#Evert Taube

[i12bent]

Karin Parrow (March 4, 1900 - 1984) was a Swedish painter and part of Göteborgskoloristerna. She was one of 13 kids - her big brother being the famous troubadour Evert Taube. Like him she was quite adventurous, and during her studies in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1929, she married a sea captain and set off.

Her art consists of colorful and playful landscapes, still lives and portraits, and it hangs at most major Swedish museums.

Above: Badande kvinnor, no year - oil on canvas (Bohusläns museum)

[wheretheuserhasnoname]

Staty av Evert Taube

[garagedansdisco]

Fun fact: In 2019 Joakim Thåström was awarded the Stockholm City Bellman-prize. This was actually the second time he was awarded said prize. The first time, in 1991, he refused the honour saying it felt wrong accepting money from politicians when you've spent a career in music mocking those in power.

Thåström: "Carl Michael Bellman was a rebel. Evert Taube was a rebel"

Per Hägglund: "Evert was for god's sake [inaudible] for several...

Christian Falk: "Bellman was a rebel prostitute..."

Thåström: "They're both from Söder in Stockholm anyway..."

Christian Falk: "...at the royal court!"

Thåström: "...or atleast they lived at Söder in Stockholm. I can inform you that Bellman was born on the same block where I live!"[x]

[vagueandominousvibes]

📚 for the music ask game?

📚 A song or album you could write a term paper on

Oh boy, ok, let me just—

There are so many amazing songs with fantastic lyrics and meaning, full of allusion and meaning and symbolism — 'Achilles Come Down' by Gang of Youths comes to mind, as does 'Spanish Train' by Chris de Burgh (and, frankly, his entire 'Moonfleet & Other Stories' album), 'Telegraph Road' by Dire Straits, 'Suzanne' by Leonard Cohen, 'All Is Found' by Kacey Musgraves ...

But the one I want to tell you about is 'Byssan Lull' (trans.: 'Galley of Riches'), a Swedish lullaby written by Evert Taube. I don't know a whole lot about music theory, so all I can say about it will be based on text and convention. The translation I'm using is this one, because although I understand most of it, I'm not proficient enough in Swedish to trust my own translation of it. If you want to listen to it, my first recommendation would be to get my dad to sing it (he's a bass singer in the local choir, and his rendition is absolutely gorgeous). My second recommendation is Helene Bøksle's cover, which I can't find on YouTube, but know is on Spotify.

'Byssan Lull' has a repetitive structure, where each verse starts with the line 'Byssan lull, koka kittelen full' (trans.: 'Byssan lull -- boil the full kettle'), and is then followed by a list of three. The first verse lists three wanderers, the second lists three winds, the third lists three sailing ships, the fourth lists three figures on a treasure chest, and the fifth lists three religious figures (which, interestingly, was changed in the version I grew up with, and is something I'll come back). From what I understand, the melody is based on the Swedish fiskeskärsmelodin, which is a folk melody associated with lullabies about fishing, rowing, sailing, etc. Taube is to have heard his mother sing this particular melody, and claims to have improvised the song on a summer evening at Skagen. We know that the song was dedicated to a partner Taube had, and that Skagen was where he met the mother of his daughter. 'Byssan Lull' was first published in 1919 alongside seven sjömansvisor (trans.: sailor songs, sea shanties).

I'm neither a sailor nor Swedish, so my brief analysis here may be lacking.

What I love about this song, however, is that it focuses on the seemingly small and forgotten things. First come the three wanderers, of which one is limping, one is blind, and one is implied to be mute. Do they travel individually or in a group? Is there anyone with them? We don't know. All we know is that they seem small, quiet, and far away.

Second come the three winds. One blows on 'the great ocean', one on 'little Skagerrak', and one 'far up on the gulf of Bothnia'. The winds blowing on the great ocean are grand and terrific, known primarily to sailors, and the image of a ship caught in towering waves is a dismal one indeed. Skagerrak is denoted as 'little', and 'the gulf of Bothnia' (Swedish: 'Bottniska viken') is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which in turn is the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea (between Sweden, Finland, and the Baltics). It's remote, removed, and liminal.

Third come the sailing ships. The first one, a barque, is a ship with three or more masts. The second one, a brig, has two masts. The third one 'has ragged sails'. This time the visual grandeur of the ships shrinks and fades into something worn and weary.

Fourth are the figures on the chest: our faith, our hope, red love. After all the melancholic images of the small, the lost, and the weary, this verse shows a turning point. Firstly, the language changes. It's no longer listing one, two, three people, natural phenomenons, or objects, but talks about 'our' faith and 'our' hope. Sure, there's definitely something Christian going on here (which is emphasised in the fifth verse), but there's also something infinitely warming in the way the language goes from external and excluding, to internal and including. Where the first three verses compared and contrasted, this fourth one brings everyone and everything together in 'red love'.

