Niels Erik ”Niller” Rasmussen, Clara Tesch, Mads Kjøller Henningsen

Nykomponeret folkemusik af Niels Erik ”Niller” Rasmussen for nordisk sækkepibe

Midt på Bornholm og lige op af Almindingen ligger et lille rødt nedlagt husmandssted med brægende får og en snurrende vindmølle i baghaven. Området benævnes Segen, – og det er her Niller og hans familie har boet siden 1977. Fra 1985 og frem til i dag har Niller været stærkt optaget af den Nordiske sækkepibe. Når sækkepiben bliver taget frem for at spille, er det ofte, når der skal leveres en god fortælling fra lokalområdet, – fortællinger overleveret af venner og gamle Segen-beboere. Området Segen, Tingsted og Almindingen gemmer nemlig på mange sjove historier, som hver især kalder på musikken. Et stort fortæller-forbillede for Niels Niller var den bornholmske fortæller og papirklipper Jens Jakob Sabber, – han kunne malende fortælle om det bornholmske folkeliv. For Sabber var papirklippet et flot akkompagnement til historierne, – for Niller er det musikken, der akkompagnerer.
Med afsæt i fortællinger ”Rundt Segen” og i samarbejde med Clara Tesch, Mads Kjøller Henningsen, Jacob Hee Lund og David Mondrup leveres her et album med 12 nykompositioner for Nordisk sækkepibe.

Newly composed folk music by Niels Erik “Niller” Rasmussen for Nordic bagpipes

In the middle of the far easterly Danish Island Bornholm and just up from the place Almindingen is a small red farmhouse with sheeps and a spinning windmill in the backyard. The area is called Segen, – and this is where Niller and his family have lived since 1977. From 1985 until today, Niller has been very interested in the Nordic bagpipes. When Niller play the bagpipes, it’s often when a good story from the local area has to be delivered – stories handed down by friends and old Segen residents. The area of Segen, Tingsted and Almindingen hides many funny stories, each of which calls for music. A great storyteller role model for Niels Niller was the Bornholm storyteller and paper cutter Jens Jakob Sabber, – he could vividly tell about Bornholm folk life. For Sabber, the paper cut was a nice accompaniment to the stories, – for Niller it is the music that accompanies.

Based on the stories “Rundt Segen” and in collaboration with Clara Tesch, Mads Kjøller Henningsen, Jacob Hee Lund and David Mondrup, here comes an album with 12 new compositions for Nordic bagpipes.

Fysisk CD kommer også i vores folkshop.dk
Physical CD will be available in our webshop folkshop.dk

Trackliste
1 Lys over Makkehøj 2:10
2 Segentur 3:47
3 Herlufs vals 2:55
4 Christiansøreel 2:51
5 Guldgubben / Rynkeby Engledans 3:38
6 Kragetræet 3:10
7 Ulvevalsen / Plantøren 4:09
8 Coronagalop 2:53
9 Tingsted Polka 2:54
10 Oktoberregn 4:00

Compositions Niels Erik “Niller” Rasmussen
Arrangements Mads Kjøller Henningsen
Niels Erik “Niller” Rasmussen Nordic bagpipe – built by Keld Nørgaard Kristensen
Clara Tesch Violin, viola
Mads K. Henningsen Octave mandolin, pedal organ, flute, drum, lyre, jew’s harp, percussion, stomp
Jacob Hee Lund Klangværk Studio: Production and mix
David Mondrup Mastering
Ole Halskov Hansen cover artwork
Cat.at. No GO0724
ISRC DK 6KA 24 00701-10
Barcode 5705934005859
LC code : 09240

The album was recorded and released physical and digital in 2024

Melodiernes historie / Stories behind the tunes (Danish &English)

”Rundt Segen”– Bagpipe melodies from Bornholm
af Niels Erik ”Niller” Rasmussen (2024)

1. Lys over Makkehøj

Ikke langt fra hvor jeg bor er der en lille høj som man i lokalområdet har giver navnet Makkehøj. Højen er resterne af en gammel gravhøj. En sådan høj må man ifølge den bornholmske overtro ikke røre, da der ellers vil komme til at ske alverdens ulykker. Denne ”fredning” har de bornholmske underjordiske naturligvis benyttet sig af, – og flyttet ind i højen med hele deres familie. Og en sådan underjordisk familie kunne godt bestå af rigtig mange af disse spøjse småfolk. Enhver kan derfor godt regne ud at de underjordiske passer godt på deres høj – at ingen kommer for nær, eller begynder at nære interesse for alt det dejlige bakkegrus der ofte befinder sig nedenunder højen.

Men Ahlegårdsbonden hvis gård støder op til højen kunne trods alle advarsler ikke nære sig for at grave noget af det dejlige grus op til brug ved støbning af et nyt gulv i den gamle svinestald. Det skulle han dog aldrig have gjort.

En dag da Ahlegårdsbonden var på vej hjem til gården med et stort læs brænde, som han havde skovet i skovene øst for Årsballe, – ja så skete der det besynderlige at da han med heste og et kæmpe brændelæs skulle ned af den meget stejle Makkebakke, – et sted hvor man med hestekøretøj skal være særlig påpasselig at hestene ikke løber løbsk og det kan være svært at holde hestene tilbage, – ja så skete der altså det besynderlige at lige meget hvor meget hestene hev og sled i skavlerne – så kom vognen ingen vegne – hestene kunne simpelt hen ikke rokke vognen ud af stedet. Bonden undersøger om bremsen hænger, eller om der skulle ligge en forhindring på vejen – det gør der ikke – men pludselig og uden forudgående varsel ser han en lille fyr stå mellem de to store bryggerheste og ene mand holder dem tilbage med sin små fine arme og hænder. Det er tydeligt at se at han er meget gnaven og sur. Ahlegårdsbonden bliver naturligvis meget forskrækket – men efter at have sundet sig lidt spørger han den lille pusling (som han jo godt kan regne ud er en af de underjordiske) hvorfor han generer hans arbejde ved at holde hestene tilbage. Den underjordiske råber med arrig stemme at hans familie i højen har bemærket at karlene fra Ahlegård er begyndt at grave efter grus i højen. Og at dette straks må ophøre, – for ellers vil de underjordiske i al fremtid gøre livet utåleligt for Ahlegårdsbonden, hans familie og alle hans karle og piger. Ahlegårdsbonden forstår nu alvoren – og lover på tro og love at han aldrig nogensinde fremover vil tillade nogen at forstyrre småfolkene i Makkehøj. I samme øjeblik forsvinder den lille fyr ligeså hurtigt som han var kommet – og heste og vogn sætter med det samme i en rasende fart ned af Makkebakke.  Aldrig siden blev der gravet grus i Makkehøj – og både de underjordiske og Ahlegårdsbeboerne lever i dag på bedste vis side om side. En gang imellem kan man langvejs fra se et underligt lys over højen, – og kommer man tættere på kan man se at det er højen der står på gloende pæle – og under den åbne høj ses hele underjordsfamilien forlyste sig til sang, dans og musik. Det er med afsæt i ovenstående historie at ”Lys over Makkehøj” er blevet komponeret.

