Anglo Enthusiast Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 https://soundcloud.com/andy-western/swedish-engelska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 https://soundcloud.com/andy-western/swedish-engelska Very nice... and I'd like to know more. What's your source? Is it something traditional among the Minnesota Swedes, or did you get it more directly from Sweden itself? Is the harmony/arrangement yours, or did it "come with" the tune? Engelska ("English") is a kind/category of dance... like polka, waltz, reel, etc. Have you seen it danced? As I've seen (and danced) it in Sweden, the dance has some similarities to old English reels, and I suspect that's how it originated, just as the polska ("Polish") evolved from a borrowed Polish tradition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gjert Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Sorry to say, but this tune has nothing in common with the "Engelska"-tunes we play along the swedish west coast. And we have a lot of them… And as JIm writes; they originate from the reel tradition. And at the moment I can't remember any in a minor key. Though, the tune is not far from polkas from the middle and northern part of our country if you put up some speed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 https://soundcloud.com/andy-western/swedish-engelska Very nice... and I'd like to know more. What's your source? Is it something traditional among the Minnesota Swedes, or did you get it more directly from Sweden itself? Is the harmony/arrangement yours, or did it "come with" the tune? Engelska ("English") is a kind/category of dance... like polka, waltz, reel, etc. Have you seen it danced? As I've seen (and danced) it in Sweden, the dance has some similarities to old English reels, and I suspect that's how it originated, just as the polska ("Polish") evolved from a borrowed Polish tradition. Hi, Jim. Thank you for your comments. Always interesting to hear from you. I'll try my best to answer your questions. I learned the tune from listening to the following cd: ( http://www.amazon.com/Music-Sweden-Blekinge-Spelmansf%C3%B6rbund/dp/B000068789/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1409718994&sr=1-2&keywords=swedish+music ). It is track 6 and entitled, simply, "Engleska ll." I have not seen it danced. I would never submit or indeed perform a tune unless I felt I'd worked out my own arrangement of it. If you order the cd and listen to how the tune is performed therein compared to my own recording of it, I think you will find there are similarities as well as differences. I do play the same 2 part harmony in the A part, but honestly, this is such a common contrapuntal device/occurrence in traditional Swedish music that it would have taken me about 2 seconds to arrive at it just as a matter of course. The harmonic structure I employ in part B bears little resemblance to the arrangement on the cd and my use of the A 7th chord in the repeat of part A is also totally absent from the cd version. I hope that addresses your questions. Thanks again for the dialogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Sorry to say, but this tune has nothing in common with the "Engelska"-tunes we play along the swedish west coast. And we have a lot of them… And as JIm writes; they originate from the reel tradition. And at the moment I can't remember any in a minor key. Though, the tune is not far from polkas from the middle and northern part of our country if you put up some speed... I don't care whether the tune is a true Engelska or not. I learned the tune from listening to an album of Swedish music ( http://www.amazon.com/Music-Sweden-Blekinge-Spelmansf%C3%B6rbund/dp/B000068789/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1409718994&sr=1-2&keywords=swedish+music ) and the title of the track is "Engelska ll." I am not losing sleep over whether it is or isn't an Engelska. It is a beautiful tune one way or the other. "A rose is a rose by any other name!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Sorry to say, but this tune has nothing in common with the "Engelska"-tunes we play along the swedish west coast. And we have a lot of them… And as JIm writes; they originate from the reel tradition. And at the moment I can't remember any in a minor key. Though, the tune is not far from polkas from the middle and northern part of our country if you put up some speed... Can you please record yourself playing an Engelska and share it with us here? I'd love to hear a true blue west coast Engelska performed by a native of Sweden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gjert Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Ha-ha… snuff is snuff even if you put it in golden cases, as we say. Well, I'll see what I can provide you concerning "Engelska". They certainly have these kind of tunes in the southeast part of Sweden as well. Blekinge is a coast-county like ours. I'll keep in touch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gjert Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 There are a couple tunes; if you go into iTunes store (a short sample) and type "Halsbäcks Svänggäng". Hope the letters show right for you; the second, third and fourth "a" are with dots above! It's the 5th tune "Engelskor från Tegneby & Ytterby…" If you are connected to Spotify, type the same and you can listen to the tunes in all. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 There are a couple tunes; if you go into iTunes store (a short sample) and type "Halsbäcks Svänggäng". Hope the letters show right for you; the second, third and fourth "a" are with dots above! It's the 5th tune "Engelskor från Tegneby & Ytterby…" If you are connected to Spotify, type the same and you can listen to the tunes in all. Enjoy! Thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Ha-ha… snuff is snuff even if you put it in golden cases, as we say. Well, I'll see what I can provide you concerning "Engelska". They certainly have these kind of tunes in the southeast part of Sweden as well. Blekinge is a coast-county like ours. I'll keep in touch! Sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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