The title of riksspelman (, ''National Spelman'') is a generally recognized

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...

of mastery for

Swedish folk music Swedish folk music is a genre of music based largely on folkloric collection work that began in the early 19th century in Sweden. The primary instrument of Swedish folk music is the fiddle. Another common instrument, unique to Swedish traditions ...

ians. It is an honor bestowed upon bearers of the

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Zorn Badge The Zorn Badge (Sw: ''Zornmärket'') is an award that is given to prominent folk musicians in Sweden. The prize is awarded by Svenska Folkdansringen, the Swedish national organization for traditional music, dance and handicraft.Zornmärket, '' ...

, awarded annually by the Zorn Jury, a panel of experts under the auspices of Svenska Folkdansringen. The

is the highest award attainable for musicians who play before the Zorn Jury in their annual Zorn Trials. (Other possible awards include a certificate,

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

, and post-bronze certificate.) The

cannot be sought, but is reserved for one or two master musicians pre-selected by the

Jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

. Since the creation of the riksspelman title in 1933, it has been awarded to an average of ten people per year. Sweden today has approximately 300 living riksspelmän. Since 2013 Denmark has a corresponding title of "rigsspillemand", which has been bestowed on 23 musicians who play Danish traditional music.

Etymology

In 1910, a national folk musicians' gathering (''riksspelmansstämma'') was called at

Skansen Skansen (; "the Sconce") is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts of S ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

of Swedish

folk culture Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

.Ramsten (1985):193. A number of musicians were invited to play; the 65 who heeded the call were all awarded a

silver badge The International Gliding Commission (IGC) is the international governing body for the sport of gliding. It is governed by meetings of delegates from national gliding associations. It is one of several Air Sport Commissions (ASC) of the Fédérati ...

designed and financed by the painter

Anders Zorn Anders Leonard Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920) was a Swedish painter. He attained international success as a painter, sculptor, and etching artist. Among Zorn's portrait subjects include King Oscar II of Sweden and three American ...

. Later, in 1933, Svenska Ungdomsringen för bygdekultur (The Swedish Youth Ring for Village Culture) created a system by which

folk musicians Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

could play music before a

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

of experts. Various awards for the participants of these

Trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

would be handed out at an annual "National Folk Musicians' Gathering," a name taken from that original event in 1910. The highest award for participants in the

would be that same

. Those who received this highest honor would be known as "National Folk Musicians" (riksspelmän). In other words, while the name of the event was taken from that initial gathering in 1910, the meaning was changed in 1933. In 1910, the national folk musicians' gathering was a National Gathering of Folk Musicians. In 1933, it became a Gathering of National Folk Musicians (''riksspelmän'').

The Zorn Jury

The Zorn Jury (''Zornjuryn'') is made up of nine members. When a member retires, the Jury selects a new member, subject to the approval of Svenska Folkdansringen. Generally, the Jury is made up of folk musicians with a great deal of experience and knowledge, most of whom are also riksspelmän. One position on the Jury may also be held by a scholar, whose primary credentials are academic. As of 2016, the current jury members are: Jan Burman, Verf-Lena Egardt, Christina Frohm, Wille Grindsäter, Pers Nils Johansson,

Krister Malm Krister Malm (born 1941) is a Swedish musicologist. Malm has in his research been engaged in music ethnology and finished his doctorate in 1981 at the University of Gothenburg with a dissertation on the music culture of the Tanzania. From 1973 to ...

, Cajsa Ekstav, Peter Pedersen, and Tony Wrethling.

The Zorn Trials

In any given year, three members of the Zorn Jury are selected to

adjudicate Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the p ...

the week-long Zorn Trials (''Zornmärkesuppspelningarna''). The Trials are always held during the summer months, each year in a different location in Sweden.Kaminsky (2007):28). A local representative is appointed as a fourth adjudicator. Each participant in the Trials is given a fifteen-minute time slot, and asked to play three to five tunes for the Jury. The Trials are closed to the public, but are recorded by Svenskt Visarkiv (The Centre for

Swedish Folk Music Swedish folk music is a genre of music based largely on folkloric collection work that began in the early 19th century in Sweden. The primary instrument of Swedish folk music is the fiddle. Another common instrument, unique to Swedish traditions ...

and

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Research) for posterity. The results are posted at the end of each Trial day, and the awards are distributed at the National Folk Musicians' Gathering (''riksspelmansstämman'') at the end of the week.

Criteria

The adjudicators judge participants on four criteria:

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

, technique, intonation, and "qualities as a

folk musician Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

" (''egenskaper som spelman''). The fourth criterion relates to stylistic authenticity in musical expression, and is weighted more heavily than the other three. Also of import is that participants in the

demonstrate mastery over a single regional tradition. Attempting to play tunes from multiple different regions never results in a

.Kaminsky (2007):45.

