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not been a one fiddler that has made me content in such a way". The two understood each other, and soon became friends. Bull wrote down some of the tunes he heard, and borrowed
Myllarguten's fiddle, and in turn played classical music for the fiddler. They both came enriched from the meeting, and Bull always played some Norwegian folk music on his concerts after this. Thus, he made the rural tunes known to a larger public for the first time. The meeting had lasting impact in the evolving
244:. But mostly he lived as a pauper, often lacking proper clothing when traveling on tours. People in the county who knew him, often tried to help him with food and clothes as well as money. It is reported that Myllarguten, in spite of his talent, seldom earned enough to feed and clothe his wife and children. When he was away for months, Ingebjørg and the children was in danger of starving, but they were often helped out. It is said that Ingebjørg held it "beneath her" to go out
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child of nature", and praised him with eulogies and poems. On the other hand, the urban audience was more excited by the event than the music, as the traditional music was and is a music for trained ears. When the romantic wave died down, Myllarguten became a has-been, and was regarded as nothing more than a "drunken
Telemark farmer".
158:. One day the father returned early from work and heard someone inside playing, and asked astonished who the player was. His wife, Gunhild, had to admit it was his son Torgeir. From then on, Augund his father trained him, but the boy was so eager his father had to give him away to other fiddlers in the area.
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in
Telemark. It was reckoned a pity that this should befall the greatest fiddler in Norway. But he is well remembered, and through his descendants passed on a vivid musical tradition that lives on in Telemark to this very day. All the county honors his memory. A memorial stone was later set up at his
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Most of the sources for
Myllarguten's life were written down from living memory, accounted by people who had met the fiddler, and his close relatives. Other sources exist as articles by romantic nationalists in Norway, who met the fiddler and described him. All the material was collected and edited
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When going on stage, Myllarguten had to break his crate open with a knife, and was delayed several minutes. This made him nervous, and he started playing other tunes than the appointed. But he soon played himself into ecstasy as was his wont, and the audience cheered. Newspapers called him a "true
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in Bergen and became his friend for life. Bull was on a short visit between tours, and was at the time looking for a personal and national expression. He had not yet opened his mind for the rural music, but when hearing
Myllarguten, he got exactly what he had looked for. Later, he said: "There has
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Myllarguten was a difficult person, an imaginative musical artist, but painstakingly slow in all other tasks than playing. He could use a day on matters other more practical persons finished in a couple of hours. He was eager to learn dance-tunes, and turned them around in his own way, making them
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and had some experience with military music, which influenced his style, and to a degree the style of
Myllarguten. The fiddler he regarded the best of his teachers, was Knut Lurås, one of two colleague fiddlers he really appreciated. As his reputation grew, Torgeir was known as a hard critic and a
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In spite of his successes abroad, Torgeir was not able to keep his money, and had to leave his farm in the end. The last years of his life, he was tired of playing, and became gradually harder to ask. Sometimes, he became depressed and cursed both his fiddle and Ole Bull and all the rest. He felt
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Myllarguten's father was a country fiddler, one of many at the time, and
Torgeir was going for the fiddle from early age, but it is told he feared his father would beat him if he tried the instrument. So he sneaked himself to playing while his father was outside and at work at the local mill. His
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After this meeting, they did not meet again for 17 years, until Bull endeavored to make a concert with
Myllarguten in Christiania February 1849, when romantic nationalism was at its very peak in Norway. The concert became a commercial success, and the hall was packed with 1500 excited listeners,
146:. The date of his birth is disputed (the years range from 1799 to 1801), and some say his father Augund was only registered as the father of the boy (in the local church documentation). He married Gunhild, the mother, in October 1801. Torgeir was already born at the time. Usually, farmers of the
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Myllarguten was from the beginning a traditional folk musician, schooled and educated in local tradition. The meeting with Ole Bull had a lasting impact on his style, and he began to explore the limits of his instrument in new and more advanced ways. He also turned his tonality more towards the
353:, and grandson of Rikard Aslaksson as mentioned above. He had first-hand information, and collected material for twelve years, from 1896 to 1908, meeting many older people who remembered Myllarguten. Thus, he put together a thorough and useful biography and a valuable source.
