Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SONG 681
diiferent countries.' Their identity may not,
perhaps, be detected at iirst, beneath the
disguises in which it is enveloped by national
varieties of scale and rhythm and harmony ;
but it is certain that closer examination would
estabhsh many relationships hitherto unsuspected.
An especially strong affinity exists
between the English, Scotch, Welsh, German,
and Scandinavian folk-poetry. This interesting
subject, which is well worth separate study,
can only be dwelt on shortly, and a few examples
given. Geijer in his 'Svenska Folk -visor'
quotes three lines of a Norwegian folk-song,
also heard in Wermland and Smaland
Manan skinar (the moon shines),
,, Dodman rider (dead men ride),
Ar du inte radder an, Bella?
(Are you not afraid thereof, Bolla ?)
which correspond to the German Lenore
Der Mond scheint so helle.
Die Todten reiten schnelle,
Feins. Liehchen ! grant Dir nicht?
Geijer also gives the Swedish version of the
legend of the Swimmer, ^ the classical story of
Hero and Leander, which has a local habitation
in Holland, Germany ('Ach Elslein '), Russia,
etc. 'The Jolly Beggar ' of Scotland is identical
with the ' Bettlerlied ' still sung in many parts
of Germany and Sweden.* The 'Edward'
ballad as given in Percy's Reliques is the
well-known Swedish 'Sven i Rosengard,' the
Danish 'Svend i Eosensgaard,' and the Finnish
' Welisunnaaja.' *
P^^^^S^^^
Ex. 2.
Hvar bar du va-rit sA l&n-ge. Da Sven 1 1*0 - sen
Whera •
have ye been bo long, Swain in fcbe rose -
Burden.
I ven • te mlg seent eller aid - rig.
A - wait me late or never.
Ex. 4.
Ml:
^m^^^^m
Mia-t^tu-let Eus-tas tu-let. Poi-kan-i i - lo - nenf
^^^^:
Heren ran-nal-ta, meren raunalta
iii-ti-ui Kul-ta - nen t
The tunes of the three last-named countries
appear to have a common origin, but the tune
of the Edward ' ' ballad cannot with certainty
be traced. Still, as Engel points out, many of
our old English tunes bear a strong resemblance
to the Scandinavian, both in character and construction
; and the remarkable affinity, especially
between the Welsh and Danish songs, has been
noticed by Dr. Crotch and others.^
But although the Scandinavian nations may
have many songs in common, it is evident, on
comparing as a whole the collections of the
different countries, that there is a great difference
in their general character.' The Swedish folksongs
are the most beautiful and poetical, and
though tinged with melancholy they are not
gloomy and tragic like the Norwegian, nor
monotonous and regular like the Danish. The
latter, however, pcssess a peculiarly idyllic and
pastoral beauty of their own ; they recall the
upland meadows, fertile plains, and wooded
valleys of the country. The 4- or 8 -bar rhythm
is usually clearly defined, independently of the
refrain * :
Ex. 5.
- s&rd? Jag har -va-rit i ataJlet, E£ - ra moder
• garden! I have been In the stable, Dear mother
Burden.
&r!
of oars I
I T&ntenm]g sent,men]agkoiDmera1d -
A • wait me- late, but I come nevi
nd fra Hald, og der de Komme ti Brat-tingB-
Omkvad.
^^^S^^^
Og hvor har du vaeret saa laenge, Svend i Rosens -
O where have ye been so long, Swain in the Rose-
gaard? Og jeg har vaeret i Luo - den,
garden? I have been in the grove,
EJaer Moder
Dear Alother
1 See F. BShme'B 'Altdeutsohes Liederbuch,' and Oscar Fleischer's
Ztn- verffteichenden Licdfortckwnff, SammelbdTide, I.M.6.
IIT., ii. 1902.
2 * '
See also Fair Margaret and Sweet 'William,' and Margaret's
Ghost ' in Percy's Reliques.
3 See 'Svenska Folk-visor,' vol, i. p. 106, and vol. ii. p. 210.
4 See Crosby's Caledonian ituHcal Repository, 1813, p. 68.
The Swedish and Danish songs are given In Berggreen's collections;
the Finnish in Schiilter'a "Finniache Runen' and in
'Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuian Toimltuksia ; ' Helsingfors,
T03, de don - ske hofmond der de ud - ri - de.
e Engelsays, 'Oneofthemoatpopolarof the Welsh times, "Arhyd
y nds," is also cnrrent la Denmark, especially among the peasantry
In Jntland. It may he irorth noticing that Jutland is generally
believed to have been Inhabited in ancient times by the same Celtic
lace which we find in Wales. But whether the tune originated In
Denmark or In Wales is a question which will probably never he
solved ' [FTUToductian to the Study of National Music, p. 360). In
the introduction to his Ballad Book, Alllngham calls attention to
the similarity between many Scotch ballads, such as the Douglas
'
'
Tragedy,' Mary Golvln,'
'
Clerk Saunders,' and others, and those
confined la ihe Swedish Folk-song collectloo by Afzelius and
Arvidsson. See also MotherweU's MinetreUy, Ancient and Modem,
Glasgow, 1827.
7 Berggreen, the great Danish collector of folk-songs, draws
attention to the close connection between the word-accent aad the
melodic outline of the three nations' songs.
fl
This is from the old song-cycle, ' King Dietrich Bern,' and is one