Our summer world tour continues — and for Stop 2, we're trading the warm Caribbean rhythms of Puerto Rico for something entirely different: the misty fjords, ancient forests, and hauntingly beautiful folk music of Norway.

In this episode, we explore Norway's deep folk music roots, from the Norse storytelling tradition to the extraordinary sound of the Hardanger fiddle — an instrument that doesn't just play a melody but seems to fill the air around it. We also talk about the athletic halling dance, the improvised poetry of the stev, and how composer Edvard Grieg (the very first composer we ever featured on this podcast, back in Episode 2) deliberately wove Norwegian folk traditions into classical music that eventually reached concert halls around the world.

Norway's folk music survived centuries of foreign rule because ordinary people held onto it tightly. That's a story worth hearing.

What We Cover in This Episode

Norway's geography and why the landscape shaped its music
The Norse people, the Vikings, and the rich storytelling tradition behind Norwegian folk music
How folk music became an act of cultural survival during centuries of Danish and Swedish rule
The Hardanger fiddle — what makes it unlike almost any other instrument in the world (hint: it has strings you never touch)
Dance forms of Norwegian folk music: the springar and the halling
The stev — improvised sung poetry, and how it connects to the décima tradition we heard in Puerto Rico
Edvard Grieg and how he translated Norwegian folk music into classical compositions heard around the world
How Norwegian folk traditions are being carried forward by younger musicians today

Free Downloads for This Episode

🪄 Download your Norway Passport Stamp (Stop 2 of 5 — add it to your musical passport)
🎵 Listen to the Curated Norwegian Folk Music Playlist (Hardanger fiddle performances, halling dance music, and Grieg pieces that will sound brand new now that you know where they came from)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/178

Instrument We Learned About

Hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele) — a Norwegian folk instrument that looks similar to a violin but has four or five additional "sympathetic strings" running underneath the main playing strings. These understrings are never touched directly — they vibrate in response to the notes being played above them, creating a resonant, layered sound that many listeners describe as haunting or ancient. The instrument takes its name from the Hardanger region of western Norway, where it was developed in the 1600s.

Music & Traditions Featured in This Episode

Traditional Norwegian folk melodies
Hardanger fiddle music
The halling — a solo acrobatic dance form accompanied by fiddle, where the dancer and musician carry on a musical conversation (similar in spirit to the bomba tradition we explored in Episode 177)
The stev — four-line improvised sung poetry performed as a kind of musical duel between singers
Edvard Grieg's Norwegian Dances and Peer Gynt Suite

Episodes Mentioned

Episode 177: Folk Music of Puerto Rico (Stop 1 of the summer tour)
Episode 2: Edvard Grieg (the very first composer we ever featured on Busy Kids Love Music)

Keep Exploring

The curated playlist in the show notes is a great next step — especially if you want to hear what the Hardanger fiddle actually sounds like in context. Try listening to a piece of Grieg after you've heard some traditional Hardanger fiddle music and see if your ears pick up the connection.

Enjoying the Podcast?

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Next Time on Busy Kids Love Music

Three more passport stamps to go. Join us in two weeks for Stop 3 on the summer world tour — subscribe so you don't miss it.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks.