In 1931, Arne Bjørnsdal, the renowned folk music collector and fiddler, visited Jelsa. He acquired this bridal tune for his collection from Lars Jelsa, a Member of Parliament. It turned out that many in Jelsa knew the tune, which was otherwise completely unknown elsewhere. Many had likely played it at weddings in the village. It is possible that "Spele-Lars" (Playing Lars), Lars Thorsen Jelsa (1812-1879), is the originator of this bridal tune. Here, Øystein Haga on flute and Eddie Andresen on drums perform the bridal tune from Jelsa, based on Lars Jelsa's version.
The tradition of religious folk tunes is very old and represents some of the oldest and most distinctive folk music material in our district. Bertha Rafdal (1864-1960) from Bakka in Sauda is an important source for these songs; she conveys the ancient style with older tonality and song structure. Here, Åshild Vetrhus (b. 1978) sings a hymn in her style: Man fandt jo dette himmelsind.
The Rogaland Folk Music Archive is part of the Ryfylke Museum and operates throughout the entire county. The archive manages a collection of approximately 500 audio and video recordings and conducts extensive outreach work in folk music and folk dance.
