This record is an hommage to Hardanger fiddle player Salve Austenå (1927-2019). We are very happy that he wanted to join us to record the tunes we learned from him. He is mainly known for his older repertoire of Gangar- and Springar-tunes, but he also knew music for round dances and it is this part of his playing we present here. We have tried to follow his style closely and only added our own tonal shadings. 

1. Klunkaren (The plucker), schottische 
Salve also calls this tune "Ola Svennsson" and knows a taunting verse his great-aunt Valborg sang about her husband Ola. 

2. Traveler's waltz after the Fredriksens 
The brothers Nils and Fredrik Fredriksen were well known fiddle players of tinkers' decent. They must have spread quite a few round dance tunes in the south. 

3. Old Schottische 
Everybody else plays the first motif of this well-known tune in minor, while Salve uses major. The 
name comes from a special type of choreographed dance. 

4. Slarkjen, "hamburg"-polka 
Salve learned this tune from his uncle Sven Austenå. It uses standard violin tuning. 

5. Naustdals-march 
This stems from western Norway, but is also played on the south coast, e.g. by Sigurd Fjeldstad on 
standard fiddle 

6. The finger-less 
Salve learned this one from Olav Straume of Fyresdal in Telemark, but he says that his uncles played it, too. The lyrics are from the "backwards song" where the the finger-less plays the piano 

7. Was it you?, waltz 
This one is played all over Norway, in many different versions. The lyrics are "Was it you or was it me who made this dance so nice? 

8. Tuned-down schottische 
This one has a rare tonality considering that it is played in standard violin tuning. 

9. The Tempter 
This waltz came to Tovdal on a 78 RPM record, either with accordian playing or with Sveinung Kleppe playing the Hardanger Fiddle. According to Salve it was a big hit right before WWII. 

10. There was an old lady 
Salve learned this in Arendal when he was playing for the local Youth club where it was needed for another choreographed dance. The melody is a version of the German "Oh, Du lieber Augustin". 

11. Valborg's schottische 
is named after Salve's great aunt who sang many dance tunes. Others play it with the title "Imeland and Grimeland". 

12. Åni Smeland's waltz 
This one was composed by fiddle player and poet Åni Smeland from Gjøvdal. It has close "relatives" in Numedal which may indicate that Smeland's friend Ander Ødegård may have been the inspiration. 

13. Little Boy 
This schottische, too, may have come to the area with Anders Ødegård. The lyrics say "Little Boy hasn't had a whooping in 15 years, but tomorrow the switch will get him". 

14. Bridal march after Svenn Dale 
Salve did not have a title for this tune. It was singer Anne Sandnes who called it "Old Svenn's". 

15. The one the tinker hummed for his dog 
Salve never said where his father learned this waltz, but he remembers tinkers traveling up Tovdal and playing fiddles when he was little. 

16. The Mouse Song 
This schottische became known all over Norway when Alf Prøysen put lyrics to it about a family of mice celebrating Christmas. 

17. The Carpenter's Waltz 
Salve knows only one line to this tune: "Then he started glueing, and that was done within an hour." 

18. The Madman 
This polka is suposed to have been composed by Olav Straume while he was in America, but one can find the same melody in a Swedish bridal march. 

Feleboga & Salve Austenå - Apple Blossom Music 001 (Jan 25, 2010)