Christmas Eve carol illustrated by Borghild Rud. Published in 1957.
Alf Prøysen's immortal Christmas carols have influenced generations of Norwegians. But is it the cradle or the carriage you rock so your brother can take a nap?
/ 17/12/2024 / Kristian Dugstad
Christmas is a time when we turn to music, and few things create a stronger Christmas atmosphere than the Christmas songs we remember from childhood.
Alf Prøysen wrote lyrics that embraced all seasons and the whole of human life. But he also wrote some Christmas carols that stand as undisputed classics among most Norwegians.
A few minutes' walk from Nittedal station lives Alf Prøysen's daughter, Elin. There are no footprints in the snow, and neither two fir trees, one stone or a stump, but the Christmas spirit is creeping in anyway.
Elin Prøysen is a folk singer herself and has toured the country with her father's music. For many years, she worked to manage his rights as his heir.
Listen to the podcast report from TONO's visit to Elin Prøysen here:
Alf Prøysen has left behind texts that have become immortal classics. For many, he is particularly prominent in the consciousness now in December.
Carpenter Andersen who travels home to the Santa family and makes gifts for the Santa kids. Christmas Dream, stories about childhood Christmas celebrations and the Santa goat. The Mouse Tale and the Christmas Gift as Jensemann who carpenters for his mother, and of course the greatest of all, Christmas Eve Tale.
But Elin describes the Christmas connection as a bit strange.
– It's funny that people associate him so much with Christmas. If you look at his production, it's more about summer. At the same time, I think the reason why the impression sticks is that we're nostalgic. It's the children's songs that we seek back to, and now come forward at Christmas.
For generations, children have heard and sung about mopping the floor and carrying firewood, and about Grandma Mouse swinging on a big potato. Nostalgia and memories of childish joy are an important part of the Christmas holiday. But in a way, it was a bit of a coincidence that Prøysen wrote the classics that have shaped so many Christmas memories.
– He wrote a lot on commission, for example for programs in NRK. They were supposed to make a Christmas program, so they said “Prøysen, can you write a song?” And so he did. The Mouse Song was just written on commission from Barnetimeen. And Christmas Eve Song was commissioned by The Magazine for EveryoneHe wrote it as a kind of simple Christmas gospel, taken down to earth, she says.
The greatest classic of them all is perhaps Julekveldsvise. Whether you are religious or not, this text from 1952 describes a Christmas peace that is easy to be moved by.
But in visa we find a rare example of a Prøysen text having to be changed from the original. And the reason is actually an illustration, five years after the song was first published.
Time Norwegian Publishing House was going to publish Julekveldsvise as a picture book for children with illustrations by Borghild Rud. One day the boss of the publishing house calls my father and says:
"We have a problem! In the text of the Christmas Eve carol you have written imens je rugge vogna"
"Yes, that's right," says Dad.
"But Borghild has drawn a baby in a cradle. What do we do with that? Can we change the text there so it matches the illustration?"
"Yeah, it's the same for me," Dad said.
This has led to quite a bit of confusion among people, and many times Elin has had to respond to inquiries about what really is correct. She herself keeps the original, and sings "Vogna", just like Alf did.
Managing the rights of a lyricist like Alf Prøysen is not necessarily an easy task. There are both legal and emotional implications involved. Elin and her brother have been concerned with what they believe their father would have liked, and with preserving the core of his writing.
To make the practical job easier, they have now allied themselves with several players who ensure that the legacy is safeguarded and lives on in the best possible way. Among them is Norsk Musikkforlag, one of TONO's many publishing members.
– Previously, I made a lot of agreements myself, so I became familiar with that part of the administration. But it's really nice to just be able to refer people when I get a request. It's good to have some organizations like that behind us, but we're not completely out of the picture, and it's always something we have to decide on, she says.
Alf Prøysen is registered with several hundred works in TONO, but he was primarily a lyricist.
– He very often wrote lyrics to melodies he already knew. And that's not so bad, because it has a very good rhythm. The Christmas present, For example, is an old reindeer. He first composed Romjulsdrøm on an old melody, then the composer came into the picture later.
When he was not writing his song lyrics to traditional melodies, he worked with a number of talented composers. He collaborated closely with Bjarne Amdahl, among others.
To find the melody for Christmas Carol, we have to go back to World War II when Alf Prøysen worked on a farm in Asker.
– Nearby was the State Small Farm Teacher Training School at Sem. There he helped put on revues together with someone named Arnljot Høyland. Dad wrote a song for a revue with a melody by Høyland. And he used that melody when he was going to make a Christmas Eve song as well.
Arnljot Høyland was an internationally renowned mathematician and professor of statistics. Christmas Carol is actually his only registered work in TONO.
Alf Prøysen passed away in 1970, at the age of just 56. But the down-to-earth and warm way he conveyed his lyrics has made him immortal. And even though he was reportedly not shaped as a person by his success, Elin believes that he was aware of the quality of what he created.
– Many have said that he was so modest, but he was very aware of how good what he did was. He was proud of what he had accomplished, and knew his worth.
And out of his entire repertoire of hundreds of songs, there were some he ranked higher than others.
– Two songs he was particularly happy to have composed, and which he wanted to remain after he was gone, were You'll get a day in March. og Christmas Eve Song. We can probably say that he has been right.
And with that, all of us at TONO would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and a holiday season full of music.
