Hedningarna
Encyclopedia
Hedningarna is a Swedish
and, for some years partly Finnish
, folk music
band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features Yoik
or juoiggus, a traditional Sami
form of song.
, Anders Stake
and Björn Tollin formed Hedningarna in 1987. Hedning is Swedish for heathen, while ar is the plural suffix, and na is the definite article (thus 'Hedningar' = 'Heathens' and 'Hedningarna' = 'The Heathens'). They wanted to go far back to the roots of the Old Norse culture, including the use of ancient instruments not much used in current Swedish folk music. Stake, a trained luthier
, also began to invent and build new instruments, to produce new sounds.
In 1988 Hedningarna composed and performed a major part of the music to the stage play Den stora vreden (roughly meaning The Great Wrath) which aroused great interest. Their first album titled Hedningarna
was released on Alice Records in 1989. In 1991, Hedningarna began their collaboration with Silence Records
. They met the Finnish singers Sanna Kurki-Suonio
and Tellu Paulasto. The album Kaksi! (Finnish for two) was released in September 1992. In 1993 Hedningarna was awarded a Swedish Grammis
(the equivalent of Grammy) for The Best Folk Music Album of the year. The sales of Kaksi! reached 35 000 albums, which is very high for a folk music record in Sweden. British Sasha
made a remix of Hedningarna's Kruspolska which climbed the charts in England
.
The third album Trä
, meaning 'wood' in Swedish (a pun, since "Trä" also sounds a lot like the Swedish word for "Three") was released in September 1994. Melody Maker
wrote "it may sound alien, but yet it sounds like the most essential music on the earth." Hedningarna performed at the Roskilde Festival
in the presence of 20 000 people on the second largest stage. In 1995 Hedningarna toured Scandinavia
and abroad. A compilation album with songs from Trä and Kaksi! was released in the U.S. By 1995, their albums had been released in Spain
, the Netherlands
, Belgium
, Poland
, Thailand
, Great Britain
and the U.S.
The singers Kurki-Suonio and Paulasto stayed at home in Finland during 1996 for child birth and their studies. Paulasto decided to leave the band, and she was replaced by Anita Lehtola, who had been in the same class as Paulasto at The Sibelius Academy
in Helsinki
. Mattson, Stake and Tollin began work on their new album Hippjokk. Rock bassist Ulf Ivarsson played the new bass mandora
built by Mattson. Finnish Sami
yoik singer
Wimme Saari
participated with his singing and famous Norwegian
guitar
ist Knut Reiersrud
had also a role in the album. Johan Liljemark played the didgeridoo
, which he had learned in Australia
while living among the Aboriginals
. Hippjokk was released in February 1997. The band made tours and festival gigs with the singers in Spain
and Belgium
, and Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson became a member of Hedningarna. Anders Stake changed his name to Anders Norudde
.
During the winter of 1998 Hedningarna travelled to Karelia
, Russia
to gather inspiration for their new album, Karelia Visa. It was recorded during the spring and summer the same year. A short tour around Spain took place that summer. Ulf Ivarsson left the group after the recordings were finished. Mattson and Tollin together with the violin player Ola Bäckström recorded a CD with music for the dance troupe Virvla. It was released at Silence records in 1999. Sanna Kurki-Suonio
released a solo album in Finland the same year. Karelia Visa was released in 1999, and it was followed by concerts in Scandinavia and a three week tour in the USA.
Hedningarna played live to a dance performance based on their music, made and performed by Flying Foot Forum in Minneapolis, USA. The violin player Magnus Stinnerbom
joined the group. In 2000, Norudde released a solo album and the percussionist Christian Svensson joined the group, replacing founding member Björn Tollin. The compilation CD 1989-2003 was released in 2003. By then, Hedningarna had sold about 150,000 records. The singers left the group in 2003, and since then the group has again been an instrumental ensemble. In 2009 the band announced on their homepage that they were working on material for a new studio album.
In 2011 remixed version of Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) from Trä was used in trailer of video game The Witcher 2
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and, for some years partly Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features Yoik
Yoik
A joik, , luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song.Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing...
or juoiggus, a traditional Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
form of song.
History
Hållbus Totte MattsonHållbus Totte Mattson
Hållbus Totte Mattson is a multi-instrumentalist folk musician from Dalarna, Sweden. Mattson's instruments include the lute, baroque lute, mandora, bass mandora, hummel, classical guitar, baroque guitar Mora-oud, accordion, Swedish dulcimer, hurdy gurdy and vocals.Mattson was a founding member in...