2. Segentur
Segen er området lige vest for Almindingen, – 1km. væk fra Rytterknægten og ca. 2 km. væk fra Lilleborg. Segen er også her hvor jeg i 45 år har boet i et lille rødt hus med udsigt over skov og mark, – og ganske nær den gamle Segen kaserne. Da vi i 1978 flyttede ind i vores dejlige hus – var det at bo på landet ensbetydende med tætte naboskaber – hvor man altid var klar til enten at give eller tage imod en hjælpende hånd. Der skulle samles sten, køres hø og halm, høstes og plantes ny skov. De gode naboer; Emil Riis, Gunnar Olsen og skovfoged K.O. Nielsen var alle fyldt med gode historier og minder om livet I Segen og Almindingen. Historier som de gavmildt delte ud af til dem der var interesserede – og det var jeg.  Men ud over at vores hus ligger lige op af Almindingen så ligger vi også midt i et strategisk vigtigt militærområde med Nato radar, store paraboler og militær kaserne. De to store radarer ved Rytterknægten kunne/kan kigge langt ud i Østersøen – og signalerne blev sendt videre fra de 15 m. høje paraboler tæt ved vores hus. Jeg tænkte tit på at vores hus, som fra luften må se ud som en lille rød plet, – nemt kunne blive målet for fjendtlige bombefly, hvis en krig skulle bryde ud. På minuttet fløj der dagligt danske jagerfly hen over vores hus, – de vinkede med vingerne hvorefter de fløj rundt om Christiansø for afvisning af fjendtlige fly. Jeg sad tit på mit træværksted og funderede over situationen – og ”melodien ”Segentur” blev til. Melodien starter og slutter med et foruroligende bombehyl. De store paraboler er i dag fjernet, – men Radarhovedet og Jagerflyene er desværre igen blevet en del af dagligdagen.

3. Herlufs vals
Herluf Jensen var min gode ven igennem rigtig mange år. Herluf boede og arbejdede hele sit liv som arbejdskarl og fodermester på den familieejede Hjortegård i Pedersker. Første gang vi mødtes var til folkemusikbal på Bornholms Folkehøjskole. Herluf underholdt i pauserne med både harmonika, savspil og jodlen. Det var et fantastisk syn når den lille pæne hvidhårede mand stod der med øens største harmonika på maven.  Han spillede, sang og jodlede fuldstændig bramfrit og uden nogen form for hæmninger. Herluf var vokset direkte ud af den bornholmske (Pedersker) folkekultur. Han gik ikke op i om instrumentet lige stemte, eller om stemmen var smurt, – han leverede bare af karsken bælg den mest livsbekræftende underholdning jeg kan mindes. Herluf kom sjældent uden for Pedersker Sogn – det var der ikke behov for, – for Pedersker var for Herluf hele verden.  Han kendte til hver en sten, alle de gode historier og fortællinger fra egnen.  Pedersker er bare en lille bitte prik på landkortet, – men for Herluf en uendelig verden, – og en uudtømmelig kilde af historier og oplevelser.  ”Herlufs Vals” er selvfølgelig tilegnet Herluf, – og var en fødselsdagsgave til ham da han fyldte 70 år. Herluf er desværre ikke længere iblandt os, – men valsen havde jeg den store glæde af at få lov til at spille ved både Herlufs 70, 80 og 90-års fødselsdag. Den sidste gang jeg spillede melodien for Herluf var til hans begravelse i Pedersker Kirke.

4 Christiansø Reel
En til to gange om året drog Bornholms Folkemusiklaug til Christiansø for at spille til bal i øens gamle forsamlingshus; Månen. Sejlturen til Christiansø med den ombyggede fiskekutter ”Peter” var ofte en meget ”spændende” oplevelse, ikke mindst hvad angår søsyge. Derfor var vi nogen der havde spekuleret over, hvordan vi nemmest kunne undgå denne del af oplevelsen, – og kommet frem til det resultat, at hvis vi hele tiden under overfarten, spillede på vores instrumenter ville det være et effektivt middel mod den ubehagelige søsyge.
På en tur med meterhøje bølger og med ølflasker og opkast hvirvlende om ørerne blev ”Christiansøreel” til. Efter at være kommet hjem fra turen skrev Bornholms Folkemusiklaug således i deres medlemsblad:  ”Selvom årets første rigtige efterårsstorm havde lagt sig flere dage forinden, havde den efterladt mange store og skæve dønninger, så sejlturen til Christiansø blev noget af en prøvelse. Ude på dækket var rælingen totalt optaget af folk som hang ud over skibssiden og brækkede sig i stride strømme. De forholdsvis få passagerer som turde opholde sig inde i skibets salon, blev til besætningens åbenlyse fryd, mere og mere grønne i ansigterne, for hver gang en halvtom ølflaske tumlede forbi på dørken mens kaffekopperne gik bersærkergang på bordene. Pludselig fik Niller en ide og kaldte de andre musikere til sig. De skulle hive deres instrumenter frem, og så bare spille på livet løs, for han havde en gang hørt, at når man tænkte på noget andet kunne man undgå søsygens kvaler. Som sagt, så gjort! Spillemændene kilede sig fast mellem de fastboltede borde og bænke, og så fik den ellers på alle tangenterne. Det var under den seance at Christiansøreel blev født, og når den ellers bliver spillet rigtigt, kan man se hele sceneriet for sig”.

