BBC - Travel - 'Kulning': A hypnotic Swedish singing tradition

This ancient Swedish singer in the form of summoning livestock and farm animals has a confusing melody, each hypnotic sound attracts cows, goats, sheep and ducks.

Skallskog is a secluded farm with no running water or electricity, which most Swedes have never heard of. Hidden in the depths of the Nordic wilderness, the collection of these humble cowsheds and auburn farmhouses does not seem to matter. However, here you will find that the root of the disappearance of the ancient Swedish singing tradition is closely related to nature, so it can only be described as magic.

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"Because of working and singing with fäbod (Swedish summer farm) women, as part of our past and present, I feel such a profound connection with them, I just know that I must inherit their hardship."

This is a tradition of vocalization, its history can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where singers surrounded farm animals with hypnotic melodies and lured cows, goats, sheep and ducks to them, just as each note has its own Gravity is the same. This mysterious ability stems from hundreds of years of history

(Summer farms) such as Skallskog. Traditionally, in this cold land, when peasant women graze freely during the warm months, they traditionally call their zigzag animals home. In recent decades, as the status of women in society has changed, these voices have changed from farmland pragmatism to opera elegance.

Modern Cool Music has Nordic charm and can satisfy Dr. Doolittle's superpowers. Its charming quality has inspired the Disney Company

in Frozen2. In 2016, YouTuber Jonna Jinton released

 Her mocking of cows attracted more than 8 million views. Outdoor concerts and folk music festivals, including well-trained singers, are continuing to promote this charming art of communicating with nature.

However, although Kurnin may be experiencing a pop culture renaissance, it will be difficult for ordinary Swedes to be forced to determine the origin of tradition. This form of convening connects hyper-digital Sweden with its pastoral times. However, just like the Swedes are getting more and more away from the farm, the origin of the k burial is almost forgotten.

In late September, I went to Skallskog, which was part of my search for a summer farm, which used to be crushed. After taking a three-hour train ride from Stockholm to Bolenge,

, A well-trained opera singer and former punk rock singer. She will be my tour guide for Skallskog and its surrounding areas on my day trip, where she often practices domestication and studies the disappearing fäbod agricultural lifestyle.

"Withering is a technique that speaks out of function. It occurs in many parts of the Nordic countries. She said that on the way from the train station to the farm, she told me that the music tradition began in the frozen soil of Scandinavia. Stubborn soil makes farming more necessary than art. In summer, farmers here migrate to put their livestock on wild boars and graze on fresh grass. Unlike many grazing cultures, most of Scandinavian shepherds It is a woman who imitates animals with a high pitch.

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The long, decorative and nice sound is usually aimed at cows. The voice of goat and sheep are different. She said, adding that the "magic" used to do maiming is a combination of controlling the way people's voice spread in the natural landscape and the knowledge of howling animals.

Tiderman-Österberg decided to reintegrate into her cultural and musical roots at a turning point in her life. In 2017, when she discovered that Kurnin could provide an emotional and academic pathway to her opera singer and ethnomusicologist talent, she was a frustrated and anxious new mother of twin baby girls.

When Tiderman-Österberg first practiced crying, her high-pitched voice awakened something deep in her heart that broke years of depression. "That was an important moment. I felt life again," she recalled.

Since then, Tiderman-Österberg has devoted countless hours to rekindling people's interest in the origins of Kurnin.

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The tour guide led the tourists to hear the singers singing in an open-air concert deep in the remote forests of Sweden. Kuning concerts are usually arranged in summer, and visitors can join by contacting one of the participants.

As soon as I arrived in Sweden, I attended the last concert of Tiderman-Österberg of the season. The site is a sinking silver mine in a hilly pine forest south of Borlänge, providing the necessary natural acoustics. An audience of about 20 people built camping chairs around an incredible turquoise pool formed by a sunken mine, while she, two other female funeral singers and a man with horns spread out around us, facing away, lest Project directly on anyone.

In this sense, an outdoor environment is feasible: “A strong sound is emitted in the ul chant, and if you use it in a room or even a concert hall, it may turn someone off,” Tiderman-Österberg said.