, Anders Stake
Anders Norudde
Anders Norudde is a Swedish folk musician, multi-instrumentalist, and luthier.After finishing school, Anders took a job at the ironworks in Degerfors, where, in his spare time, he practiced orienteering and played rock music on the guitar...
and Björn Tollin formed Hedningarna in 1987. Hedning is Swedish for heathen, while ar is the plural suffix, and na is the definite article (thus 'Hedningar' = 'Heathens' and 'Hedningarna' = 'The Heathens'). They wanted to go far back to the roots of the Old Norse culture, including the use of ancient instruments not much used in current Swedish folk music. Stake, a trained luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
, also began to invent and build new instruments, to produce new sounds.
In 1988 Hedningarna composed and performed a major part of the music to the stage play Den stora vreden (roughly meaning The Great Wrath) which aroused great interest. Their first album titled Hedningarna
Hedningarna (album)
Hedningarna is the first album of the eponymous Swedish band. It was released in 1989, when Hedningarna was still a trio. Unlike the other albums, the debut does not include amplified instruments and rhythm loops and is played entirely acoustic...
was released on Alice Records in 1989. In 1991, Hedningarna began their collaboration with Silence Records
Silence Records
Silence , is a Swedish record company located outside Koppom, Värmland in Sweden.Silence was started in 1970 in Stockholm and released records by, amongst others: Bo Hansson, Philemon Arthur and the Dung, Samla Mammas Manna, and other progressive rock acts...
. They met the Finnish singers Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio is a Finnish singer, kantele player and composer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She is probably most well-known for her work with the band Hedningarna, which extended over eight years between 1991 and 1999...
and Tellu Paulasto. The album Kaksi! (Finnish for two) was released in September 1992. In 1993 Hedningarna was awarded a Swedish Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
(the equivalent of Grammy) for The Best Folk Music Album of the year. The sales of Kaksi! reached 35 000 albums, which is very high for a folk music record in Sweden. British Sasha
Sasha (DJ)
Sasha is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s...
made a remix of Hedningarna's Kruspolska which climbed the charts in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The third album Trä
TRA
TRA is a three-letter abbreviation that can refer to:* Taiwan Railway Administration , the government agency responsible for managing passenger and freight service on conventional rail in Taiwan....
, meaning 'wood' in Swedish (a pun, since "Trä" also sounds a lot like the Swedish word for "Three") was released in September 1994. Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
wrote "it may sound alien, but yet it sounds like the most essential music on the earth." Hedningarna performed at the Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in the presence of 20 000 people on the second largest stage. In 1995 Hedningarna toured Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and abroad. A compilation album with songs from Trä and Kaksi! was released in the U.S. By 1995, their albums had been released in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the U.S.
The singers Kurki-Suonio and Paulasto stayed at home in Finland during 1996 for child birth and their studies. Paulasto decided to leave the band, and she was replaced by Anita Lehtola, who had been in the same class as Paulasto at The Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. Mattson, Stake and Tollin began work on their new album Hippjokk. Rock bassist Ulf Ivarsson played the new bass mandora
Mandora
A mandora is a type of lute. The terms referred to different instruments at different periods in history.-Treble instrument:During the Renaissance, the term mandore was applied to the treble lute and in such usage it is difficult to distinguish from the mandola, the simple lute that is the ancestor...
built by Mattson. Finnish Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
yoik singer
Yoik
A joik, , luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song.Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing...
Wimme Saari
Wimme Saari
Wimme Saari is one of the best known Sami yoikers from Finland. Wimme Saari combines traditional Sami singing with his own improvisations, usually to a techno-ambient accompaniment by members of Finnish electronic group RinneRadio...
participated with his singing and famous Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Knut Reiersrud
Knut Reiersrud
Knut Reiersrud is a Norwegian blues guitarist. His work also incorporates elements of Norwegian traditional music and African music. He lives in Oslo...
had also a role in the album. Johan Liljemark played the didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, which he had learned in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
while living among the Aboriginals
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. Hippjokk was released in February 1997. The band made tours and festival gigs with the singers in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson became a member of Hedningarna. Anders Stake changed his name to Anders Norudde
Anders Norudde
Anders Norudde is a Swedish folk musician, multi-instrumentalist, and luthier.After finishing school, Anders took a job at the ironworks in Degerfors, where, in his spare time, he practiced orienteering and played rock music on the guitar...
.
During the winter of 1998 Hedningarna travelled to Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to gather inspiration for their new album, Karelia Visa. It was recorded during the spring and summer the same year. A short tour around Spain took place that summer. Ulf Ivarsson left the group after the recordings were finished. Mattson and Tollin together with the violin player Ola Bäckström recorded a CD with music for the dance troupe Virvla. It was released at Silence records in 1999. Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio is a Finnish singer, kantele player and composer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She is probably most well-known for her work with the band Hedningarna, which extended over eight years between 1991 and 1999...
released a solo album in Finland the same year. Karelia Visa was released in 1999, and it was followed by concerts in Scandinavia and a three week tour in the USA.