5. Guldgubben
På bakkestrøjet ovenfor for Svaneke ligger et historisk interessant område som går under navnet ”Sorte Muld”.  I en menneskealder har Bornholms Museum på stedet fortaget arkæologiske udgravninger og detektorundersøgelser. Resultatet er at der er fundet mere end 3000 små guldfigurer præget på ganske tynde guldplader, – disse små guldfigurer kalder vi for ”Guldgubber”. Sorte Muld er navnet på marken for enden af Krøblingevejen. Den er kendetegnet ved sin mørkfarvede og frodige jord. Pladsen var bebygget gennem næsten hele jernalderen. Allerede i romersk jernalder var det en rig boplads, men i germansk jernalder udviklede den sig til et af Skandinaviens vigtigste kulturcentre. Vi må antage at Sorte Muld har været sæde for en høvding eller måske ligefrem en konge, som var den dominerende magt på Bornholm, og som havde forbindelser langt uden for øen.
Kun en meget lille del af det enorme kulturlag på Sorte Muld er blevet udgravet.  I 1948-1953 blev der udgravet et lille antal hustomter. Der blev dengang kun fundet nogle få guldgubber., – men ved en ny udgravning i 1986 fandt man ikke mindre end 2300 guldgubber. Fundene af de mange guldgubber og deres tydelige placering forstærkede teorien om at de små guldfigurer, på den ene eller anden måde kunne været anbragt i et slags kult-tempel. I 2021 besluttede Bornholms Museum sig for at undersøge templet nærmere. Ved en minutiøs undersøgelse og vandsoldning af al opgravet jord dukkede der yderligere 300 Guldgubber op af den sorte muld samtidig med at templets konturer blev ganske tydelige. Teorien om et kult-tempel var endelig blevet bekræftet.
Jeg var så heldig at få lov til at værre en del af det team der soldede under udgravningen i 2021, – det var en fantastisk oplevelse med egne øjne at se den ene lille guldfigur efter den anden dukke frem fra mudderet på soldet. Blandt mange spændende genstande var jeg så heldig at finde hele 10 små velbevarede guldgubber. Tænk sig at der stadig efter så mange år dukker gubber op af jorden. Når jeg gik rundt i udgravningen tænkte jeg tit på at det var ligesom at gå i det lave vand langs stranden for at samle sandorme, – lidt stampen i jorden og sandormene dukker frygtløse op af deres huller i sandet. Jeg tænkte også på hvilke ritualer der mon har været knyttet til anbringelse af guldgubberne i templet. Der har helt sikkert indgået både musik og dans i ritualerne, så det var mig nærliggende at forsøge at genopleve lidt af stemningen med lidt sækkepibemusik. Det blev til en fast tradition gennem den mere en 2 måneder lange udgravning, – at dagen begyndte med at jeg sad i udgravningen og spillede for templet og Guldgubberne, – alt imens arkæologer og soldefolk dukkede frem af den tidlige morgentåge.  Og måske var det som med sandormene at musikken fik nogle af gubberne til at stikke hovederne frem fra Sorte Muld. Det var sådan en morgen at melodien ”Guldgubben” blev til.Corona Galop

5.a Rynkeby Engledans
Ved Droneseminaret i 2019, på Rynkeby Friskole, opstod der fra tid til anden perioder hvor min sækkepibe i Dis-dur (eller hvad det nu er det hedder) ikke rigtig kunne være med – derfor var det nærliggende at finde et roligt sted hvor jeg og sækkepiben kunne få lov til at udfolde os på vores egne betingelser og vilkår. Lige overfor Friskolen ligger Rynkeby kirke – så jeg valgte at sidde ”alene” i kirken sammen med kirkeloftets 21 instrumentspillende engle. Det var en sand fornøjelse, – akustikken og kalkmaleriernes ”englemusik” og dans hen over den kalkede hvælving gjorde et stort indtryk på mig – og kaldte med det samme på en melodi. Det blev til ”Rynkeby Engledans” – og englene havde mærkeligt nok ikke noget problem med at spille sammen med den bornholmsk sækkepibe og dens besynderlige toneart.

6. Kragetræet
Jeg sidder på mit spilleværelse og trutter i sækkepiben alt imens jeg kigger ud over ”Brudesengen” og Almindingen, – fårene går fredeligt og græsser under det gamle vindblæste mirabelletræ og fuglene kvidrer rundt om i buske og træer. Indefra vores lille skov kan jeg fra tid til anden høre flagspætten knokle med at få åbnet op for en valnød. ”Spætteværkstedet” er gemt i en grenkløft på et af de unge birketræer. Men pludselig kommer en krage flyvende forbi i en voldsom fart. – efter den kommer en til, og en til. Det viser sig at det ikke kun er spætten der har opdaget at valnødderne på det store valnøddetræ er blevet modne. Kragerne er de første til at plukke de allerøverste og mest modne valnødder i toppen af træet. Det er nærmest som en motorvej for krager. De flyver hele dagen i fast rutefart frem og tilbage mellem valnøddetræet og landevejen, – hvor de kaster deres ”bomber” på den mørke asfalt.  Valnødderne splintres mod asfalten, og der er fri adgang til den dejlige og livgivende nød der er gemt under den hårde skal. Mens jeg sidder der og spiller, – og betragter de tyvagtige krager, kommer melodien ”Kragetræet” snigende ud af sækkepiben.

