Start of Fredman's Song No: 21, Så lunka vi så småningom (So we eventually amble). Marche, 2/4 time, 1791. The song mentions Bacchus, death, and "the fairest nymph".

Fredmans sånger (in English, Fredman's Songs or Songs of Fredman) is a collection of 65 poems and songs published in 1791 by the Swedish poet Carl Michael Bellman.[1]

As a follow-up to Fredmans epistlar from the previous year, the book contains songs from a longer period. There are bible travesties ("Gubben Noak", "Gubben Loth och hans gamla Fru", "Joachim uti Babylon"), drinking songs ("Bacchi Proclama", "Til buteljen"), rococo pastorales (Opp Amaryllis!), and lyrical passages ("Fjäriln vingad syns på Haga").

Several of these songs including Gubben Noak and Fjäriln vingad are known by heart by many Swedes.[2]

Grouping of the songs

Bellman had public performances known as the Bacchi orden ("Order of Bacchus"). These consisted largely of travesties of the chivalric and society orders of the time, some of which Bellman himself was a member.[3] These orders held strict ceremonials, and members were often expected to live a decent and "christian life". To be knighted in the Order of Bacchus, the candidate had to have been observed publicly lying in a stupor in the gutter, at least twice. Several of the songs from these performances are collected in Songs of Fredman (songs 1–6).[3]

Bellman wrote drinking songs and bible travesties, and also mixed the two genres. The holy men from the Old Testament were portrayed as drunks. The travesties became popular all over the country, being spread (anonymously) by broadsheets and transcripts. Some of Bellman's bible travesties offended the church authorities. As shown in a 1768 letter from the Lund chapter, the church attempted to collect all prints and transcripts in circulation of the most popular song, "Gubben Noak", as well as other songs.[3][4] It and eight other biblical travesties are songs 35–43.[3] There is some thematic grouping among the songs. For instance, songs 18–21 are about death, 35–43 are biblical parodies and 47–54 are part of a song play about "Bacchus's bankruptcy" (Bacchi konkurs).[3]

