Kristallen den fina

"Kristallen den fina" (English: "The fine crystal"[1][2]) is a traditional Swedish folk song.[3] According to some sources, it originated in the village of Skattungbyn in the province of Dalarna.[4] In 1843, Richard Dybeck published in Runa [sv] his version of the song recorded in Skattungbyn.[5][6]

Many arrangements of the song have been written for various choral groups. One of its early arrangements for men's voices was composed by Otto Frederik Tullberg in 1840.[7] The language of "Kristallen den fina" relies on a poetic structure, using the older, traditional language rather than contemporary Swedish.[8] Thematically, the song reflects a sense of longing and romance between a couple.[9]

The song is featured in the 1972 film Jag Heter Stelios (My Name is Stelios), in the scene where the main characters, Stelios and Kostas, walk through Stockholm, whereupon Kostas begins singing it.[9]

Arrangements

[edit]

Numerous arrangements of the piece have been written:[10]

  • Otto Fredrik Tullberg for men's choir (1840)[7]
  • Jacob Niclas Ahlström, for piano (1878)
  • Eva Toller (1959)[11]
  • Carl Paulsson for mixed voices (1944)
  • Carl-Elow Nordström for three-voice mixed voices (1954)[12]
  • Camilla Liedbergius for mixed voices (1944)
  • Harvester for voices, guitar, flute, bass and drums (1970)
  • Erland von Koch[13] for mixed voices or women's choir (1972)
  • Gunnar Eriksson for mixed voices (1996)
  • Nils Lindberg for mixed voices (1998)
  • Falconer as bonus track of their album Northwind (2006)

Further reading

[edit]
  • Hjördis Blomqvist: Kristallen den fina - Mariastudier, 1967
  • Hjördis Blomqvist: - och förgyllande skrin - Jungfru Maria i folkfromhet och dikt genom tiderna, 1970

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bruyninckx, Walter (1985). Jazz: Modern Jazz, Be-bop, Hard Bop, West Coast. Vol. II.
  2. ^ Quaderni Di Semantica. Società editrice il Mulino. 1988.
  3. ^ Hagg, Gustaf (1909). Songs of Sweden: Eighty-seven Swedish Folk and Popular Songs. G. Schirmer. pp. 54–56. OCLC 4023876.
  4. ^ See, e.g.: "Kristallen den fina". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 30 July 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  5. ^ Dybeck, Richard (1843). Runa. En Skrift för Fäderneslandets Fornvänner, utg. af Richard Dybeck (in Swedish). Norstedt. p. 40.
  6. ^ Karl Wåhlin; Sven Rinman (1938). Ord och bild (in Swedish). P.A. Norstedt & Söner.
  7. ^ a b "Kristallen den fina". Musica International. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  8. ^ Ericsdotter, Christine; Ternström, Sten (2012). Karna, Duane R. (ed.). The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-0810883215.
  9. ^ a b Wright, Rochelle (1998). The Visible Wall : Jews and Other Ethnic Outsiders in Swedish Film. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois Univ. Press. p. 252. ISBN 0809321645.
  10. ^ "Nutida Konstmusik". Svensk Musik Hornsgatan. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  11. ^ Toller, Eva. "Kristallen den fina" (PDF). Waldorfschulen. Liedrepertoire der Waldorfschulen. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  12. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series: Published Music. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. 1954. p. 663. ISSN 0041-7866. OCLC 2882426.
  13. ^ F. Mark Daugherty; Nancy K. Nardone; Gary S. Eslinger (1996). Sacred Choral Music in Print: Supplement. Musicdata. ISBN 9780884780397.