7. Ulvevalsen
300 meter fra mit hus her i Segen starter Almindingen eller Markersen som det hed i helt gamle dage (Navnet Almindingen refererer til et område der er alle mands eje). Almindingen er en forholdsvis nyplantet skov, idet Skovrider Hans Rømer startede beplantningen år 1800. Før der blev skov bestod hele området som højlyng med masser af bundløse mosehuller, dybe klippespalter, spredte egetræer, lyng og enebærbevoksninger. Før beplantningen blev området benyttet af øens mange bønder, som om sommeren lod deres kreaturer afgræsse området. For dyrene var det et dejligt område, – men for menneske var det et farligt og uvejsomt terræn hvor kun de lokale bønder kendte til de gamle nedtrampede stier og fåtalte køreveje. Og ikke nok med det, så var der også vilde dyr som man skulle passe på.
En gammel vandrehistorie, som vist nok også har huseret i Jylland er også nået til Bornholm, – og beretter om en spillemand som i tidernes morgen kom galt afsted da han en sommernat ville skyde genvej gennem lyngen. Han boede i Åkirkeby, – og skulle spille til en bryllupsfest i Østerlars – Han kendte udmærket Højlyngen og dens mange farer, – så for at nå frem i tide valgte han den mest direkte vej – gennem lyngen.

Hvad han ikke vidste, var at en lokal bondemand, som i længere tid havde været plaget af ulve i hønsegården, havde været ude aftenen før og gravet ulvefælder. Og så går det hverken værre eller bedre end at spillemanden falder i en af de godt kamuflerede fælder, – og når derfor aldrig frem til bryllupsfesten. Brudepar og bryllupsgæster undrede sig selvfølgelig over hvorfor at spillemanden aldrig dukkede op, – men tænkte at han måske havde slået sig på flasken, hvilket ikke ville være utænkeligt. Tidligt om morgen bliver man dog enige om at gå ud og lede efter ham – da han jo søvndrukken kunne være havnet i en grøft. Efter at have ledt i nogen tid hører de pludselig en mærkelig lyd. Det lød nærmest som et smertens skrig fra et væsen fra en anden verden. De gik efter lyden, – som bare blev værre og værre, – nogen valgte at vende om – men de modigste staldkarle forsatte efter lyden. Og så lige med et kunne de se hvad der var foregået. Lyden kom fra en gravet ulvefælde som en anden bonde havde sat – og i det ene hjørne af hullet stod spillemanden og filede løs på sin violin, med angst i øjnene og sveden drivende ned over ansigtet. I det andet hjørne af hullet stod en ligeså bange ulv med næsen i sky, – og hylede det bedste den havde lært. Begge var de meget forkomne, så det var ikke svært for staldkarlene at få uskadeliggjort ulven og derefter redde spillemanden op af fælden. Hvad der var sket var jo, –  at inden spillemanden faldt i fælden var der allerede en glubsk ulv der var faldet i, – og da spillemanden så ulven med blottede tænder tænkte han at hans tid var omme – men så kom han i tanke om at hundene på de gårde hvor han spillede til dans, ofte begyndte at hyle når han spillede nogle bestemte toner på sin violin. Det viste sig at det samme galt for ulven, – som ved de skrigende violintoner blev ganske paralyseret. Men det betød altså bare, at for at redde livet måtte spillemanden uden stop file løs på violinen lige til nogen ville finde ham. Den forkomne spillemand blev efter sigende bragt til gården hvor der blev taget godt vare på ham. Som tak for hjælpen spillede spillemanden hele næste aften og nat til de dansesultne bryllupsgæster. ”Ulvevalsen” er en musikalsk beskrivelse af spillemandens glade vandring gennem lyngen indtil glæden afløses af frygt og et langstrakt ulvehyl.

7a. Plantøren
Hver dag går vi en tur i Almindingen – og på turen kommer vi ofte forbi ”Rømers Minde”. ”Rømers Minde” ligger midt i Almindingen, og er en lille mindelund omkranset af et sirligt bygget stengærde. Mindelunden er til ære for Hans Rømer der i år 1800 startede beplantningen af Almindingen, – i dag Danmarks 4 største skov. Mindelunden er i dag et fint lille sted hvor man kan nyde det medbragte kaffebord, – men på Hans Rømers tid var det hans planteskole.  For enden af planteskolen ligger et gammelt kampestenshus med stråtag som har navnet Plantørhuset. Her blev de små nye træer opbevaret køligt indtil de blev stukket i jorden. Plantørhuset er et flot og romantisk lille stråtægt hus som er meget velegnet til små intime koncerter. Når jeg går forbi i dag så ser jeg Hans Rømer for mig komme gående hen over lyngen med sin hund og sin alenlange målestok. Alt imens han opmåler nye skov-parceller har han måske fløjtet små lette og lystige melodier.  Med inspiration i Hans Rømer og hans virke har jeg valgt at kalde melodien for ”Plantøren”.

8. Corona Galop
Det er vel ikke gået nogen forbi at vi har været både ramt og stækket af den aggressive virus; Covid 19. I starten af pandemien blev hele landet helt og delvist lukket ned. Det hele var lidt mørkt og trist men det gav masser af tid til at få spillet på sækkepiben. En dag da mørket var mest intenst og fuglene holdt op med at synge, – satte jeg mig ned for at beskrive denne væmmelige virus i et stykke sækkepibemusik: Det blev til ”Corona Galop”. I første reprise har virussen vældig travlt med at hvirvle sig rundt blandt mennesker og overføre sin medfølgende sygdom. I anden reprisen har virussen fået godt fat i et offer og ruller sig ud på sin egen skæve og irriterende facon.

