Yes, that's right. During my senior year, I started to apply for a masters in violin performance at the Royal Institute of Music in Stockholm. I was beginning to make travel arrangements for my audition when I discovered that I couldn't get the proper funding I needed for a student visa, since all the grants I would have applied for had ridiculously early deadlines that I had already missed. I was hopeful when I found a grant from the Swedish government specifically for international students who wanted to do graduate work in Sweden, so I contacted them. Of course, their grant only applied to institutions that taught in English (of which there are many), but the conservatory classes are taught mostly in Swedish (a language I was studying at the time). I guess I wasn't international enough for them, or something. Anyway, without the necessary financial resources, I withdrew my application and went to IU instead, which ended up being a fantastic two years, but that's beside the point.
Of course, once I finally made it to Sweden, I just HAD to visit what could have been my school! So while Dan was being a good student and attending class, I found my way to the Kungliga Musik Högskolan:
This is the entrance to the main building (they had 5 altogether). I'll admit, I kind of expected the Royal Institute of Music to look a little more impressive, I dunno, like a castle or something, but I liked the atmosphere, nonetheless. Once inside, I found it had a relaxed but businesslike feel, and I suddenly had this overwhelming desire to practice...
As I was exploring, I followed the signs to the auditorium, not expecting to be able to get in, but was delighted to see that a rehearsal was going on, so I snuck* in to listen for a bit. They were playing Stravinsky's "L'Histoire Du Soldat," which has a killer violin part. They sounded pretty good, and that familiar urge to find a practice room continued to grow...I couldn't get to said practice rooms, as they were in another building which you needed a key-code to enter (yes, I tried being the creeper who hangs around the door until someone else enters or exits, but it was a really slow day, and I was cold!). However, back in the main building I was surprised to find digital pianos lining a hallway of teaching studios:
It's hard to tell, but it pretty much alternates piano-bench-piano-bench, all the way down the hall. You can even see someone practicing (with headphones, of course)!
To conclude my visit, I spent a significant amount of time browsing through their bookstore, where I found an interesting Music History textbook (see the previous post), and almost bought the Music Theory text that they use. I stood there paging through it, reading the musical examples and deciphering the different terms and symbology, trying to convince myself that it was worth 300 Kronor (about $45). I didn't end up getting it, which was probably for the best, but I still totally want it!
..........................................................
One of the many cool things about Stockholm is that music seems to be everywhere, including the subways! No, no, I'm not talking about street musicians or headphones that are too loud, I mean this subway station actually has music in it:
("Hiss" means elevator, in case you were wondering.)
I was pleased to discover that if you put all of the little snippets together, each wall had a complete tune:
Although, what "La Marseillaise" was doing in the Hötorget station is beyond me (actually, I have a theory, which has something to do with the royal family)...
I didn't have time to check the other side, since our train was arriving (they're disconcertingly prompt in Sweden!!!), but I'll give a special prize to someone who can tell me what this excerpt is:
..........................................................................Hoo boy! Are you getting tired of seeing pictures of music yet??? I hope not, because the best is yet to come: On Tuesday, we visited the MUSIC MUSEUM (or, Musikmuseet, if you want to be authentic)! The museum was housed in a 300+ year-old building, which used to be an industrial bakery for the army base across the street (which is now the army museum across the street).
You may notice that it looks like we took these pictures late at night. Surprise! They were actually taken around 4:00pm, after it had been dark for a while (the official sunset time for that day was 3:05 pm. I thought these early sunsets were pretty neat, in a dark and cold sort of way).
But I digress! Back to the music! There was so much to see and do! A lot of it was interactive, with instruments that you could play and electronics to manipulate. I wish I could tell you about everything, but since this is already a ridiculously huge post, I'll just give you a few highlights.
The museum focused largely on folk instruments, and though it was primarily Swedish music, there were some really excellent exhibits representing many other countries from around the world.
Here we have a few favorite Scandinavian folk instruments:
1. The Hammer Dulcimer (this is Dan's dubious dulcimer debut, let's give him a hand!)
2. The Nyckelharpa, Sweden's national instrument:
3. The Hardanger Fiddle, made famous by the LOTR soundtrack:
The Hardanger fiddle was named for the Hardanger Fjord, which is where Norwegian (but really Scottish) composer Edvard Grieg spent his summers... Because I know you were wondering about that.
But enough with these pictures, what do they SOUND like??? Well, with Dan's help, and thanks to the magic of cell phones, I am proud to give to you this once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing TWO of Sweden's national symbols combine for an unprecedented cultural sensation:
Ladies and Gentlemen, a Dallahäst playing the Nyckelharpa!
Before we leave the music museum, I have to show you what I personally thought was by far the coolest thing in there. It was a demonstration of the different types of action in a Clavichord (simple lever), Harpsichord (plucked), and piano (a more complex hammer/lever system).
You could play each of the keyboards and look through the glass top to see (and hear) how the different instruments work. I was so happy to finally get to explore and compare the various actions. I called this the "magic box" and told Dan I wanted one for Christmas...
........................................................................
On Saturday, my last full day in Sweden, Dan took me to Skansen, an open-air historical museum. This place was one of the neatest things I saw in Sweden! Basically, they built a typical 18th-century town and countryside (most of the buildings are original, dating back two or three hundred years) and populated it with "historical interpreters in period costume." It runs all year, but this weekend was special because it was the opening of the annual Christmas market (a topic for another post, I think). I mention Skansen because, in addition to the organ grinder and the wandering accordion player,
There was also a group performing folk songs while people danced around the Christmas tree in the square (another yuletide tradition)! Most of the people who were dancing were either the historical re-enactors (watch for their cool costumes!), or parents with their small children, but it looked like so much fun that Dan and I had to join in! We danced for a few songs, and I think we both had a blast! We were surprised to recognize a number of the songs from recordings that we grew up hearing at home! I guess my family really is Swedish!
(Sorry for the sideways video! I have no idea how to rotate video 90 degrees! If anyone would like to enlighten me, that would be greatly appreciated!)
*Spell check is underlining "snuck," so I looked it up. Yes, the traditional past-tense of "sneak" is "sneaked," but the usage of the form "snuck," although at first confined to the American dialect, is generally regarded as an acceptable alternative (though in a formal setting, "sneaked" is still recommended).
