Erik Jonsson Helland (1816–1868) was a Norwegian
Hardanger fiddle
A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than fo ...
maker.
Erik Jonsson Helland was the eldest son of the Hardanger fiddle maker
Jon Eriksson Helland from Bø in
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
, Norway. Around 1830, he began to specialize in making Hardanger fiddles and to experiment in his father's workshop with new models in order to obtain a more powerful tone without losing the softness of the instrument. This led to a broader instrument, with a fuller outline and a lower vault, which is now the more common style. In the 1850s, he gained national attention and in 1861 was awarded a national scholarship to study with the violin makers, Enger & Son in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
.
See also
*
The Helland fiddle maker family
*
Jon Eriksson Helland II
References
Related Reading
*Aksdal, Bjørn (2009) ''Hardingfela felemakere og instrumentets utvikling'' (Trondheim: Tapir Akademisk Forlag)
External links
The Helland fiddle maker family{{DEFAULTSORT:Helland
1816 births
1868 deaths
Norwegian musical instrument makers
Fiddle makers