9.Tingsted Polka
”Skal du til Tingsted og tigge, skal du huske at have madpakke med” – sådan hed det sig i gamle dage. Tingsted er betegnelsen for området mellem Segenvej, Bolsterbjergvej og Årsballevejen, – og dermed er vores lille røde hus også beliggende i Tingsted. Området var meget ufrugtbart hvorfor beboerne på Tingsted var meget fattige, og derfor var det godt at have en madpakke med hvis man var ude og tigge. Vores gamle nabo; Emil Riis kunne fortælle meget om livet i gamle dage – ligesom han også kendte til mange af de historier der knytter sig hertil. Gennem Emils jord og gennem vores jord løber to mindre sprækkedale med åbne klippepartier. Emils sprækkedal hedder ”Hvide Enge”, og vores sprækkedal hedder ”Brudesengen”. I bunden af Brudesengen springer der 2 kilder hvilket gennem tiden har været anledning til eftertanke …… for er der ikke et eller andet med at hvor der springer en kilde er der ofte foregået noget drabeligt. Her kunne nogle gode sjæle godt være kommet af dage. Emil Riis kendte historien fra Skovfoged K.O. Nilsen, som igen kendte historien fra den gamle skovfoged Valdemar Seir – og som jeg her vil prøve at gengive i en kort version: Vi skal langt tilbage i tiden – faktisk skal vi helt tilbage til 1150-erne. Det var på den tid hvor Svend, Knud og Valdemar lå i krig med hinanden om hvem der skulle være konge over det samlede Danmark. Svend Grathe var bl.a. konge over Bornholms søndre herred, – Og dermed også herre over kongens Borg; Lilleborg. Lilleborg ligger dybt i Almindingen, og bare 2 km. fra vores hus. Og vejen fra Lilleborg, vest over mod Rønne går direkte forbi vores indkørsel. For at bevise sit gode forhold til bornholmerne blev der arrangeret et bryllup mellem Svend Grathes yngste datter og en velstående bondesøn fra Vestermarkersen (Vestermarie) Brylluppet skulle naturligvis holdes på Lilleborg, og inviteret var selvfølgelig alle søndre herreds vigtigste bornholmere. Det var et rigtig godt bryllup, – og på den sidste bryllupsfest-dag skulle brudeparret traditionen tro forlade selskabet ved midnatstide. Og dette skete fuldstændig som planlagt. Ved midnat gik brudeparret ud til hestevognen, smældede med pisken, og satte kursen mod Vestermarkersen. Brudeparret fulgte den gamle hulvej gennem lyngen. Det var måneskin, – men der var sorte skyer der fra tid til anden dækkede for månen. Ganske kort tid efter at de havde forladt Lilleborg kunne de fornemme at de blev forfulgt af en ukendt rytter. Der var mange landevejsrøvere der huserede i området, så brudeparret satte ekstra fart på køretøjet så forfølgeren ikke kunne nå at indhente dem. Men lige meget hvor meget de piskede på hestene, – og lige meget hvor hurtigt de kørte, – så kom forfølgeren bare nærmere og nærmere. De havde de bedste heste og det bedste køretøj, – så hvem kunne det være der var i stand til at indhente dem. Da månen på et tidspunkt titter frem og lyser op i landskabet, – ser brudeparret at den der forfølger dem er en rytter med en hestehov som ene fod siddende på en hest med tre ben, – og så går det op for dem at det er selveste fanden der er efter dem. De skynder endnu mere på hestene, – men de ved at det er umuligt at flygte fra fanden, – alligevel køre de hurtigere og hurtigere. Da de kommer til sprækkedalen ved vores hus sker det der ikke måtte ske. Ned gennem kløften kommer der så meget fart på at hestene løber løbsk, – og hele vogntoget ender med at hvirvle rundt i et hæsligt inferno af hestevrinsk og menneskeskrig. Brudeparret bliver kastet af vognen, og op af klipperne, og dør på stedet. Hestene med den ituslåede vogn humper videre ad vejen mod vest. Herefter hedder sprækkedalen ”Brudesengen”, – da det tragisk nok blev deres brudeseng. Hvor deres kroppe landede i engen, sprang der straks 2 kilder op af den bornholmske klippegrund. Kilderne er der endnu og vidner om denne forfærdelige historie. På nabojorden, lige op ad ”Brudesengen” lå der i mange år en vandreblok med navnet ”Fandens ridehest”. Med afsæt i denne historie blev ”Tingsted Polka” til.

10. Oktober-regn
Regnen bare sigler ned fra den mørke og dystre himmel – og det har nu regnet og blæst i flere dage. Jeg kan kun lige ane Almindingens konturer, – fårene er trukket ind i deres stald, men med hovederne stukket ud af døren, – ja selv skovspurve, musvitter og bogfinkerne i haven er trukket ind i hækken for at være i tørvejr og i sikkerhed for spurvehøgen som synes at sådan et møgvejr er et godt tidspunkt at jage småfugle i. Jeg sidder selv i mit musikværelse og varmer mig ved sækkepiben – og tankerne får frit løb. En lidt melankolsk stemning, – men samtidig også stille og fredfyldt. Med melodien ”Oktober-regn” hjalp sækkepiben mig med bedre at kunne sætte ”ord” på stemningen.

Rundt Segen (Around the Segen)
– the stories about the tunes by Niels Erik “Niller” Rasmussen

1. Lys over Makkehøj (Light over Makkehøj)
Not far from where I live, there is a small hill called Makkehøj. The hill the remains of an old burial mound. According to Bornholm superstition, one must not touch such a mound, as otherwise all sorts of accidents will happen. Naturally, the Bornholm underground trolls took advantage of this “protection” – and moved into the mound with their entire family. And such an underground family could well consist of a great many of these mischievous little people. Anyone can therefore expect that the underground people take good care of their mound – that no one gets too close, or starts to take an interest in all the lovely hill gravel that is often found below the mound.
But the Ahlegård farmer, whose farm adjoins the mound, could not, despite all the warnings, dig up some of the lovely gravel for use when casting a new floor in the old pig barn. However, he should never have done that.
One day when the Ahlegård farmer was on his way home to the farm with a large load of firewood that he had cut in the forests east of Årsballe, – yes, the strange thing happened that when he was going down the very steep Makkebakke with horses and a huge load of firewood, – a place where you have to be especially careful with a horse-drawn carriage so that the horses do not run wild and it can be difficult to hold the horses back, – well then the strange thing happened that no matter how much the horses heaved and dragged – the horses simply couldn’t move the cart out of place. The farmer investigates whether the brake is stuck or whether there should be an obstacle in the way – there isn’t – but suddenly and without prior warning he sees a small guy standing between the two big horses holding them back with his small tiny arms and hands. It is clear to see that he is very grumpy and angry. The Ahlegård farmer is of course very frightened – but after recovering a little, he asks the little man (whom he can work out is one of the underground ones) why he is bothering his work by holding back the horses. The underground man shouts in an angry voice that his family in the mound has noticed that the guys from Ahlegård have started digging for gravel in the mound. And that this must stop immediately, because otherwise the underground will forever make life unbearable for the Ahlegård farmer, his family and all his men and women. The Ahlegård farmer now understands the seriousness – and promises on good faith that he will never, ever, in the future allow anyone to disturb the small people in Makkehøj. At the same moment, the little guy disappears as quickly as he had come – and the horses and carriage immediately set off at furious speed down Makkebakke. Gravel has never been dug in Makkehøj – and both the underground people and Ahlegård residents live side by side in the best possible way ever since. Sometime you can see a strange light above the mound from afar – and if you get closer you can see that it is the mound standing on glowing poles – and under the open mound the whole underground family can be seen enjoying themselves with song, dance and music. It is based on the above story that “Lys over Makkehøj” was composed.