Fifth and final are the religious figures, introduced as 'three good things'. These are God, the Son, and the Virign Mary. What I find interesting about this is that, whereas Taube could have used the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), he chose to focus on the actual family instead — the father, the son, and the mother. He even emphasises Mary by ending the verse and the song on her name, and I wonder if that is his way of paying tribute to his own mother, the partner he dedicated the song to, and the mother of his child. Aside from this, the focus on the family also works to bring the lullaby back to the idealised love of the nuclear family, once more placing the internal and including over the external and excluding.

The version of this I heard growing up, however, changed the fifth verse out with the following (first line preserved in Swedish, the rest transcribed in Norwegian):

Byssan lull, koka kittelen full, Der skinner tre stjerner på himmelen. Den ene er så blank, Den andre o så fin, Den tredje er månen den gule.

Lyrical translation:

Byssan lull, boil the kettle full, Three stars are aglow in the heavens. The first one is so bright, The second oh so fine, The third one is the moon so golden.

I don't know why it was changed. If dad heard it from his mother, I wouldn't be surprised if she fiddled with it — she was known for fiddling with lyrics and concocting new text to go with old melodies. I don't know that she was overtly religious, either, but I do know granddad did agricultural application of science in uni, so maybe there was a mutual appreciation for early astrophysics?

Who knows. The point I want to make about this is that 'Byssan Lull' is a gorgeous melancholic lullaby that, at least in my family, has survived through generations and been changed to reflect our culture. This, I think, is the nature of lullabies. Because we sing them to our children, and our children in turn sing them to their children, lullabies carry that inter-generational love and affection that, in some instances, is worn down by trauma and miscommunication. They remind us that we come from somewhere, but we can also change them to suit our individual situations. Even if the entire text is rewritten, the melody remains, and isn't that something beautiful to remember?

[laziestgirlintown]

Found out today, in a rude and icky way, that my name means cock (yes, as in dick, pecker or prick) in Albanian. If you count that, I guess it's a lot. Otherwise, I can only think of Här är den sköna sommaren by Evert Taube.

well now im curious

[iwillruletheuniverse]

I found this book. Vaggvisor is swedish for lullabies🩷 I often called Thomas magpie; they feel like me, him and Lullaby❤️ I haven’t heard ’När månen vandrar på fästet blå’ before but the moon is a symbol for Lullaby❤️ I often called her my little owl; special that is the picture with ’Videvisan’ by Alice Tegnér❤️ I haven’t heard ’Himlen är av stjärnor full’ either; star is for Rockstar & the bears feels like me and Thomas💞 ’Byssan Lull’ by Evert Taube was always special for me.

[womenalloverlove-blog]

Now lovely welcome Evert Taube...Hedningarna... and Metallica...songs are released 🥰 https://youtube.com/@herrmusicentertainer?si=cy3qALQ1fuPvV8fM

[perfettamentechic]

11 novembre … ricordiamo …

11 novembre … ricordiamo … #semprevivineiricordi #nomidaricordare #personaggiimportanti #perfettamentechic

2022: Sven-Bertil Taube, Sven-Bertil Gunnar Evert Taube, attore e cantante svedese. Figlio del cantautore svedese Evert Taube e della scultrice Astri Bergman Taube, Sven-Bertil iniziò ad appassionarsi alla musica folk e al folklore in generale viaggiando per l’Europa ancora molto giovane, tenendo concerti quand’era ancora soltanto uno studente della Royal Beskow School di Stoccolma. aube lavorò a…

[scoutbokmal20]

It often reminds me of the Swedish shanty(?) Balladen om Briggen 'Blue Bird' av Hull by Evert Taube, in which the titular ship (Blue Bird) is caught in a storm off the coast of Sweden. The swede, Karl Stranne, is tied to the helm, since he is a capable steersman and familiar with the waters. But it soon becomes obvious that they won't make it, and signal for help, Karl Stranne knowing that his father will come to their aid. The crew abandon ship and make it to shore, and Stranne Sr. pours out shots for the crew inside. He asks for the name of the ship, and when the Captain answers "Blue Bird of Hull", Stranne Sr exclaims "Blue Bird of Hull? God in heaven, but then where is my son?" The Captain pales, as he remembers "Karl was tied to the helm and forgotten aboard."

It's apparently based on a few similar incidents at sea.

Honestly, the Captain tied to the wheel with cross in hand is probably the most striking image in the book, and frankly, one of the most striking images in horror fiction generally. A master stroke on Stoker’s part.

