Kalle Nämdeman
Encyclopedia
Kalle Nämdeman was the stage name of Karl Gustafsson, a Swedish songwriter, performer and recording artist. He had planned on becoming a goldsmith but became a bondkomiker (rustic comic) instead. Nämdeman “discovered” the military conscript as a comic type, appearing as such on stage or in top hat and tails. Although he never dressed the part of a rustic comic, his songs had a similar appeal.
One of the first artists connected with the booking agency for the newly formed Folk Parks, by the 1930s Nämdeman was no longer welcome at such venues on account of his sometimes improper conduct. His last public appearance was in 1941. He moved to Virserum
, Småland
, where he lived out his days in straitened circumstances. His statue now stands in Eskilstuna’s
Folk Park.
In America his humorous songs were recorded by Olle i Skratthult, who also published them in his songbooks. The most popular of these was Flickan på Bellmansro (The Girl At Bellmansro), a story of unrequited love in Stockholm's
Djurgården park.
PDF file
MP3 files and streaming audio
One of the first artists connected with the booking agency for the newly formed Folk Parks, by the 1930s Nämdeman was no longer welcome at such venues on account of his sometimes improper conduct. His last public appearance was in 1941. He moved to Virserum
Virserum
Virserum is a locality situated in Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,847 inhabitants in 2005. It was before 1971 a Köping. Today the town has around 2000 inhabitants...
, Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, where he lived out his days in straitened circumstances. His statue now stands in Eskilstuna’s
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
Folk Park.
In America his humorous songs were recorded by Olle i Skratthult, who also published them in his songbooks. The most popular of these was Flickan på Bellmansro (The Girl At Bellmansro), a story of unrequited love in Stockholm's
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Djurgården park.
External links
- Kalle Nämdeman at the EDVR.
- Kalle Nämdeman at Swedish music and film.
- Bellmansro photo at the National Library of Sweden. Memorial grove in Djurgården park named after the 18th century troubadour Carl Michael BellmanCarl Michael Bellmanwas a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day....
.
PDF file
- Olle i Skratthult songbook at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. Four Kalle Nämdeman songs.
MP3 files and streaming audio
- Kalle Nämdeman at the National Library of Sweden.
- Kalle Nämdeman at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
.