Hedningarna played live to a dance performance based on their music, made and performed by Flying Foot Forum in Minneapolis, USA. The violin player Magnus Stinnerbom
Magnus Stinnerbom
Magnus Stinnerbom is a fiddler from Värmland, Sweden, whose principal instrument is the viola. He is the son of the influential fiddler Leif Stinnerbom, who co-founded the Nordic folk band Groupa. Magnus is currently playing with the groups Harv and Hedningarna. He has toured the U.S...
joined the group. In 2000, Norudde released a solo album and the percussionist Christian Svensson joined the group, replacing founding member Björn Tollin. The compilation CD 1989-2003 was released in 2003. By then, Hedningarna had sold about 150,000 records. The singers left the group in 2003, and since then the group has again been an instrumental ensemble. In 2009 the band announced on their homepage that they were working on material for a new studio album.
In 2011 remixed version of Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) from Trä was used in trailer of video game The Witcher 2
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a third-person role-playing video game developed by Polish studio CD Projekt RED for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. It is a sequel to the 2007 video game The Witcher, and was released internationally on May 17, 2011. Just like its predecessor, the game is based...
.
Current
- Hållbus Totte MattsonHållbus Totte MattsonHållbus Totte Mattson is a multi-instrumentalist folk musician from Dalarna, Sweden. Mattson's instruments include the lute, baroque lute, mandora, bass mandora, hummel, classical guitar, baroque guitar Mora-oud, accordion, Swedish dulcimer, hurdy gurdy and vocals.Mattson was a founding member in...
- mandoraMandoraA mandora is a type of lute. The terms referred to different instruments at different periods in history.-Treble instrument:During the Renaissance, the term mandore was applied to the treble lute and in such usage it is difficult to distinguish from the mandola, the simple lute that is the ancestor...
, luteLuteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
, baroque guitarBaroque guitarThe Baroque guitar is a guitar from the baroque era , an ancestor of the modern classical guitar. The term is also used for modern instruments made in the same style....
, moraoud, hurdy-gurdy, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, hummelHummel (instrument)The hummel is an old Swedish stringed instrument similar to an older type of zither and is related to the Norwegian langeleik. The name is thought to come from the German word hummel, meaning "bumblebee", referring to the droning sound created by the accompaniment strings.-History:The hummel is...
, Swedish dulcimerHammered dulcimerThe hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
, vocals. - Anders NoruddeAnders NoruddeAnders Norudde is a Swedish folk musician, multi-instrumentalist, and luthier.After finishing school, Anders took a job at the ironworks in Degerfors, where, in his spare time, he practiced orienteering and played rock music on the guitar...
(formerly known as Anders Stake) - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, hardanger fiddleHardingfeleA Hardanger fiddle is a traditional stringed instrument used originally to play the music of Norway. In modern designs, the instruments are very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings and thinner wood...
, moraharpaMoraharpaThe moraharpa is one of the oldest surviving examples of a nyckelharpa. It has an hourglass shape, and looks very much like the illustration of a nyckelharpa in Michael Praetorius's Syntagma Musicum III of 1620 . It has a straight bridge, one melody string, two drone strings, and one row of keys...
, bass moraharpaMoraharpaThe moraharpa is one of the oldest surviving examples of a nyckelharpa. It has an hourglass shape, and looks very much like the illustration of a nyckelharpa in Michael Praetorius's Syntagma Musicum III of 1620 . It has a straight bridge, one melody string, two drone strings, and one row of keys...
, nyckelharpaNyckelharpaA nyckelharpa , sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a...
, bowed harp, Swedish bagpipesSwedish bagpipesSwedish bagpipes are a variety of bagpipes from Sweden. The term itself generically translates to "bagpipes" in Swedish, but is used in English to describe the specifically Swedish bagpipe from the Dalarna region.-History:...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, willow fluteWillow fluteThe willow flute, also known as sallow flute , is a Scandinavian folk flute, or whistle, consisting of a simple tube with a transverse fipple mouthpiece and no finger holes...
, jaw harp, buckhornBukkehornA bukkehorn is an ancient Norwegian musical instrument, made from the horn of a ram or a goat. It was traditionally used by cowherds on summer dairy farms in the high mountains.-External links:*...
, vocals. - Christian Svensson - tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, hummelHummel (instrument)The hummel is an old Swedish stringed instrument similar to an older type of zither and is related to the Norwegian langeleik. The name is thought to come from the German word hummel, meaning "bumblebee", referring to the droning sound created by the accompaniment strings.-History:The hummel is...
