Märk hur vår skugga (Mark how our shadow) is one of the best-known of the 1790 ''

Fredman's Epistles ''Fredmans epistlar'' (English: ''Fredman's Epistles'') is List of Fredman's Epistles, a collection of 82 poems set to music by Carl Michael Bellman, a major figure in Sweden, Swedish 18th century song. Though first published in 1790, it was cre ...

'', where it is No. 81. These were written and performed by

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...

, the dominant figure in the Swedish song tradition. Its subject is the funeral of one of Bellman's female acquaintances, Grälmakar Löfberg's wife.

Context

Song

Music and verse form

The song has four verses, each of 9 lines. The music is in time, and is marked '' Andantino''.> The melody may be by Bellman himself; a very similar melody was used by Eric Lorentz Zebell, but it was printed after the Epistles. The real Doctor Blad was the Bellman family's doctor, and one of their closest friends, during the latter part of Bellman's life.

Lyrics

The song was written late in the 1780s or in 1790, not long before publication. Epistle No. 81 is subtitled "Til Grälmakar Löfberg i Sterbhuset vid Danto bommen, diktad vid Grafven" (To Quarrelsome Löfberg in the Hospice by the Danto barrier, dictated at the Grave). The dedication runs "Dedicerad til Doctor BLAD" (Dedicated to Doctor Blad).

Reception

The scholar of literature

Lars Lönnroth Lars Lönnroth (born 4 June 1935) is a Swedish literary scholar. He was born in Gothenburg to Erik Lönnroth and Ebba Lagercrantz. His academic career includes professorships at the University of California Berkeley, University of Aalborg and ...

writes that Bellman often begins with a priestly tone, as he does for this churchyard epistle, before turning from the elegiac to a drinking-orgy, as Fredman and the other guests are unmasked. The language, the genre, the voice, and the roles played all switch over, he observes, from the elevated to a

drinking song A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music. In Germany, drinking songs are ...

's slapdash interaction. He writes that this does not mean that the sacred is accorded no value; rather, Bellman directs the "holy light" of attention from the high to the low, valuing both of them. Students of Swedish literature at the

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...

are expected to study ''Fredman's Songs and Epistles'', "especially Fredman's epistle nos. 23, 33, and 81."

Recordings and translations

Epistle 81 has been recorded by

Fred Åkerström Fred Åkerström (27 January 1937 – 9 August 1985) was a Swedish folk guitarist and singer particularly noted for his interpretations of Carl Michael Bellman's music, and his own work of the typically Swedish song segment named ''visa''. The ...

and by Cornelis Vreeswijk. Other versions have been recorded by Stefan Sundström and

Imperiet was a Swedish rock band from Stockholm, that existed from 1983 to 1988. History started as , a side project to the Swedish punk band , and included three of its members. When broke up in 1983, re-emerged as ; with Joakim Thåström (lead v ...

, who scored a 1985-1985

Svensktoppen ''Svensktoppen'' () is a weekly record chart airing at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. The last years before the January 2003 cha ...

hit with the song. The English-speaking band Mediaeval Baebes recorded the song in Swedish on their 2005 album ''Mirabilis''. The Swedish folk singer Sofia Karlsson included it in her 2007 album '' Visor från vinden'', alongside works by poets such as Baudelaire and

Dan Andersson Dan Andersson (6 April 1888 in Ludvika – 16 September 1920 in Stockholm)Dan Andersson
' ...

; it was the only Bellman song in the collection. The Danish metal band

Evil Masquerade Evil Masquerade is a Scandinavian band formed in 2003. Their wide range of musical influences make them difficult to categorize. Evil Masquerade themselves claim to be playing 'Devilish Rock'n'Roll'. But since that is a self-invented genre they ar ...

included the song, in Swedish, in their 2016 album ''

The Outcast Hall of Fame ''The Outcast Hall Of Fame'' is the seventh full-length album by the Swedish/Danish band Evil Masquerade. Track listing All songs written by Henrik Flyman except '' Märk Hur Vår Skugga'' which was written by Carl Michael Bellman. Personnel ; ...

''./> An English translation, entitled ''Epistle No. 81'', has been recorded by the Swedish doom metal band Candlemass on the 1988 album Ancient Dreams, and by the American doom metal band

While Heaven Wept While Heaven Wept (often abbreviated as WHW) was an American epic doom metal band based in Dale City, Virginia. The primary writer and overall engine of the band was mainman Tom Phillips (musician), Tom Phillips. Their melodic, classically infl ...

on the 2003 album '' Of Empires Forlorn''. Another English translation, entitled ''Castrum Doloris'', was recorded by the Swedish

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

band Marduk on their 2003 album '' World Funeral''. Vreeswijk translated the epistle to Dutch. The Bellman biographer

Paul Britten Austin Paul Britten Austin (5 April 1922 – 25 July 2005) was an English author, translator, broadcaster, administrator, and scholar of Swedish literature. He is known in particular for his translations of and books on the Swedish musician, si ...

made a verse translation in 1977.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * (contains the most popular Epistles and Songs, in Swedish, with sheet music) * (with facsimiles of sheet music from first editions in 1790, 1791) * *

External links

Text of Epistle 81
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark hur var skugga 1790 compositions Swedish songs Fredmans epistlar