Targjei Augundsson (1801 – 21 November 1872), better known as Myllarguten (meaning ''the Millerboy''), is arguably the most acknowledged
Norwegian folk music
Much has been learned about early music in Norway from physical artifacts found during archaeological digs. These include instruments such as the lur. Viking and medieval sagas also describe musical activity, as do the accounts of priests and pil ...
ian to this day, and by far the most legendary.
Childhood
Targjei was born in
Sauherad
Sauherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen. The municipality borders Kongsberg, Skien, Nome, ...
,
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 ...
. The date of his birth is disputed (the years range from 1799 to 1801), and some say his father Augund was only registered as the father of the boy (in the local church documentation). He married Gunhild, the mother, in October 1801. Targjei was already born at the time. Usually, farmers of the
Norwegian serfdom
Norwegian serfdom can be a way of defining the position of the Norwegian lower class farmers, though they were not actually in serfdom by European standards. The evolution of this social system began about 1750.
The institution only applied in ...
stock is not very well documented, often moving from homestead to homestead.
Myllarguten's father was a country fiddler, one of many at the time, and Targjei was going for the fiddle from early age, but it is told he feared his father would beat him if he tried the instrument. So he sneaked himself to playing while his father was outside and at work at the local mill. His father's profession gave Targjei his name, ''the Millerboy''. One day the father returned early from work and heard someone inside playing, and asked astonished who the player was. His wife, Gunhild, had to admit it was his son Targjei. From then on, Augund his father trained him, but the boy was so eager his father had to give him away to other fiddlers in the area.
Education
Amongst his teachers were the fiddlers
Knut Lurås
Knut Luraas (1782–1843) was a Norwegian Hardingfele fiddler and artist. He was born in Tinn; the son of farmer Øystein Gunnulfson Ingulvsland and Birgit Knutsdotter Mellomgarden Luraas, and was the brother of clarinetist and rose painter ...
from
Tinn
Tinn is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Rjukan.
The parish of ''T ...
,'' Jon Kjos'' from Ã…motsdal, ''Mattis Flathus'' from
Sauherad
Sauherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen. The municipality borders Kongsberg, Skien, Nome, ...
and ''Øystein Langedrag'' from
Bø. The latter had been a soldier in the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
and had some experience with military music, which influenced his style, and to a degree the style of Myllarguten. The fiddler he regarded the best of his teachers, was Knut Lurås, one of two colleague fiddlers he really appreciated. As his reputation grew, Targjei was known as a hard critic and a merciless competitor. He did not like to be bested at playing. The other he held in esteem, was
Håvard Gibøen
Håvard Gibøen (2 March 1809 – 27 July 1873) was a Norwegian fiddler and composer, born on the municipality of Møsstrond, in Telemark. The area is a part of Tinn today. Among his folk tunes are "Haavard Gibøens draum ved Oterholtsbrue" an ...
, regarded as his traditional counterpart in folk music from Telemark. HÃ¥vard was the only fiddler of whom Targjei would say: "He is the master of us all".
Life as a fiddler
Life as a fiddler was a life on the road. He soon got reputation, and played from early on at weddings and county feasts all over Telemark. He soon made longer journeys, and spanned the country as far as
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
and
Gudbrandsdalen
Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...
. He eventually got married, with Ingebjørg Eddandshaugen from
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Ã…mot.
General inform ...
, and had ten children by her, of whom at least four sons became fiddlers themselves, and through them, the music from Targjei has been passed on down to this day in Telemark.
Myllarguten was a difficult person, an imaginative musical artist, but painstakingly slow in all other tasks than playing. He could use a day on matters other more practical persons finished in a couple of hours. He was eager to learn dance-tunes, and turned them around in his own way, making them longer and richer than before. Thus, he laid the ground for a brand new way of playing the hardanger fiddle in Telemark.
Living conditions
Most of his life, Tarjei lived as a
serf
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
, moving with his family from homestead to homestead, not resting more than a few years at each place. The success of 1849 made enough income to raise a proper farm in
Rauland
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...
. But mostly he lived as a pauper, often lacking proper clothing when traveling on tours. People in the county who knew him, often tried to help him with food and clothes as well as money. It is reported that Myllarguten, in spite of his talent, seldom earned enough to feed and clothe his wife and children. When he was away for months, Ingebjørg and the children was in danger of starving, but they were often helped out. It is said that Ingebjørg held it "beneath her" to go out
begging
Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public place ...
, even when food was scarce.
Targjei and Ingebjørg had ten children, of which seven survived childhood.
Meeting Ole Bull
In 1831 he met
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing.
Biography
Background
Bull was ...
in Bergen and became his friend for life. Bull was on a short visit between tours, and was at the time looking for a personal and national expression. He had not yet opened his mind for the rural music, but when hearing Myllarguten, he got exactly what he had looked for. Later, he said: "There has not been a one fiddler that has made me content in such a way". The two understood each other, and soon became friends. Bull wrote down some of the tunes he heard, and borrowed Myllarguten's fiddle, and in turn played classical music for the fiddler. They both came enriched from the meeting, and Bull always played some Norwegian folk music on his concerts after this. Thus, he made the rural tunes known to a larger public for the first time. The meeting had lasting impact in the evolving
romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
in Norway.