[captainmelander]

Winter (på/i Evert Taubes Terrass) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnMbsHrtqCT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charleskeatington]

När min mor kommer hit för en visit, brukar hon ofta medföra diverse fynd. Denna gång blev det några vinylplattor (Cornelis, Evert Taube, Sven-Bertil Taube, samt klassisk musik) och ett par av damhandskar för högtidsdräkt. (at The Keatington Suite) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmd_DmkMBlH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[i12bent]

Karin Parrow (March 4, 1900 - 1984) was a Swedish painter and part of Göteborgskoloristerna. She was one of 13 kids - her big brother being the famous troubadour Evert Taube. Like him she was quite adventurous, and during her studies in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1929, she married a sea captain and set off.

Her art consists of colorful and playful landscapes, still lives and portraits, and it hangs at most major Swedish museums.

Above: Kvinna i allén, 1945-48 - oil on canvas (Moderna Museet)

[clouds-of-wings]

Thanks for offering! The use of this word has confused me for years. Lille Roland is from Vänner och Fränder:

Dig vill vi giva en kungason till man Som haver mera guld än lille Roland haver land

A young girl is supposed to marry a prince because he's richer, but she ends up eloping with lille Roland instead.

Och Jungfrun hon lägger sig vid lille Rolands sida Hon känner sig varken sorgsen eller kvida

So from context it seems that his poverty is important here. But when it comes to women it's more mysterious.

Liten Kerstin plays the main role in this... kinda strange ballad. But she's also in other songs and usually as a girl from a humble background who has some kind of romance with a nobleman. Apparently this was based on a true story of a woman who rose socially and became a motif in folk ballads. But I forgot the details. I read/played a lot of Swedish folk songs when I was sick all winter 6 years ago and there were a lot about Liten Kerstin, but I can't easily find the lyrics online.

Herr Peder och liten Kerstin de sutto över bord den älskog vilje vi begynna De talte så många skämtsamma ord. Allrakärasten min, jag kan eder aldrig förglömma.

From what I've seen, it usually ends badly. Them rich folk can't be trusted. Though it seems she has money here, judging by the clothes she gets made.

But Hilla Lilla, from the song by the same name, definitely doesn't come from a humble background. Thanks to her caring father, she had a knight as a personal servant. After eloping with him and getting caught, she was sold away. So I guess she's poor now. She works for a queen. But I suppose the queen's other servants aren't much richer either, so idk why the song should draw attention to her poverty in particular.

Hilla Lilla sitter i kammaren sin Ingen vet min sorg utan Gud Hon fäller så mången tår uppå kind Den lever aldrig till som jag kan klaga mina sorger

And, to complete my confusion, there's a modern song by Evert Taube called Dansen på Sunnanö, which features a "lilla Eva" and I can't really imagine that her economic situation has any effect on the story. If anything, it would make sense for the song to draw attention to her being young instead since the song is all about youth and the loss thereof.

Där går en dans på Sunnanö, där dansar Rönnerdahl Med lilla Eva Liljebäck på pensionatets bal

Och lilla Evas arm är rund och fräknig hennes hy Och röd som smultron hennes mun och klänningen är ny

She dances with the aging gentleman Rönnerdahl first and makes some cheeky remarks about his past conquests, then dances more passionately with the young cadet Rosenberg later:

Och lilla Eva dansar ut med fänrik Rosenberg Och inga fräknar syns på hyn, så röd är hennes färg

I guess it's possible that she's a little girl, but based on what she says and how she's described, I think she's a young adult. So how is she lilla..?

Is it possible that some Swedes aren't aware that the -e ending after adjectives ('den gamle mannen') is masculine and think that it's an 'old-timey way to end an adjective'? I know it's been falling out of usage a bit, so it can seem like 'just old'. I've seen folk bands use it for words that aren't grammatically masculine at all. Or is there a different reason for that? I've even seen it used for a woman.

[ib2se]

B:sides ~ Evert Taube ⛵️💃🇸🇪 2021

Musik af de 10 som erhållit Taubestipendiet från SKAP 2021

SKAP https://www.skap.se/2021/06/23/10-taubestipendier/

Lira https://www.lira.se/payam-tabatabayi-en-av-hela-tio-nya-taubestipendiater/

Päyam Tabatabayi

[opossum-in-cat-disguise]

Kalla den änglamarken eller himlajorden om du vill.. jorden vi ärvde och lunden den gröna.. vildrosor och blåklockor och lindblommor och kamomill.. låt dem få leva, de är ju så sköna

-Evert Taube

Call it angel's field or heaven's soil.. we inherited the earth and the green, lush grove.. wild roses and bellflowers and linden flowers and chamomile.. let them live, they are oh so fair

16/5-20