age of old fiddles and fiddle boxes.
So far the results are indicating that the Hardanger fiddle may be a result of an older Norwegian fiddle maker tradition, and not merely fashion impulses from Europe in the 16th century.

How old is in fact the Hardanger fiddle? And how was it created?
So far has the scientists agreed that it at least originates from the middle of the 16th century, when it was popular to put resonating understrings on violins.

A tradition from the medieval age?
But at the same time the scientists have been puzzled by the fact that the Hardanger fiddle not could be proven to be older, partly because of the fact that much of the music seems to be much older.
And the exiting question is then: Could the Hardanger fiddle possible be a continuation of an old Norwegian fiddle - may be back to the "fiddle" which is mentioned and pictured from the medieval time?

A fiddle tagged 1651, the so called "Jaastad fiddle" from Hardanger has long time been a headache to the music scientists. It has been considered as the oldest existing Hardanger fiddle, but nobody has able to proof that this dating is correct. And particularly suspicious is the fact that there are practically no Hardanger fiddles dated earlier than about 1750.

Why should it suddenly emerge a sole Hardanger Fiddle 100 years earlier?

Many scientist the have looked into the problem says that the explanation may be that the very strict religious Danish king Christian VI (1699-1746) may have affected the scale of making fiddles in these decades and indirect caused fiddles to be burned.

And how come that the fiddle makers Trond Isaksen Flatab� from Hardanger whom has built about 1000 fiddles, was the wealthiest man in Hardanger when he died in 1772.
Which demand for instrument could make him such a wealthy man?

A production in this scale could not possible be just casual.

C14 - analysis and dendrochronological analysis.
Three C14 analyses carried out directed by Steinar Gulliksen at the The Laboratory for Radiological dating at Norges Teknisk Naturvitenskapelige Universitet in Trondheim places the Jaastad fiddle in the correct period, but because a sample taken from such a fiddle must be very small, the tolerances will not be small enough to give a final proof that the year 1651 is correct.
Another possibility is dendrochronological (growth rings) analysis. The scientist Terje Thun at The Botanical Institute at NTNU has tried to carry out such an analysis by photographs of the fiddle. - It seems that the method of using of photographs works fine, and is an exiting development of the dendrochronological method, says Mr Thun.

The oldest dated fiddle is the Jaastad fiddle, supposed made by Ole Jonsen Jaastad in Hardanger. But is the dating 1651 reliable?

Lack of reference.
The problem is that there is no reference map for pine trees in western after 1600. Analysis shows that the pine it is made of is not likely to have been cut before 1600. Such a map is planned, and Mr Thun now waits for permission to take samples from the western Norway in the folk museum from buildings that will provide him with the necessary reference. Before the summer 99 he will be able to give a more precise answer about the dating of the oldest Hardanger fiddle in Norway.

The fiddle box from Voss has the inscription 1512. Both dendrochronological- chronological and C14 analysis confirms that this dating may be correct. And the box fits perfectly to a fiddle of the Jaastad pattern.

Tracing an unknown tradition.
The leader of the project, Bj�rn Aksdal in R�det for Folkemusikk and Folkedans / Rff-center at NTNU, says that a wide range of competence has been used to test the dating of the Jaastad fiddle and other old Norwegian fiddles. - Art historians, historians, experts in hand writing and fiddle makers has searched the instruments from different angles of incidence. Connecting humanistic science, scientific methods and the knowledge of craftsmen from the fiddle makers Sigvald R�rlien and Olav Vindal has added many exiting aspects to the Hardanger fiddle project, he sais. But Aksdal is of the opinion that there are others and may be still more important clues that are giving evidence to the notion that the Hardanger fiddle is older and more Norwegian than we have thought until this day.

- One of the clues is the fiddle box from Voss, bearing the inscription 1552. The box has room for a relatively small fiddle typical for the oldest preserved fiddles. And the dendrochronological analysis is indicating that the box is made the first decade in the century, at the latest, more likely earlier still, says Aksdal. - What we have found so far has not proved to the contrary that The Jaastad fiddle originates from the 1600 century, and we have also found the fiddle box from the 1500, made for what we consider as an old Norwegian fiddle.

We feel that we are closing in on an old Norwegian fiddle builders tradition that we earlier did knot know about, Aksdal concludes.

Contact NTNU: Bj�rn Aksdal Tlf.: 73 59 65 76 E-post: [email protected]