Norwegian Folk Music

Norwegian folk music is the traditional music of Norway's rural valleys, centered on the Hardanger fiddle, whose sympathetic strings give it a resonant, droning timbre. Its repertory divides between dance music (springar, halling, gangar and pols, each tied to specific districts and their uneven meters), vocal forms such as the stev and the ornamented singing called kveding, and instruments including the langeleik zither, willow flute and bukkehorn. Fiddlers such as *Knut Buen* and *Annbjørg Lien*, and ensembles such as *Bukkene Bruse*, carry a tradition maintained by local kappleik competitions and a strong regional identity.