Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Dear Old Stockholm

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"Dear Old Stockholm" is a Swedish popular song, best known in the English-speaking world for versions by jazz artists such as Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers and John Coltrane (it can be found on Coltrane's Impressions album).

The original Swedish title, "Ack Värmeland, du sköna"/"Värmlandsvisan", may be roughly translated as "Oh Värmland, You Lovely". The song was originally written by the Värmlandian Anders Fryxell in his musical "Vermlandsflickan" (The Värmlandian Girl).

The song is about the county "Värmland" in Sweden. The song was subsequently incorporated 1846 in Fredrik August Dahlgren's play "Värmlänningarna" (The Värmlandians). In Sweden, this composition is often performed as an anonymous treasure of the Swedish folksong tradition. The melody was 'borrowed' in its entirety by Max Bruch in the 1st movement of his Concerto for clarinet, viola and orchestra, Op 88. Bruch composed it in 1911 for his son, Max Felix Bruch, and the work received its first performance in 1912.

References

Dear Old Stockholm Wikipedia