2. Segentur (Segen tour)
Segen is the area just west of Almindingen, – 1km. away from Rytterknægten and approx. 2 km. away from Lilleborg. Segen is also here where I have lived for 45 years in a small red house with a view over forest and fields, – and quite close to the old Segen barracks. When we moved into our lovely house in 1978 – living in the countryside meant close neighbors – where you were always ready to either give or accept a helping hand. Stones had to be collected, hay and straw moved, new forest harvested and planted. The good neighbors; Emil Riis, Gunnar Olsen and forest warden K.O. Nielsen was all full of good stories and memories of life in Segen and Almindingen. Stories that they generously shared with those who were interested – and one of them was me. But in addition to the fact that our house is right up Almindingen, we are also in the middle of a strategically important military area with Nato radar, large satellite dishes and military barracks. The two large radars at Rytterknægten could/can see far into the Baltic Sea – and the signals were sent on from the 15 m high satellite dishes close to our house. I often thought that our house, which must look like a small red spot from the air, could easily become the target of enemy bombers if a war were to break out. At the minute, Danish fighterplanes flew over our house every day – they waved their wings and then flew around Christiansø to repel enemy planes. I often sat in my wood workshop and thought about the situation – and the “melody “Segentur” came into being. The tune starts and ends with a disturbing bomb howl. The large satellite dishes have today been removed – but the Radar head and the Fighter planes have unfortunately once again become part of everyday life.

3 Herlufs vals (Herluf’s waltz)

Herluf Jensen was my good friend for many years. Herluf lived and worked all his life as a laborer and forager on the family-owned Hjortegård in Pedersker. The first time we met was at a folk music ball at Bornholm Folkehøjskole. Herluf entertained during the breaks with both the accordion, the saw and the yodel. It was a fantastic sight when the small, neat white-haired man stood there with the island’s largest accordion on his stomach. He played, sang and yodeled completely freely and without any inhibitions. Herluf had grown directly out of the Bornholm (Pedersker) folk culture. He didn’t care if the instrument was right or if the voice was lubricated, – he just delivered the most life-affirming entertainment I can remember. Herluf rarely came outside Pedersker Parish – there was no need for that – because Pedersker was the whole world to Herluf. He knew every stone, all the good stories and tales from the area. Pedersker is just a tiny dot on the map – but for Herluf an infinite world – and an inexhaustible source of stories and experiences. “Herluf’s Waltz” is of course dedicated to Herluf, – and was a birthday present for him when he turned 70. Herluf is unfortunately no longer with us – but I had the great pleasure of being allowed to play the waltz at both Herluf’s 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays. The last time I played the melody for Herluf was at his funeral in Pedersker Kirke.

4 Christiansø Real
Once or twice a year, Bornholm’s Folkemusiklaug went to the small island of Christiansø to play at a ball in the island’s old community hall; The moon. The sailing trip to Christiansø with the converted fishing cutter “Peter” was often a very “exciting” experience, not least in terms of seasickness. Therefore, we were the ones who had wondered how we could most easily avoid this part of the experience – and came to the conclusion that if we played our instruments all the time during the crossing it would be an effective remedy against the unpleasant seasickness.
On a trip with meter-high waves and with beer bottles and vomit swirling around the ears, “Christiansøreel” came into existence. After returning home from the trip, Bornholm’s Folkemusiklaug wrote in their member magazine: “Although the first real autumn storm of the year had subsided several days before, it had left behind many large and lopsided swells, so the sailing trip to Christiansø became something of an ordeal. Out on deck, the railing was completely occupied by people hanging over the ship’s side vomiting. The relatively few passengers who dared to stay inside the ship’s salon became, to the obvious delight of the crew, more and more green in the face, because every time a half-empty beer bottle tumbled past on the door while the coffee cups went berserk on the tables. Suddenly Niller got an idea and called the other musicians to him. They had to pull out their instruments, and then just play to their heart’s content, because he had once heard that if you thought about something else you could avoid. –  As said, so done!  – The fiddlers wedged themselves between the bolted tables and benches, and everyone started a energetic session. –
 It was during that seance that Christiansøreel was born, – and when it proper played, you might see the storie.

5. Guldgubben (The golden old man)
On the hill north of the city Svaneke is a historically interesting area known as “Sorte Muld”. For ages, the Bornholm Museum has carried out archaeological excavations on the site. The result is that more than 3,000 small gold figures embossed on very thin gold plates have been found – we call these small gold figures Guldgubber (Golden small old men). Sorte Muld is the name of the field at the end of the road Krøblingvejen. It is characterized by its dark colored and lush soil. The site was inhabited throughout almost the entire Iron Age. It was already a rich settlement in the Roman Iron Age, but in the Germanic Iron Age it developed into one of Scandinavia’s most important cultural centers. We must assume that Sorte Muld was the seat of a chief or perhaps even a king who was the dominant power on Bornholm and who had connections far outside the island.
Only a very small part of the enormous cultural layer on Sorte Muld has been excavated. In 1948-1953, a small number of house plots were excavated. At the time, only a few gold coins were found., – but during a new excavation in 1986, no less than 2300 gold coins were found. The findings of the many gold goblets and their clear location reinforced the theory that the small gold figures,  in one way or another, could have been placed in some kind of cult temple. In 2021, Bornholm’s Museum decided to investigate the temple more closely. By a meticulous examination and water-soldering of all excavated soil, a further 300 Golden Goblins emerged from the black soil at the same time that the contours of the temple became quite clear. The theory of a cult temple had finally been confirmed.

