Hardanger Fiddle

The hardingfele has four playing strings like a violin and four or five sympathetic strings beneath the fingerboard that are never bowed but resonate when the instrument sounds, giving it a ringing halo that a violin does not have. The bridge is flatter, which lets players sound two or three strings at once, and the body is decorated: black ink rosing on the wood, mother-of-pearl inlay on the fingerboard and tailpiece, and a carved lion or dragon head instead of a scroll. The oldest surviving example dates from 1651. It carried the dance music of western Norway, the springar, gangar and halling, and Grieg drew on it. It is still made, taught and played, with regional tuning traditions surviving.

What you actually see

• The sympathetic strings - four or five strings under the fingerboard.
• The decoration - ink rosing, pearl inlay and a carved animal head.
• The flat bridge - allowing several strings to sound together.
• The dance repertoire - springar, gangar and halling tunes.

When to go

Year-round at the Hardanger Folk Museum at Utne, which holds a major collection; summer folk festivals and the Forde and Voss traditional music events bring live playing. Setesdal and Telemark have their own strong playing traditions.

Honest expectations

Instruments are expensive and made by a small number of luthiers. The tuning systems vary by region and can sound out of tune to ears used to standard violin. Live playing outside festivals depends on local events announced at short notice.

Nearby

The Hardanger Folk Museum at Utne is the main collection; Setesdal and Telemark are other playing regions.