Annotation:New Irish Barn Dance
NEW IRISH BARN DANCE. AKA and see - Swedish Barn Dance, Ball in Karlstad. Irish, Barndance. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDDEEFFGG. Although the melody has been in the Irish repertory since being recorded by the Flanagan brothers on a 78 RPM for Columbia in 1930 (later recorded by De Danann and Mick Moloney), it is not originally Irish. Daniel Neely [1] traces the origins of the tune to Sweden. According to the performing rights association it was composed by Erik Uppström (1881-1968), who was a military musician and composer from Stockholm, Sweden. It was first recorded for Victor in New York in 1916 by the accordion duet of John Lager and Eric Olson under the title "Balen i Karlstad" (Ball in Karlstad, The). Olson, at least, was born in Sweden and but emigrated to New York where he became a fixture in the Swedish community, establishing a career as a music teacher, music publisher and radio performer. However, Neely finds that the schottishe he recorded was in fact a popular melody that was often prior recorded prior to the Flanagan's release, under a variety of European titles marketed to various ethnic communities. Accordion player Viola Turpeinen (born in Michigan of Finnish extraction) and violinist John Rosendahl recorded the tune as "Jukan Sottiisi", released by Victor (January, 1928); it was recorded a few months later (also for Victor) by the Jahrl Instrumental Quintet as "Balen i Karlstad." Jahrl, who immigrated from Sweden in 1916 and began his career on the vaudeville stage, re-recorded the tune in 1929, this time for the Columbia label, as "Te dans mä' Karlstatösera" (E. Jahrl's Kvintett). Columbia Records, Neely relates, then took Jahrl's recording and reissued it under a variety of titles, targeted to various ethnic markets. Thus it can be heard as the American "The Ball in Karlstad" (Waltz, Co 12121-F) , Polish "Wesole Czasy" (Walc, Co 18349-F), Finnish "Naantalin Aurinko-Sottiisi" (Co DI 98), German "Karlstadtreinlander" (Co GN 97). The tune still retains associations with Sweden, however, and was featured in the 1968 Swedish comedy "Under ditt parasoll" ("Under your parasoll").