287:, and the more experienced farmer Rikard Aslaksson Berge helped him in this. Myllarguten had played at his wedding, and was a regular guest at the farm. Thus, his music was passed on to Rikard's sons, and from them to his grandson
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Life as a fiddler was a life on the road. He soon got reputation, and played from early on at weddings and county feasts all over
Telemark. He soon made longer journeys, and spanned the country as far as
307:, which he had suffered from some years. His funeral was timid, consisting of one single boat and no flowers (it was custom to travel to the church by water, crossing the lake
224:, and had ten children by her, of whom at least four sons became fiddlers themselves, and through them, the music from Torgeir has been passed on down to this day in Telemark.
240:, moving with his family from homestead to homestead, not resting more than a few years at each place. The success of 1849 made enough income to raise a proper farm in
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decided not to go, afraid that the concert might go awry for the sensible fiddler, and would not be held responsible as a man from the same district, which he was.
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longer and richer than before. Thus, he laid the ground for a brand new way of playing the hardanger fiddle in
Telemark.
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to this day, and by far the most legendary. In his own local dialect, his given name is pronounced
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merciless competitor. He did not like to be bested at playing. The other he held in esteem, was
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stock is not very well documented, often moving from homestead to homestead.
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alone, frustrated and lost, but was still appreciated by his own community.
333:, transcribed five of Myllarguten's tunes, and those came later into print
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Myllarguten died a pauper in 1872. The cause of death is said to have been
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Torgeir and Ingebjørg had ten children, of which seven survived childhood.
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among them some from Telemark, who had got free tickets. The known author
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1972 (second edition). The original biography was published in 1911.
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336:. This example shows a vivid musical mind, and a great performer.
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220:. He eventually got married, with Ingebjørg Eddandshaugen from
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Myllarguten's technical abilities and musical style
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358:Concerning the meeting of Ole Bull and Myllarguten
283:The concerts gave him money to raise a farm in
325:classical ideals, rather than the more rural
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440:All the material is edited and published in
154:father's profession gave Torgeir his name,
114:(1801 – 21 November 1872), better known as
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437:. She was an eye-witness to the event.
329:. In 1853, Carl Schart, an organist in
194:. The latter had been a soldier in the
166:Amongst his teachers were the fiddlers
365:, as rendered by Myllarguten himself,
501:19th-century Norwegian folk musicians
122:), is arguably the most acknowledged
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236:Most of his life, Tarjei lived as a
386:Concerning the fiddler's childhood
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248:, even when food was scarce.
491:19th-century male musicians
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486:Norwegian male violinists
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476:Norwegian folk musicians
481:19th-century violinists
124:Norwegian folk musician
363:Rikard Aslaksson Berge
274:Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
38:Background information
361:: Told by the farmer
496:People from Sauherad
444:Myllarguten-Gibøen,
266:romantic nationalism
138:Torgeir was born in
393:, daughter-in-law,
391:Gunnhild Flatastøyl
471:Norwegian fiddlers
403:Gregar Torgeirsson
395:Ingebjørg Pilodden
375:Gregar Torgeirsson
345:by the folklorist
112:Torgeir Augundsson
23:Torgeir Augundsson
16:Norwegian musician
415:Øystein Hovdestad
232:Living conditions
207:Life as a fiddler
188:Øystein Langedrag
148:Norwegian serfdom
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421:, among others.
255:Meeting Ole Bull
74:21 November 1872
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466:1872 deaths
461:1801 births
426:His funeral
379:Christiania
295:Later years
268:in Norway.
116:Myllarguten
101:Hardingfele
48:Myllarguten
455:Categories
389:: Told by
168:Knut Lurås
97:Instrument
89:Occupation
70:1872-11-21
327:blue note
162:Education
134:Childhood
118:(meaning
399:Sauherad
351:Telemark
261:Ole Bull
184:Sauherad
176:Jon Kjos
144:Telemark
140:Sauherad
92:Musician
59:, Norway
57:Sauherad
435:Rauland
371:Rauland
367:Tor Vaa
340:Sources
316:grave.
313:Rauland
285:Rauland
246:begging
242:Rauland
128:Targjei
401:, and
373:, and
331:Bergen
214:Bergen
79:Genres
53:Origin
419:Vinje
397:from
369:from
309:Totak
222:Vinje
190:from
182:from
170:from
238:serf
216:and
186:and
172:Tinn
83:Folk
64:Died
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192:Bø
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