, sampling. - Magnus StinnerbomMagnus StinnerbomMagnus Stinnerbom is a fiddler from Värmland, Sweden, whose principal instrument is the viola. He is the son of the influential fiddler Leif Stinnerbom, who co-founded the Nordic folk band Groupa. Magnus is currently playing with the groups Harv and Hedningarna. He has toured the U.S...
- Octave Violin, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, hurdy-gurdy.
Past
- Björn Tollin - tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, hummelHummel (instrument)The hummel is an old Swedish stringed instrument similar to an older type of zither and is related to the Norwegian langeleik. The name is thought to come from the German word hummel, meaning "bumblebee", referring to the droning sound created by the accompaniment strings.-History:The hummel is...
, bass mandoraMandoraA mandora is a type of lute. The terms referred to different instruments at different periods in history.-Treble instrument:During the Renaissance, the term mandore was applied to the treble lute and in such usage it is difficult to distinguish from the mandola, the simple lute that is the ancestor...
, sawMusical sawA musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, frame drumFrame drumA frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. Usually the single drumhead is made of rawhide or man-made materials. Shells are traditionally constructed of bent wood scarf jointed together; plywood and man-made materials are also used. Some frame drums have mechanical...
, string drum, hurdy-gurdy, moraharpaMoraharpaThe moraharpa is one of the oldest surviving examples of a nyckelharpa. It has an hourglass shape, and looks very much like the illustration of a nyckelharpa in Michael Praetorius's Syntagma Musicum III of 1620 . It has a straight bridge, one melody string, two drone strings, and one row of keys...
, sampling, vocals. - Anita Lehtola-Tollin - vocals.
- Liisa Matveinen - vocals.
- Sanna Kurki-SuonioSanna Kurki-SuonioSanna Kurki-Suonio is a Finnish singer, kantele player and composer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She is probably most well-known for her work with the band Hedningarna, which extended over eight years between 1991 and 1999...
- vocals, kanteleKanteleA kantele or kannel is a traditional plucked string instrument of the zither family native to Finland, Estonia, and Karelia. It is related to the Russian gusli, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kanklės. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic psalteries...
, bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
. - Tellu Paulasto (Virkkala, Turkka)Tellu TurkkaTellu Turkka is a Finnish fiddler and singer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She studied violin at the Jyväskylä Conservatory from 1978 to 1985, at the Savonlinna Art College from 1985 to 1988, and at the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy from 1989 to 2001...
- vocals, fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, bass moraharpaMoraharpaThe moraharpa is one of the oldest surviving examples of a nyckelharpa. It has an hourglass shape, and looks very much like the illustration of a nyckelharpa in Michael Praetorius's Syntagma Musicum III of 1620 . It has a straight bridge, one melody string, two drone strings, and one row of keys...
. - Ulf Ivarsson - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, bass-lute, bass mandoraMandoraA mandora is a type of lute. The terms referred to different instruments at different periods in history.-Treble instrument:During the Renaissance, the term mandore was applied to the treble lute and in such usage it is difficult to distinguish from the mandola, the simple lute that is the ancestor...
, sampling.
Guest musicians
- Wimme SaariWimme SaariWimme Saari is one of the best known Sami yoikers from Finland. Wimme Saari combines traditional Sami singing with his own improvisations, usually to a techno-ambient accompaniment by members of Finnish electronic group RinneRadio...
- YoikYoikA joik, , luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song.Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing...
vocals on TräTRATRA is a three-letter abbreviation that can refer to:* Taiwan Railway Administration , the government agency responsible for managing passenger and freight service on conventional rail in Taiwan....
and Hippjokk. - Knut ReiersrudKnut ReiersrudKnut Reiersrud is a Norwegian blues guitarist. His work also incorporates elements of Norwegian traditional music and African music. He lives in Oslo...
- electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals on Hippjokk. - Johan Liljemark - didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
on Hippjokk and Karelia Visa. - Ola Bäckström - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
on Hippjokk. - Per-Erik Nilsson - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on Kaksi.
Discography
- HedningarnaHedningarna (album)Hedningarna is the first album of the eponymous Swedish band. It was released in 1989, when Hedningarna was still a trio. Unlike the other albums, the debut does not include amplified instruments and rhythm loops and is played entirely acoustic...
(1989) - Kaksi! (1992)
- TräTRATRA is a three-letter abbreviation that can refer to:* Taiwan Railway Administration , the government agency responsible for managing passenger and freight service on conventional rail in Taiwan....
(1994) - Kruspolska SASHA mixes (1994)
- The Heathens Fire (1996) (Includes tracks from Kaksi & Trä)
- Hippjokk (1997)
- Karelia Visa (1999)
- 1989-2003 (2003)