Traditional Swedish Music with the Nykelharpa

Just like the accordian, and fiddle, the "Nyckelharpa" or key harp is a beautiful traditional Swedish instrument  that you might not be familiar with.  The description is below, but to listen to this beautiful piece by Emilia Amper (named "This Year's Artist" by Folkmusiksverige) which says it all.  So mystical and eerie in a way -- I love it.  Do you?  Emilia Amper plays "Ut i Mörka Natten" For more information I found that there is even a American Nyckelharpa association which you can check out here:  Nyckelharpa org

I told my daughter Special K I would get her one.  She's only 8.  Can you imagine how cute she would be playing one in her little Swedish dress?  Here's another beautiful folk music piece with Sissel, including a nykelharpa. If you are of Nordic descent, take a listen - it'll get the the Scandinavian blood flowing! Sissel "Koppången" from the "Nordisk Vinter Natt" CD. Sissel is a Norwegian treasure, http://www.sissel.net/

A nyckelharpa (literally "key harp", plural nyckelharpor), sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument orchordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve asfrets to change the pitch of the string.

The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a fiddle or the bowed Byzantine lira. Structurally, it is more closely related to the hurdy gurdy, both employing key-actuated tangents to change the pitch. The nyckelharpa and its tonal range appear on the reverse of the Swedish 50 kronor banknote.^[1]