Gunnar Olavsson Helland
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Gunnar Olavsson Helland, (born 1852 - died 1938), was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle maker from Bø in Telemark.
Gunnar Olavsson Haugen came from a family of woodcarvers. He married the twin sister of Knut Eriksson Helland, Gunnhild, in 1871 (Knut was married to Gunnar's sister) and moved to Helland at that time. Shortly after, he began learning the art of making violins from his brother-in-law.
When Knut died in 1880, Gunnar took over both the farm and the fiddle workshop and took the name Helland as his family name. He had the farm for 26 years and then bought the far bigger farm below the church in Bø and called it Helland, now "Hellandtunet", a trade and research center.
He became a great violin maker and won prizes and medals both in Norway and abroad.
[edit] References
«Bø-Soga, 1 Kultursoga bind 1» (Bø Lokalhistorie).
«Bø-Soga, 2 Gards og ættesoge, bind 4» (Bø Lokalhistorie, gårds- og slektshistorie).
«Soga om fela», by Steinar Kyvik, Fonna 1946.
«Felemakerslekten Helland», by John Gunnarson Helland, private, typed paper.
Private letters, Olav Gunnarsson Helland.
«Hardingfele i fire slektledd», Article, interview in Bergens Arbeiderblad 5th of October 1963, by Åsmund Nyhammer
«Bøherad, hardingfelas Cremona» in «Leik og Dans» 1988 p. 57-71, by Asbjørn Storesund, Halvard Kaasa, editor.
«Morgenbladet», Christiania, Thursday 15th of July 1852
[edit] See also
The Helland fiddle maker family
