The hardingfele, or Hardanger fiddle, is the iconic musical instrument of Norway. Its shape is similar to that of a violin and shares with it the same number of strings (four). The main difference lies in the presence of sympathetic strings (four to five) passing under the bridge and resonating along with the bowed strings. The instruments are often richly decorated: with a carved lion’s head (or that of another animal), mother-of-pearl inlays, or ink-pen drawings. Playing techniques, especially double stops and drone polyphony, are facilitated by a flatter fingerboard than that of the violin and by more widely spaced strings. It is thought to have appeared in the seventeenth century, and the oldest surviving example to come down to us across the ages dates back to 1651. Its heyday was in the mid-eighteenth century, thanks in particular to the impetus of instrument maker Isak Nielsen
Botnen (1669-1759).
“This instrument is made in the style of Trond Botnen, but with some modern adaptations. The instrument is made slightly bigger, and with longer string-length to suit lower tuning.
The instrument is made of norwegian materials. The top is made of spruce from high altitude in Tinn in Telemark, the back and ribs are made of black alder from west of Norway, and the neck of old maple.
The fingerboard and tailpiece is made of maple, with bone and goathorn put over as a decoration.”
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