Nyhus, Sven: GRIEGSLÅTTENE for hardingfele

No Norwegian folk dances have reached a larger public than the seventeen fiddletunes transcribed for the piano by Edvard Grieg and published as his Opus No. 72. For almost ninety years these piano arrangements have charmed audiences all over the world, whereas the original fiddle tunes have not been presented in concert until a few years ago. Johan Halvorsen´s original notation of the series was published by C. F. Peters in Leipzig in 1903 at the same time as Grieg´s piano version. In traditional music circles this series of fiddle tunes have usually been referred to as the "Grieg dances", and it is perhas understandable that such an exalted term has been chosen in view of the "seriousness" conferred to them by our renowned national composer.

In later times, however, the quality of Johan Halvorsen´s trancript has been severely questioned. The 1993 sesquicentennial of Grieg´s birth presented an appropriate opportunity of examining in depth the relationship between this notation and the ancient fiddle techniques still transmitted from generation to generation in this country, the ultimate purpose of this examination being, of course, the printing of a revised transcript, followed by a close analysis of the structure of the dances and their proper notation. Parallel to this edition we also published a CD presenting the recordings, by Johannes and Knut Dahle, of the source material.

Med utgangspunkt i det originale kildematerialet - fremført
av Knut og Johannes Dahle - presenterer Sven Nyhus 17 slåtter
etter vår tids helhetlige notasjonspraksis. I en utførlig
artikkel - på norsk og engelsk, blir historikk,
slåttestruktur og notasjon drøftet. I noteutgaven er
hovedtranskirpsjonene basert på Johannes Dahles innspillinger fra
1953, videre er det tatt med fragmenter av Knut Dahles gamle
innspillinger, og i faksimile deler av transkripsjonene av Johan
Halvorsen.