photo: Facebook

Marie Länne Persson (Småland): Ballader & sånglekar

Marie Länne Persson is a Swedish folk musician (voice, folk harp, guitar, flutes, but no fiddle!), composer, actress and teacher. She grew up with the folk tales, tunes and songs of her grandparents: Therefore, she knows exactly where Lindormen, Gloson and other Swedish monsters have been active in Småland. And she loves to share these fascinating stories from the narrative songs of the oral folk tradition, especially in a circle of dancers who join in the singing!
At the NHM 2011 in Broby, she will teach us some of her favourite ballads and song dances (sånglekar).

During the Swedish folk music revival of the 1970s/80s, many creative folk musicians tried to enrich the Swedish soundscape with more instruments than the dominating violin. Marie was probably the first Swede who took up the folk harp to re-introduce it into Swedish folk music: When her band Sågskära got a harp from their instrument maker Harald Elofsson in 1985, Marie got the task to learn to play it.
In the same year, the musicians of Sågskära organised the first drone meeting (bordunstämma) at Korrö in Småland, which in the subsequent years developed to Sweden's biggest folk music festival (Korrö folkmusikfestivalen). Marie is known to many Swedish folkies from her ballad dance workshops given at Korrö.

Among her most recent projects is the documentation of the songs and tunes of the travelling people in Sweden, and their role in Nordic folk music (see more information in Swedish at the Swedish song archive).