After this meeting, they did not meet again for 17 years, until Bull endeavored to make a concert with Myllarguten in Christiania February 1849, when romantic nationalism was at its very peak in Norway. The concert became a commercial success, and the hall was packed with 1500 excited listeners, among them some from Telemark, who had got free tickets. The known author
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (6 April 1818 – 30 July 1870) was a Norwegian poet and journalist who is remembered for poetry, travel writing, and his pioneering use of LandsmÃ¥l (now known as Nynorsk).
Background
Vinje was born into a poor but ...
decided not to go, afraid that the concert might go awry for the sensible fiddler, and would not be held responsible as a man from the same district, which he was.
When going on stage, Myllarguten had to break his crate open with a knife, and was delayed several minutes. This made him nervous, and he started playing other tunes than the appointed. But he soon played himself into ecstasy as was his wont, and the audience cheered. Newspapers called him a "true child of nature", and praised him with eulogies and poems. On the other hand, the urban audience was more excited by the event than the music, as the traditional music was and is a music for trained ears. When the romantic wave died down, Myllarguten became a has-been, and was regarded as nothing more than a "drunken Telemark farmer".
The concerts gave him money to raise a farm in
Rauland
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...
, and the more experienced farmer Rikard Aslaksson Berge helped him in this. Myllarguten had played at his wedding, and was a regular guest at the farm. Thus, his music was passed on to Rikard's sons, and from them to his grandson
Eivind Groven
Eivind Groven (8 October 1901 – 8 February 1977) was a Norwegian composer and music-theorist. He was from traditional region of Vest-Telemark and had a background in the folk music of the area.
Biography
Groven was born in the village of LÃ ...
.
Later years
In spite of his successes abroad, Targjei was not able to keep his money, and had to leave his farm in the end. The last years of his life, he was tired of playing, and became gradually harder to ask. Sometimes, he became depressed and cursed both his fiddle and Ole Bull and all the rest. He felt alone, frustrated and lost, but was still appreciated by his own community.
Myllarguten died a pauper in 1872. The cause of death is said to have been
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, which he had suffered from some years. His funeral was timid, consisting of one single boat and no flowers (it was custom to travel to the church by water, crossing the lake
Totak
Totak is a lake in the municipality of Vinje in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The lake is part of the Skien river watershed ( Skiensvassdraget), discharging via the river Tokke to lake Bandak. At 306 m Totak is the 10th deepest l ...
. That was easier than taking the road). He is buried at the cemetery at
Rauland
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...
in Telemark. It was reckoned a pity that this should befall the greatest fiddler in Norway. But he is well remembered, and through his descendants passed on a vivid musical tradition that lives on in Telemark to this very day. All the county honors his memory. A memorial stone was later set up at his grave.
Musical style
Myllarguten was from the beginning a traditional folk musician, schooled and educated in local tradition. The meeting with Ole Bull had a lasting impact on his style, and he began to explore the limits of his instrument in new and more advanced ways. He also turned his tonality more towards the classical ideals, rather than the more rural
blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...
. In 1853, Carl Schart, an organist in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
, transcribed five of Myllarguten's tunes, and those came later into prin
This example shows a vivid musical mind, and a great performer.
Sources
Most of the sources for Myllarguten's life were written down from living memory, accounted by people who had met the fiddler, and his close relatives. Other sources exist as articles by romantic nationalists in Norway, who met the fiddler and described him. All the material was collected and edited by the folklorist
Rikard Berge
Rikard Berge (7 November 1881 – 26 September 1969) was a Norwegian folklorist, museologist biographer and magazine editor.
Biography
Rikard Gjermundsen Berge was born in Rauland in Vinje, Telemark, Norway.
He was the son of Geirmund ...
, himself from
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 ...
, and grandson of Rikard Aslaksson as mentioned above. He had first-hand information, and collected material for twelve years, from 1896 to 1908, meeting many older people who remembered Myllarguten. Thus, he put together a thorough and useful biography and a valuable source.
''Concerning the meeting of Ole Bull and Myllarguten'': Told by the farmer ''Rikard Aslaksson Berge'', as rendered by Myllarguten himself, ''Tor Vaa'' from
Rauland
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...
, and ''Gregar Torgeirsson'', Myllarguten's son. The latter also told of the concert in
Christiania, which is also well documented from contemporary written material.
''Concerning the fiddler's childhood'': Told by ''Gunnhild Flatastøyl'', daughter-in-law, ''Ingebjørg Pilodden'' from
Sauherad
Sauherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen. The municipality borders Kongsberg, Skien, Nome, ...
, and ''Gregar Torgeirsson''.
''Myllarguten's technical abilities and musical style'': ''Øystein Hovdestad'',
Vinje
Vinje is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Ã…mot.
General inform ...
, among others.
''His funeral'': ''Signe Øydgarden'',
Rauland
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...
. She was an eye-witness to the event.
All the material is edited and published in
Rikard Berge
Rikard Berge (7 November 1881 – 26 September 1969) was a Norwegian folklorist, museologist biographer and magazine editor.
Biography
Rikard Gjermundsen Berge was born in Rauland in Vinje, Telemark, Norway.
He was the son of Geirmund ...
Myllarguten-Gibøen,
Noregs Boklag 1972 (second edition). The original biography was published in 1911.
{{Authority control
1801 births
1872 deaths
Norwegian fiddlers
Norwegian folk musicians
19th-century violinists
Male violinists
19th-century male musicians
People from Sauherad