The song tells the story of Per, a fiddle player who trades his fiddle for a dairy cow. As the song goes on, he realises that life without music is quite sad. He luckily manages to retrieve his fiddle, and the song ends with a joyous last verse.

The lyrics are in Nynorsk, one of Norway’s two official written languages. Nynorsk came about in the 19th century, during Norway’s push for independence from Denmark and Sweden. This connection makes the song feel extra Norwegian compared to songs influenced by Danish language and culture. It’s also a favourite among folk dance groups since the melody is so well-known and is written in ¾ time.

“Per Spelmann" is a classic Norwegian children’s song that most Norwegians, including myself, grew up singing with grandparents or at school.

My name is Tom Erik Pedersen. I am a researcher from Norway. When I started working at the University of Twente, I often heard bells being played on campus. Eventually, I discovered where the sound was coming from, and that it was actually a musical instrument you could take lessons on. Over the past year, I’ve been practising regularly, and I think I’ve found a new hobby. The carillon has a strong tradition here in the Netherlands, and I’ve been surprised to learn that it's an instrument tradition also shared with Norway. This makes the experience feel both new and familiar at the same time.