Hedin

Johan Hedin is one of the foremost nyckelharpa players in Sweden. He was born in 1969 and grew up in fertile folk music surroundings the south of Sweden, where he studied the rhetoric of music under senior masters. This schooling was founded partly on extended rhetoric and variation in the music, and partly on the insistence that the music should be possible to dance to. Seen in context with its dance, the structure of the music was easily explained and therefore remained a natural medium later in life.

He continued his studies in playing and in composition at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm. Besides giving his attention to his own tradition Johan often plays in groups where people of different musical backgrounds meet and inspire each other, as for example the trio Bazar Blå or together with the concert organist Gunnar Idenstam. He has also been working a lot together with the multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller.

Johan always follows his desire to learn. Sometimes it can take the form of continuing studies in the nyckelharpa or in his own tradition, and sometimes it can be a matter of conquering new forms of expression. In pursuit of the latter he hasn't stopped at developing his style of playing the nyckelharpa, but has involved developing the construction of the instrument itself. For example, he has created the tenor nyckelharpa, the tone of which is reminiscent of the viola da gamba, the most prominent bass instrument in Baroque music.

Welcome to Johan Hedin´s homepage at www.johanhedin.com

About nyckelharpa

The nyckelharpa is a Swedish folkmusic instrument which is played with a bow like a fiddle, has keys like a hurdy-gurdy, and sympathetic strings like a viola d’amore. It was played already in the Middle Ages, and the oldest known picture is a stone carving in a church from around 1350. The nyckelharpa was a drone instrument up until the 20th century. Originally it had one melody string, one row of keys and one or more drone strings. The most common kind played today has 37 keys in three rows, three melody strings, one drone string and twelve sympathetic strings.

 

Lyssna

Innersta polskan (Johan Hedin)

Postludium(Johan Hedin)

Kontradans efter Sven Donat (arr Hedin)

Ljus  (Johan Hedin)

Discografi:

Lost (Bazar Blå) Bazaarpool CD013 (2009)

Siska (Luftstråk) Academus KMHCD18 (2008) 

Musikanter, polskor och andanter (Pelle Björnlert och Johan Hedin) Giga GCD-76 (2006)

Låtar (Johan Hedin och Gunnar Idenstam) Caprice records Cap 21733 (2004)

Nysch (Bazar Blå) Xource/MNW XOUCD 140 (2004)

Innersta polskan (Johan Hedin) Drone DROCD038 (2004)

Bazar Blå LIVE (Bazar Blå) BZBLALIVE (2003)

N.H.O. (Nyckelharporkestern) Drone DROCD 032 (2003)

Midwinter Night´s Mass (Triptyk) Warner Music, Sweden 857-85817-2 (2000)

Tripfolk (Bazar Blå) Xource/MNW XOUCD 130 (2000)

Byss-Calle (Nyckelharporkestern) Drone DROCD 022 (2000)

Skikt (Johan Hedin & Harald Pettersson) AWCD-22 (1999)

Nordic City (Bazar Blå) XOUCD 122 (1998)

Angel Archipelago (Johan Hedin) Atrium/Warner music, Sweden 3984-22107-2 (1998)

Triptyk (Triptyk) Atrium/Warner music, Sweden 3984-22197-2 (1998)

Adam (Trio Patrekatt) XOUCD 119 (1997)

Till Eric (Nyckelharpsorkestern) DROCD 006 (1995)