The majestic silence of the wilderness suddenly made a harsh sound. Starting from the undulating melody of a singer hidden above the tree line, the performers take turns calling their hypnotic chorus an invisible animal. The raw power of this song seems to awaken something invisible. Birds chirping, or accompaniment. Natural echoes are added to the music. The leaves shook; I could not tell whether it was wind or spirit.

Long, decorative and nice sounds are usually aimed at cows

When it was Tiderman-Österberg's turn, she rang the bell to help visualize the animal she was calling. She later told me: "Even in an open-air concert, they are all fictitious. I need to hear the sound of cows to call them." "But when I hear cowbells, I can almost feel them. Smell and hear their roar. They become part of the sensory field that creates the right feeling for me. Then, I get in touch with all the women who sing before me in these forests. Really, this is very spiritual."

Alice Gustafson, 81, is one of them. Decades ago, she learned to walk in Skallskog and still parades animals here every summer. It is only a 20-kilometer walk from Dalarna’s farm. Her family uses this animal for the rest of the year.

Like other farmers in the area, she appeals to animals. Sitting in her living room, I asked Gustafson to demonstrate for me. She cautiously and tenderly sang the cow calls often heard on the farm:

. "Her voice is hoarse, very practical for calling animals.

Then, she stopped to clarify some things for me. These days, people's perceptions of Kornin have changed so much that women born in fäbod like Gustafson no longer regard calling the herd as Kornin. On the contrary, people think that Kurnin and art are inseparable. Something performed by a well-trained singer. In this way, farmers like Gustafsson feel that they are sufficiently educated that even if they are the closest heirs to tradition, they are not really called "killers."

However, Tidaman Ostberg insisted that what Gustafson did was just secretly laughing, even if she didn't necessarily say that. Tiderman-Österberg said that this is because Kurnin has gone through a process of "beautification". She said: "A woman's voice should be beautiful, angelic, not a harsh throat." "Not everyone wants to hear those voices that are truly associated with shepherds."

However, Gustafson's relationship with her six cows-how she imitated their voices and cared about them-is a rare snapshot of Cournin's original. "I didn't practice to disrupt the way many of us talk about it today, but I did communicate with animals. I call on them, talk to them and sing to them as a way of contact." She said. "They are part of my family."

"We are not thinking about anything. This is what we are going to do," added Lars Arnesson, one of Gustafsson's neighbors. "We do this because we need to get the animals home."

Tiedman Osterberg said that Fabard farmers like Gustafson who are still engaged in animal husbandry are "absolutely dying," and they become the ultimate link to the source of the killing. This prompted Tiedman Osterberg to seek a protective position for them. Today, she is working tirelessly to win the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage status for the Nordic fäbods and singing tradition.

[It] reminds us of something that was hidden in our DNA a long time ago

However, even if the farmers are protected, Cullion has already embarked on the path to other things.

Susanne Rosenberg, a professor in the Department of Folk Music at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm, said: “People are becoming more and more interested in the use of this fascinating sound. This is because Kurnin has transformed from the original fäbod to modern society.”

She acknowledged that modern concerts and performances have had an impact on restoring the knowledge of its origins, but nowadays, in the context of music and art, people know a lot about Kurnin. "There is a revival. But when it comes to instilling with voice, it has never been alive like it is now." She said.

Kington admitted, "Withering will never be like before. It is an animal called by farmers, but maybe now it can evolve, and we can benefit from it in another way."

Jinton moved to the remote village of Grundtjärn in northern Sweden in 2010. Her angelic personality and passion for nature established a social relationship with her. A commentator on her channel called her "Elsa in real life." She laughed at it, but admitted that it was "fascinating" to share her love for cruelty.

She said: "Whether you are from Sweden or Africa, regardless of culture, Kunin can get the same response." "I still don't know what it is. Maybe it has something to do with this sound and frequency, which reminds us a long, long time. Something that has been hidden in our DNA before."

"This kind of music can help people, it can heal people. I think that in this way, Kurnin will continue to be good for us.

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