Songs

Ink and watercolor drawing by Elis Chiewitz of Brandy-Distiller Lundholm, described by Carl Michael Bellman in Fredman's Songs, No. 6, with the words "If ever thy wife kissed thy chin in her life, she'd drunk have been."
Songs
NumberFirst lineTypeNotes
1Bacchi Härolder med guld och beslagOrder of Bacchus
2Ordens-Härolder ta'n Edra spirorOrder of Bacchus
3Se menighetenOrder of Bacchus
4Hör Pukor och Trompeter!Order of Bacchus
5aSå vandra våre store mänOrder of Bacchus
5bSe svarta böljans hvita dräggOrder of BacchusA lament as Johan Glock is led across the waters by Charon. "Farewell to wine and double ale".
5cSå slår min Glock nu locket tilOrder of Bacchus
6Hör klockorna med ängsligt dånOrder of BacchusOn brandy-distiller Lundholm, dead. "If ever thy wife kiss'd thy chin in her life, she'd drunk have been."
7Kärlek och Bacchus helgas min skålRococoTo love and Bacchus, with Astrild and Venus.
8Ack om vi hade, god' vänner, en Så
9Nå ödmjukaste tjenare, gunstig Herr Värd!Song at dinner, celebrating food ... and drink
10Supa klockan öfver tolfDrinking songIf I become rich I'll buy new trousers, coat, new shoes... and have another drink before we die
11Portugal, Spanjen, Stora BritannienAllegretto in 3/8 time; bombs and rockets shall wake us with thunder, as our dragoons drink our health from crystal cups
12Venus, MinervaRococo(Venus, Minerva, Pallas, Clio, Jupiter, Pluto, Apollo, "all Olympus", Bacchus, Pan, Sylva, Phoebus, Melpomene, Cupid)
13Det var rätt curieust; i går aftonsKlubben Lokatten (the Lynx Tavern)
14Hade jag sextusende daler
15Kom sköna Källar-flickor
16Är jag född så vil jag lefva
17I Januari månad, Gutår!
18Snart är jag rykt ur tidens sköteDeath
19Ack! döden är en faslig björnDeathBacchus
20Mina Björnar samlen ederDeath
21Så lunka vi så småningomDeathThe gravediggers discuss whether the grave is too deep, and drink brandy
22Ach hör ett roligt giftermål!
23Så slutas våra Sorgedar
24Bortt vid en grind uti en skog
25Cornelius lefde femti år
26Ur vägen och vik
27Ur vägen För gamla Schmidtens bår!
28Movitz skulle bli Student
29Grannas Lasse! Klang på lyran
30Hör Trumpetarn, alarm!
31Opp Amaryllis! vakna min lilla!Rococo(Amaryllis, Neptune, dolphins, naked sirens, Thyrsis), ostensibly about fishing
32Träd fram du Nattens GudAftonkväde (Evening poem); Rococo(Flora, Timanthes, Alexis, Pan, Neptune, Eol, Arachne, Vulcan, Pluto, Cyclops, fauns)
33Magistraten uti T**** fiker
34På Gripsholm är alt för roligt
35Gubben Noach, Gubben NoachBiblical travesty"Noah rowed, Noah rowed, from his old ark, bought bottles, such as are sold, to drink, to drink, in our new park."
36Gubben Loth och hans gamla FruBiblical travesty
37Glada Bröder när vi drickaBiblical travesty
38En Potiphars hustru med sköna manerBiblical travesty
39Alt förvandlas, alt går omkull!Biblical travesty
40Ahasverus var så mägtigBiblical travesty
41Joachim uti BabylonBiblical travesty"Joachim from Babylon had a wife Susanna. Empty your flagon, Cheers for this person!"
42Judith var en riker EnkaBiblical travesty
43Adams skål, vår gamla far!Biblical travesty"To Adam's health, our old father!" ... "Let us drink"
44Gamle bror Jockum, klang vid denna rågan!
45Om ödet mig skull' skicka
46M. Hur du dig vänder
47Bacchus snyfta, gret och stammaBacchus's bankruptcy
48November den femtonde dagenBacchus's bankruptcy
49Som nu och emedanBacchus's bankruptcy
50Parterna syns kring Bacchus så röderBacchus's bankruptcy
51Utterquist - Ja!Bacchus's bankruptcy
52Närvarande vid fluidumBacchus's bankruptcy
53Som af Handlingarne, BröderBacchus's bankruptcy
54I närvarande ParterBacchus's bankruptcy
55Mollberg höll flaskan och Bredström satt
56När jag har en plåt at dricka
57Sjung och läs nu Bacchi böner
58Nej fåfängt! hvart jag ser
59Har du något i flaskan qvar?
60Du har at fordra af mitt sinne
61Se god dag min vän, min frände
62Aldrig et ord!
63Mäster Petrus från det helga höga
64Fjäriln vingad syns på HagaA song about King Gustav III's Hagaparken. Most Swedes can sing this unaided.
65Så ser jag ut vid stranden

Persons

The songs portray a series of persons, mostly people lapsed into heavy drinking.[5] Named persons are Kolmodin (treasurer), Holmström, Nystedt (pub owner), Meissner (brewer), Steindecker (royal kettledrummer), Lundholm (brewer and distiller), Appelstubbe (customs officer), Österman (workshop owner), Halling (baker), Agrell (customs officer), Kämpendal, Nybom, Planberg, Joseph Israelson (student and poet) and Knapen (musician). In addition to these are the biblical figures such as Adam and Susanna; and the characters from classical mythology Bacchus and Venus, plus a few more.

References

  1. Bellman, Carl Michael (1791). "Fredmans sånger". Project Runeberg (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  2. Berglund, Anders. "100 sånger - som (nästan) alla kan utantill! (100 songs - that (nearly) everyone knows by heart)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Musik att minnas. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bellman. Verken" (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  4. Domkapitlet i Lund (1768). "Som til Consistorium blifwit inlemnade ..." (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  5. "Personerna i Fredmans Epistlar och Sånger" (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 October 2008.
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