Eligibility

The Zorn Trials are open to musicians aged sixteen and older. Few receive the

on their first try, however. Notable exceptions include Marie Stensby (1975),

Åsa Jinder Åsa Tindra Jinder (born 9 October 1963 in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden is a Swedish nyckelharpa player, composer, producer, songwriter, author and lecturer. She has scored album chart successes in Sweden. She lives in Stockholm. ...

(1979), and Jeanette Eriksson (2002), all of whom became riksspelmän at age sixteen. Only players of instruments regarded as "traditional" may play for the Zorn Jury. There is no official list of

traditional instruments A folk instrument is a musical instrument that developed among common people and usually does not have a known inventor. It can be made from wood, metal or other material. Such an instrument is played in performances of folk music. Overview Th ...

, however. Musicians who apply for a time slot before the Jury are simply rejected if they list an instrument that the adjudicators regard as non-traditional. Instruments that have been accepted in the past include:

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

, chromatic nyckelharpa, silverbasharpa, kontrabasharpa,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, durspel,

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

kulning Kulning or herding calls is a domestic Scandinavian music form, often used to call livestock (cows, goats, etc.) down from high mountain pastures where they have been grazing during the day. It is possible that the sound also serves to scare away ...

spilåpipa thumb The spilåpipa (or ''spelpipa'', ''spälapipa'', ''låtapipa'') is a type of fipple flute traditional in Sweden. It is traditionally from the pastoral/transhumant cultures of that country, though more widespread in the modern era. It is or ...

, härjedalspipa, träskofiol, travers, hummel, näverlapp, cow horn, näverlur, and Swedish bagpipes.List of recipients of the Zorn Badge in silver, 1997-2006.
/ref> It is permissible to play multiple instruments for the

. There are no restrictions with regard to nationality. Currently, four non-Swedes hold the title: Kristian Daugaard Madsen (Denmark, 1982), Oline Bakkom-Härdelin (Norway, 1996), Emma Reid (England, 2006), and David Kaminsky (United States, 2007). Musicians who are already riksspelmän are not eligible to participate in the Zorn Trials.

Common Misunderstandings

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

ians are occasionally credited with being riksspelmän erroneously. In some cases, these are musicians who have been granted lesser awards by the Zorn jury (a certificate or

). In other cases, they are well-known

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

ians who people simply assume are riksspelmän. The main reason behind these misunderstandings is that the title of riksspelman is far better known than are the official mechanisms and processes that grant it.

Controversy

The authority and expertise of the Zorn Jury, which awards the

, is generally accepted within the

community. The controversy associated with the system generally relates to the question of which instruments are regarded as

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

, and thus approved for judgment by the

. Many argue that no such limitations should exist, the argument being that "it's not what you play, but how you play." Others push for the acceptance of certain specific instruments. The best-known case in which such a movement succeeded resulted in the Jury's allowance of the diatonic button accordion ( durspel) for the first time in 1979. Currently (as of 2008), a similar movement is pushing for the acceptance of ''trall'', or vocable singing, as a traditional instrument. Another controversy regards the word " spelman" (literally "play-man") itself, given the growing number of female " spelmän" and riksspelmän in Sweden.Olsson (2007):21, Ramsten (1985): 195-196.

Notes

References

Hallhagen, Erika. 2007.
"Gästerna gör festen på stämman"
''Svenska Dagbladet'', May 23, 2007. Accessed April 11, 2008. Kaminsky, David. 2005. "Hidden Traditions: Conceptualizing Swedish Folk Music in the Twenty-First Century." Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University. Kaminsky, David. 2007. "The Zorn Trials and the Jante Law: On Shining Musically in the Land of Moderation." In ''

Yearbook for Traditional Music The ''Yearbook for Traditional Music'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on folk music and dance. It is published by the International Council for Traditional Music, once a year in December. The editor-in-chief is Kati Szego. T ...

'' 39:27-49. Olsson, Thorbjörn. 2007. "Spelman - ett förlegat begrepp pelman - An Obsolete Term" in ''Spelmannen'' 2007(4):21. Ramsten, Märta. 1985. "The New Fiddlers: trends and revivalism in the folk music of the seventies." In ''The Folk Music Vogue,'' Lena Roth, ed. 193-200. Svenska Folkdansringen. n.d.
"Så blir man riksspelman"
Svenska Folkdansringen homepage. Accessed April 14, 2008.

External links

Zornmärkesnämnden
(the Zorn Badge committee in Svenska Folkdansringen)
Riksspelmän 1936-2018
{{Swedish folk music Swedish folk music Swedish folk musicians Swedish music awards