Lyricist Göran Svenning and composer David Hellström were a top Swedish songwriting team of the early 20th century.
''atspace.cc''. Retrieved: June 21, 2019. Together they wrote over thirty waltzes, including the classic ''Kostervalsen'' (The Koster waltz).
''atspace.cc''. Retrieved: June 21, 2019.

Göran Svenning

Göran Svenning was a songwriter, who was also a dentist. He was born on 6 September 1870 in Ljungsarp and died in

Strömstad Strömstad is a locality and the seat of Strömstad Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 6,288 inhabitants in 2010. For historical reasons, Strömstad is called a ''city'' despite its small population. Strömstad became part of S ...

on 27 December 1953 at the age of eighty-three. A native of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

, he had a dental practice in

in Bohuslän, where he met the composer David Hellström. Svenning wrote most of his song lyrics in collaboration with Hellström although he worked with Theodor Pinet on the well-known ''Bondvals'' (Farmer waltz). Pinet, a popular bandleader and composer, was known as the “Boston King” because of his association with the Boston waltz, a dance popular in Sweden in the early 1900s. In 1911 Svenning published a collection of verse entitled ''Skärgårdssånger'' (Archipelago songs).

David Hellström

David Hellström was a Swedish composer from the province of Bohuslän. He was born on 23 September 1883 in

and died there on 7 April 1965 at the age of eighty-one. As a young man he enlisted in the Royal Bohuslän Regiment, where he studied music and played the French horn. He returned to civilian life after attaining the rank of sergeant and from then on worked as a gardener. After leaving the military Hellström continued with his musical activities, composing both waltzes and marches. He often worked with lyricist Göran Svenning. In 1907 the two men submitted ''Kostervalsen'' in a Bohuslän contest for the province’s best new melody. Their entry was disqualified when the jury ruled it was “too suggestive”. Despite the setback, the partnership endured and produced many memorable songs. In 1962 David Hellström was awarded the Fred Winter prize for his contributions to Swedish music.

Compositions

In America works by Svenning and Hellström appeared on the Columbia, Edison and Victor labels and were covered by such artists as

Arvid Franzen Arvid Franzen (1899–1961) was a Swedish-born accordionist and bandleader, whose live performances and numerous recordings made him a household name in Scandinavian communities throughout the United States. Career A native of Gothenburg, Swede ...

, Lydia Hedberg, Eddie Jahrl, John Lager, Ingeborg Laudon, Eric Olson, Hjalmar Peterson and Charles G. Widdén.''Ethnic Music on Records: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893-1942'' by Richard K. Spottswood, (University of Illinois Press, 1990) LCCN 89-020526. Volume 5. The song ''Friarevalsen'' (The suitor’s waltz) was given a second life when the producer

Emil Norlander Emil Norlander (1865-1935) was a Swedish journalist, author, songwriter and producer of musical revues.Stockholmslåtar
''stockholmskallan.se''. Retrieved: October 22, 2011. In 1914 Svenning and Hellström wrote ''Malmö valsen'' (The Malmö waltz), also known as ''På Baltiskan'' (On the Baltic). The piece commemorated the

Baltic Exhibition The Baltic Exhibition was held in Malmö, Sweden from 15 May to 4 October 1914. (The official closing date, September 30, was later extended by four days, as permitted in the general rules.) A Swedish world's fair The event showcased the industry, ...

of 1914 that was held in Malmö, Sweden on the eve of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Hjalmar Peterson and his wife Olga Lindgren recorded the song in 1917 for Columbia Records. The same year Charles G. Widdén recorded ''Sångvals'' (Song waltz) for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

. His recording was an adaptation of ''Malmö valsen''. It had Hellström’s melody, some of Svenning’s text and new lyrics that were partly in English.

Songs by Svenning and Hellström

* ''Balen på bakgården'' / ''Friarevalsen'' ~ T:

Emil Norlander Emil Norlander (1865-1935) was a Swedish journalist, author, songwriter and producer of musical revues.Theodor Pinet
at Swedish ragtime. *Swedish Wikipedia * David Hellström * Göran Svenning * Theodor Pinet *

Fred Winter Frederick Thomas Winter, (20 September 1926 – 5 April 2004) was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is th ...

Swedish music and film
David Hellström
Discographies
David Hellström
on

.
Göran Svenning
on

. PDF file
Svenning and Hellström songbook
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. Swedish lyrics
''Balen på bakgården''
Streaming audio
''Bondvals av Pinet''
at the

.
Svenning - Hellström songs
at the

.
''The Baltic Exposition waltz''
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

.
''Balen på bakgården''
at the

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga biblioteket, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Goransvenninganddavidhellstrom People from Bohuslän People from Strömstad Municipality People from Tranemo Municipality Swedish composers Swedish male composers Swedish dentists Swedish songwriters 20th-century dentists 20th-century Swedish male musicians sv:David Hellström