I was lucky enough to be allowed to witness a part of the team that did the excavation in 2021, – it was a fantastic experience with my own eyes to see one little gold figure after another emerging from the mud on the sold. Among many interesting objects, I was lucky enough to find as many as 10 small, well-preserved gold coins. Imagine that, after so many years, old men are still emerging from the ground. When I walked around the excavation, I often thought that it was like walking in the shallow water along the beach to collect sandworms, – a little stomp in the ground and the sandworms emerge fearlessly from their holes in the sand. I also thought about what rituals might have been linked to placing the golden men in the temple. Both music and dance have definitely been included in the rituals, so it was obvious to me to try to relive a bit of the atmosphere with a bit of bagpipe music. It became a fixed tradition throughout the more than 2-month-long excavation, – that the day began with me sitting in the excavation and playing for the temple and the Golden Goblins, – while archaeologists and soldiers emerged from the early morning fog. And maybe it was like with the sandworms that the music made some of the old men stick their heads out from Sorte Muld. It was such a morning that the melody “Guldgubben” was created.

Rynkeby engledans (Dance for the angels in Rynkeby)
At the Drone Seminar in 2019, at Rynkeby Friskole, there were periods from time to time when my bagpipes in D major (or whatever it’s called) couldn’t really participate – therefore it was natural to find a quiet place where I and the bagpipes could be allowed to unfold on our own terms and conditions. Right opposite Friskolen is Rynkeby church – so I chose to sit “alone” in the church together with the 21 instrument-playing angels at the church ceiling. It was a real pleasure – the acoustics and the frescoes’ “angelic music” and dance across the whitewashed vault made a great impression on me – and immediately called for a melody. It became the “Rynkeby engledans” – and the angels, strangely enough, had no problem playing along with the Bornholm bagpipes and its peculiar key.

6. Kragetræet (The crow tree)
I sit in my playroom and pipe the bagpipes while looking out over the “Brudesengen” and the Almindingen, – the sheeps walk peacefully and graze under the old windblown mirabelle tree and the birds chirp around the bushes and trees. in our little forest, I can hear the woodpecker struggling to open a walnut from time to time. The “woodpecker workshop” is hidden in a branch cleft of one of the young birch trees. But suddenly a crow comes flying past at a tremendous speed. – after that comes another, and another. It turns out that it is not only the woodpecker that has discovered that the walnuts on the big walnut tree have become ripe. The crows are the first to pick the very top and most ripe walnuts at the top of the tree. It’s almost like a highway for crows. They fly all day at fixed speed back and forth between the walnut tree and the country road, – where they throw their “bombs” on the dark asphalt. The walnuts shatter against the asphalt, and there is free access to the lovely and life-giving nut hidden under the hard shell. While I’m sitting there playing – and watching the thieving crows, the melody “Kragetræet” creeps out of the bagpipes.

7 Ulvevalsen (The Wolf Waltz)

300 meters from my house here in Segen starts Almindingen or Markersen as it was called in the old days (The name Almindingen refers to an area that is owned by all men). Almindingen is a relatively newly planted forest, as Skovrider Hans Rømer started the planting in 1800. Before it became a forest, the entire area consisted of high heather with lots of bottomless bog holes, deep rock crevices, scattered oak trees, heather and juniper stands. Before the planting, the area was used by the island’s many farmers, who let their cattle graze the area in the summer. For the animals it was a lovely area – but for humans it was a dangerous and impassable terrain where only the local farmers knew about the old trodden paths and few roads. And not only that, there were also wild animals to watch out for.
An old wandering story, which probably also lived in Jutland, has also reached Bornholm, – and tells of a fiddler who, in the dawn of time, went astray when he wanted to take a shortcut through the heather one summer night. He lived in Åkirkeby, – and had to play at a wedding party in Østerlars – He knew the heather very well and its many dangers, – so to get there in time he chose the most direct route – through the heather.

What he didn’t know was that a local farmer, who had been plagued by wolves in the chicken coop for a long time, had been out the night before digging wolf traps. And then it goes neither worse nor better than the fiddler falling into one of the well-camouflaged traps – and therefore never reaching the wedding party. The bride and groom and wedding guests naturally wondered why the fiddler never appeared – but thought that he might have hit the bottle, which would not be inconceivable. Early in the morning, however, they agree to go out and look for him – since he could have ended up in a ditch, drunk on sleep. After looking for some time, they suddenly hear a strange sound. It almost sounded like a scream of pain from a being from another world. They followed the sound, – which just got worse and worse, – someone chose to turn around – but the bravest stablemen continued following the sound. And then straight away they could see what had happened. The sound came from a dug wolf trap that another farmer had set – and in one corner of the hole stood the fiddler fiddling away on his violin, with fear in his eyes and sweat drifting down his face. In the other corner of the hole, an equally frightened wolf stood with his nose in the cloud, – and howled the best he had learned. Both were very vulnerable, so it was not difficult for the stablemen to neutralize the wolf and then rescue the fiddler from the trap. What had happened was – that before the fiddler fell into the trap there was already a ferocious wolf that had fallen in – and when the fiddler saw the wolf with bared teeth he thought that his time was up – but then he remembered that the dogs in the farms where he played for dances often began to howl when he played certain notes on his violin. It turned out that the same thing happened to the wolf, who was completely paralyzed by the screeching violin notes. But that just meant that in order to save his life, the fiddler had to play the violin non-stop until someone found him. The missing fiddler was reportedly brought to the farm where he was well looked after. As a thank you for the help, the fiddler played all the next evening and night for the dance-hungry wedding guests. “Wolf Waltz” is a musical description of the fiddler’s happy walk through the heather until the joy is replaced by fear and a prolonged wolf howl.

