“The ‘budeie,’ or farming lady, held dominion over the summer farm in Østerdalen, Norway. Her ceaseless toil extended throughout the day, ensuring the well-being of both animals and people as they synchronized their tasks with the sun’s celestial journey. These summer farms often find their perch high in the mountains, nestled within idyllic yet weather-beaten terrain. ‘Den Lyse Dag/The Bright Day’ captures a day in the life of the Østerdalen summer farm. It weaves together traditional vocal music that is intimately tied to this pastoral setting. This melodic tapestry encompasses kettle calls, dance tunes, lullabies, children’s ditties, and psalms. Every “budeie” had her own songs and calls that belonged to her own animals. Evenings might invite outdoor dances, while morning psalms harmonize with the chorus of birds heralding the new day. Within this realm, mythical guardians keep watch over the creatures during the night’s slumber, their narratives reverberating through the threads of traditional music. Today, I carry these melodies within me as a young folk singer, aiming to sustain their vibrancy within contemporary society. The album is structured to mirror the progression of a day on the summer farm, from the first light of dawn to the depths of night”. (Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen)

@ Bandcamp

“Growing up in Folldal, Synnøve has always been exposed to instrumental folk music. As a singer, she liked to imitate what the fiddlers were playing. Synnøve discovered the local tradition of dance music performed vocally as an adult and became taken by the tradition. After some research, several examples of instrumental folk tunes being performed vocally in the past emerged, it also turned out that many musicians had learned to play the fiddle by listening to singers. For example, her great-grandfather, Mikael Plassen (1902-1996), was a fiddler in Folldal who learned tunes after his mother’s singing. Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen is a Norwegian folk musician, singer, educator, and is currently taking a master’s degree in music performance of folk music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. She has mostly worked with traditional music from Folldal, Østerdalen and Trøndelag. Her repertoire ranges from children’s songs and psalms to ballads and instrumental music performed vocally. In addition to receiving a number of other talent scholarships and awards, in 2019 she was chosen as the Hilmar talent, which is a national talent award for folk musicians and folk dancers. She has been described as one of the greatest young folk music talents, and is a versatile folk singer through her dissemination of both traditional folk music, arranged folk music, and newly composed music. She has been touring with Bendik Smedåsgjelten Qvam on guitars and mandolin.” (Heilo)

@ Heilo