Sjur Larsson Helgeland (19 August 1858 − 12 April 1924) was a Norwegian

hardingfele 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 f ...

fiddler and composer.

Biography

He was born at

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, ...

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...

, Norway. His parents were Lars Olsson Hirt (1823-1908) and Brita Helgeland (1820-98). He grew up in the rural valley of Myrkdalen in the parish of Vossestrand. He received musical training from local

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 ...

players including

Ola Mosafinn Ola Mosafinn (14 July 1828 – 28 December 1912) was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player and composer. Mosafinn is regarded among the more important fiddlers in Norway in the late 19th century. Ola Sjursson was born in Voss in Hordaland Count ...

(1828–1912). In 1896, he won the first annual Norwegian folk music and dance competition (''Vest landskappleiken'') conducted at

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 o ...

. Among his best-known

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

s is ''Budeiene på Vikafjell'', a composition reflecting the different moods of three dairymaids; sorrow, joy and happiness, combined with cattle call, lows, wind and bird singing. Helgeland died in 1924 and was buried at Vinje Church (''Vinje kyrkje''). A stone memorial to Sjur Helgeland was raised in his home village during 1958.

References

Norwegian traditional musicians Norwegian fiddlers Male violinists Norwegian composers Norwegian male composers Musicians from Voss 1858 births 1924 deaths {{norway-musician-stub