Eric Sahlström (1912–1986) was a Swedish player of the

nyckelharpa ''Nyckelharpa'' (, roughly "keyed fiddle" in Swedish language, Swedish, , plural: ) is a "keyed" Bowed string instrument, bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across med ...

, and ''

riksspelman The title of (, ''National Spelman'') is a generally recognized badge of mastery for Swedish folk musicians. It is an honor bestowed upon bearers of the silver or gold Zorn Badge, awarded annually by the Zorn Jury, a panel of experts under t ...

'' awardee from

Tobo Tobo is a locality situated in Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west ...

in northern

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

, Sweden. Sahlström won great respect for his musicianship in an era when folk music was not yet an established art form. He was hired by

Bo Nilson Bo or BO may refer to Arts and entertainment *Box office, where tickets to an event are sold, and by extension, the amount of business a production receives *'' BA:BO'', 2008 South Korean film * ''Bo'' (film), a Belgian film starring Ella-June ...

in 1962 to play in a new work at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. In 1968 he received the

Swedish Local Heritage Federation Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

's medal from

Gustaf VI Adolf Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf ...

and the same year the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...

's ''Medaljen för tonkonstens främjande'' ("Medal for Music Promotion"). He was nominated as a music professor at the

Royal College of Music, Stockholm The Royal College of Music, Stockholm () is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The institution was made independent of the Academy in 1971, and ...

. In 1976 he was recognised for "artistic quality and importance for Swedish culture", as the first musician to receive that award. Eric Sahlström is one of those who most contributed most to the renaissance of the ''nyckelharpa'' ("key fiddle") in modern times. The instrument at that point had some small popularity amongst a handful of musicians in Uppland, but Sahlström as a design engineer and luthier further developed the instrument, including refining the chromatic nyckelharpa which can play any key. He also composed a large number of folk songs. Among the most famous include the waltz ''Spelmansglädje'' ("Fiddler Joy") and the ''

polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

''s ''Stormyren'' and ''Hardrevet''. A bronze statue of Sahlström made by

Ingvar Jörpeland Ingvar or Yngvar ( , d. early 7th century) was the son of Östen and reclaimed the Swedish throne for the House of Yngling after the Swedes had rebelled against Sölve. He is reported to have fallen in battle in Estonia and been buried there. A ...

in 1992 was installed by the church of Tegelsmora his burial-ground. The

Eric Sahlström Institute The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...

is named after Sahlström.

External links

Eric Sahlströms Memorial Fund

Eric Sahlström Institute
, (in English)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahlstrom, Eric 1912 births 1986 deaths Nyckelharpa players Riksspelmän 20th-century Swedish folk musicians People from Tierp Municipality