Kvärnkalln
The Album contains folk music from  the mountain district in Jämtland in the Northwest of Sweden alongside the Norwegian border, played on the fiddle and the willow flute. The latter is a primitive but most fascinating instrument about 2 feet long and without finger holes. By varying the force while blowing and by opening and closing the pipe’s end one get  a tonal register built on two series fundamental tones. In fact those natural harmonic series are similar to the tonality in fiddle music. 

Apart from tonality this music offers a great deal of interest even when played on the fiddle. A specialty for the style is to tune the lowest string up one note getting it to vibrate together with the others in D- and A-modes. Remarkable also is the frequent use of higher positions, especially the third. As elsewhere in Sweden the polska was the most popular dance in the countryside. This is a dance for couples noted in three quarters measure. The master of the polska playing style in Jämtland was Nils Jonsson (1804 - 1870), Lapp-Nils. We continue to refer to the tunes as Lapp-Nils’ polska. Almost every tune on this CD goes back to this tradition. 

Lapp-Nils (Nils Jonsson, 1804 - 1870)
Born as the son of a poor parish lap -  one who helped the parishioners horse slaughtering and with stripening the skin off horses and dogs -  he became crofter and pedlar in the parish of Offerdal in the middle of the mountain district. Beside these occupations he was a skilled violin teacher with pupils from all over the province who came to visit him at his small holding, or he visited them. 

Ville Roempke ha studied the Lapp-Nils’ Music for 30 years. He has learned this style from five fiddlers from Offerdal and Hotagen, all born at the end of the nineteenth century. They themselves got the tunes from pupils of Lapp-Nils. The recording for the album Ville has made himself in the kitchen of his summerhouse, once a small holding, in Offerdal. The title is chosen from a term from old creek mills. "kvarnkälln" -  the old man in the mill -  is the vertical axle in the middle of the mill. But one also may think of the water spirit. 
 

1. 3 Småvisor 
2. Späla-fabru e. Olle Falk 
3. Sälmen Jönsa efter Olle Falk 
4. Olle i läget, D-dur e. Olle Falk 
5. Tevepolska 
6. Marschen & Valsen e. Ante Falk 
7. Olle i läge, A-dur e. Olle Falk 
8. Lapp-Jolåtn e Olle Falk 
9. Bautaslåtn e. Olle Falk 
10. Lapp-Nirs gånglåt e. Olle Falk 
11. Gammal-Sjutpolska e. Olle Fa 
12. Nummer ett Ante Falk 
13 Späla-fabru e. Ante Falk 
14. Sälmen Jönsa e. Ante Falk 
15. Lapp-Jolåtn e. Ante Falk 
16. Gammal moll e. Ante Falk 
17. Wiksten & Nybörjaren e. Erik Nilsson 
18. Georg i Mon  e. Erik Nilsson 
19. A-duringen e. Erik Nilsson 
20. Svölutn e. Erik Nilsson 
21 Löftingen e. Erik Nilsson 
22. Gammal moll e. Erik Nilsson 
23. Favoriten e. Erik Nilsson 
24. Målar-Gustaf e. Erik Nilsson 
25. Stafen e. Erik Nilsson 
26. Äng-Andreas e. Erik Nilsson 
& Sälmen e. Erik Nilsson 
27. Per Erspolska 
28. Lapp-jolåtn 
29. Pauls vackra e. Paul Andersson 
30. Tvillinggettan e. Paul Andersson 
31. Luspolska, D-dur e. Paul Andersson 
32. Pauls lilla e. Paul Andersson 
33. Skriklåtn e. Paul Andersson 
34. Svanpolska e. Paul Andersson 
35. Svansången e. Paul Andersson