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Around
1850, the accordion first appeared in Norway, via Poland and
Sweden. It soon became popular in rural areas. Standard tunes
included the Polka, which became known as pols. During
the 1870's, the accordion increased in popularity, and by
1880 there were some well known players. These included Peter
Pedersen, Gerhard Gulbrandsen and Severin Jevnaker, but Edvard
Mathisen was widely regarded as the best accordionist of this
era.
At the
beginning of the century there was a multitude of skilled
accordionists, most of whom adopted the chromatic model. The
accordion became extremely popular in the early 1930's, then
began to decline.
Perhaps
the most famous accordionist in Norway is Toralf Tollefsen.
He began playing when he was five years old, and became a
professional at sixteen. In 1936, he played in Great Britain
for the BBC, where he recorded some Fox-trots. In 1947, he
returned to England to join the London Symphony Orchestra
at the Royal Albert Hall.
Traditional
Norwegian accordion music does not appear to have been largely
affected by the arrival of American variety music. It continues
to remain popular. The lively accordion tradition in Norway
has produced many talented players.
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