Erik Jonsson Helland
Encyclopedia
Erik Jonsson Helland was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle maker from Bø in Telemark
.
He was the eldest son of the Hardangerfiddle maker Jon Eriksson Helland
.
As time went on, Erik Jonsson Helland began to specialize in making Hardangerfiddles and gained reputation as the foremost in the trade.
In the years of the 1850, he caught national attention and was awarded a national scholarship to study with the violin makers, Enger & Son in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. However, he had already accomplished at a level of artistic skill that made the stay in Copenhagen of limited value to him.
Around 1830, he began to experiment in his father's workshop with new models in order to obtain a more powerful tone without losing the softness of the instrument. This led to a broader instrument, with a fuller outline and a lower vault, which is now the common style.
No other violin maker in Norway has had such a profound impact on the design of the Hardanger fiddle as Erik Jonsson Helland.
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
.
He was the eldest son of the Hardangerfiddle maker Jon Eriksson Helland
Jon Eriksson Helland
Jon Eriksson Helland , born Jon Eriksson Hellos, was a Norwegian Hardanger violin maker from Bø in Telemark.Jon Eriksson Helland was the first of the Helland family violin making tradition in Bø...
.
As time went on, Erik Jonsson Helland began to specialize in making Hardangerfiddles and gained reputation as the foremost in the trade.
In the years of the 1850, he caught national attention and was awarded a national scholarship to study with the violin makers, Enger & Son in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. However, he had already accomplished at a level of artistic skill that made the stay in Copenhagen of limited value to him.
Around 1830, he began to experiment in his father's workshop with new models in order to obtain a more powerful tone without losing the softness of the instrument. This led to a broader instrument, with a fuller outline and a lower vault, which is now the common style.
No other violin maker in Norway has had such a profound impact on the design of the Hardanger fiddle as Erik Jonsson Helland.