Utländska inflytanden på den svenska visan [Elektronisk resurs] = Foreign influences on the popular Swedish modern ballad / Per-Erik Brolinson

An in-depth study of an aspect discussed in the book Visor till nöjets estrader : den populära svenska visan. (Songs for entertainment : the popular Swedish modern ballad.), by Holger Larsen and myself. The focus is on foreign musical influences on the popular Swedish modern ballad. Although this genre is generally regarded as an expression of a typically Swedish musical idiom, various foreign influences have played an important role in its development during the 20th century. From the outset, Continental European styles affected the ballad, especially the very popular waltz song. Later on, influences from Latin and North America made themselves felt even stronger, especially during the second half of the century. In this study, those influences, the manner and the degree to which they were absorbed into the traditional style, are traced in some detail. There is also discussion of how the lyrics portray various images of foreign people and settings in relation what is generally viewed as typically Swedish. The study demonstrates that the foreign influences have considerably enlarged the stylistic range of the Swedish popular ballad, although without erasing its profile.