7a. Plantøren (The planter)
Every day we go for a walk in Almindingen – and on the walk we often pass “Rømers Minde”. “Rømers Minde” is located in the middle of Almindingen, and is a small grove of trees surrounded by a neatly built stone fence. Mindelund is in honor of Hans Rømer, who in 1800 started the planting of Almindingen, – today Denmark’s 4 largest forest. Mindelunden is today a nice little place where you can enjoy the coffee you brought with you – but in Hans Rømer’s time it was his plant nursery. At the end of the nursery is an old boulder house with a thatched roof, called Plantørhuset. Here the small new trees were kept cool until they were stuck in the ground. Plantørhuset is a nice and romantic little thatched house which is very suitable for small, intimate concerts. When I walk by today, I imagine Hans Rømer walking across the heather with his dog and his yardstick. All the while he is surveying new forest plots, he may have been whistling light and cheerful melodies. Inspired by Hans Rømer and his work, I have chosen to call the melody Plantøren (“The Planter”).

8 Coronagallop
It has probably not gone unnoticed that we have been both hit and run by the aggressive virus; Covid 19. At the start of the pandemic, the entire country was completely and partially closed down. It was all a bit dark and sad, but it gave plenty of time to play the bagpipes. One day when the darkness was most intense and the birds stopped singing, – I sat down to describe this disgusting virus in a piece of bagpipe music: It became “Corona Galop”. In the first episode, the virus is very busy swirling around among people and transmitting its accompanying disease. In the second replay, the virus has taken hold of a victim and rolls out in its own twisted and annoying way.

9. Tingsted Polka
“If you’re going to Tingsted and begging, remember to bring a packed lunch” – that’s how it was said in the old days. Tingsted is the name for the area between Segenvej, Bolsterbjergvej and Årsballevejen, – and thus our little red house is also located in Tingsted. The area was very barren, which is why the residents of Tingsted were very poor, and therefore it was good to have a packed lunch with you if you were out begging. Our previous neighbor Emil Riis could tell a lot about life in the old days – just as he also knew many of the stories connected to it. Through Emil’s land and through our land run two smaller fissure valleys with open rock sections. Emil’s rift valley is called “White Meadows”, and our rift valley is called “Brudesengen”. At the bottom of the bridal bed, there are 2 springs, which over time has been cause for reflection… because isn’t there something about the fact that where a spring springs, something fatal has often happened. Some good souls could well have come here. Emil Riis knew the story from Forest Warden K.O. Nilsen, who again knew the story from the old forest warden Valdemar Seir – and which I will try to reproduce here in a short version: We have to go way back in time – in fact we have to go all the way back to the 1150s. It was at the time when Svend, Knud and Valdemar were at war with each other over who should be king over all of Denmark. Svend Grathe was, among other things, king of Bornholm’s southern lordship, – And thus also lord of the king’s castle; Lilleborg. Lilleborg lies deep in Almindingen, and only 2 km. from our house. And the road from Lilleborg, west towards Rønne, goes directly past our driveway. To prove his good relationship with the people of Bornholm, a wedding was arranged between Svend Grathe’s youngest daughter and a wealthy farmer’s son from Vestermarkersen (Vestermarie). It was a really good wedding – and on the last day of the wedding celebration, according to tradition, the bride and groom had to leave the company at midnight. And this happened completely as planned. At midnight, the bride and groom went out to the horse-drawn carriage, cracked the whip, and set off for Vestermarkersen. The bride and groom followed the old hollow road through the heather. It was moonlight, – but there were black clouds that covered the moon from time to time. Quite a short time after they had left Lilleborg, they could feel that they were being pursued by an unknown rider. There were many highway robbers living in the area, so the bride and groom increased the speed of the vehicle so that the pursuer could not catch up with them. But no matter how much they whipped the horses, – and no matter how fast they drove, – the pursuer just got closer and closer. They had the best horses and the best vehicle, – so who could be able to overtake them? When the moon at one point peeks out and lights up the landscape, – the bride and groom see that the one pursuing them is a rider with a horse’s hoof like one foot sitting on a horse with three legs, – and then they realized that it was the devil himself. They rush the horses even harder, – but they knew that it is impossible to escape from hell, – nevertheless they drove faster and faster. When they get to the rift valley by our house, the inevitable happens. Down through the gorge there is so much speed that the horses run wild – and the wagon ends up swirling around in a hideous inferno of horse and human screams. The bride and groom are thrown from the carriage, and up the rocks, and died on the spot. The horses with the battered wagon hum along the road to the west. After that, the fissure valley was called “Brudesgengen”, – as it tragically became their wedding bed. Where their bodies landed in the meadow, 2 springs immediately sprung up from the Bornholm rocky ground. The sources are still there and bear witness to this terrible history. On the neighboring land, just up from the “Bridesengen” there was for many years a walking block with the name Fandens ridehelst (“the Devil’s riding horse”). Based on this story, “Tingsted Polka” was created.

10. Oktoberregn (October rain)
The rain just pours down from the dark and gloomy sky – and it has now been raining and blowing for several days. I can only just see the contours of Almindingen, – the sheep have been driven into their barn, but with their heads sticking out of the door, – and even the wood sparrows, house sparrows and chaffinches in the garden have found shelter in the hedge – to be dry and safe from the sparrow hawk who think that such dung weather is a good time to hunt small birds. I myself sit in my music room and warm myself by the bagpipes – and my thoughts run free. A slightly melancholic atmosphere – but at the same time also quiet and peaceful. With the melody “October rain” the bagpipes helped me to better put “words” to the mood.

Bagpipe melodies from Bornholm
Newly composed folk music by Niels Erik “Niller” Rasmussen for Nordic bagpipes