Swedish Folk Music Treasures:

Hasse Gille

This volume, the third in my Treasures series, focuses on Hasse Gille, born in 1931. Hasse is paired here with Anders Mattsson, one of the brightest lights among Sweden's cadre of young virtuosos. Filming took place in Hasse's Österby home in Uppland, Sweden, on a cold and snowy day in March 2003.

Hasse is perhaps best known to the general public as the colorful character who led the allspel at the annual Österbystämma every June. Folk musicians who are more familiar with the lay of the land in Uppland know Hasse to be a legendary point of focus and inspiration among nyckelharpa players far and wide. Hasse is an institution all unto himself. He earned the title Riksspelman (fiddler of the realm) in 1974 and became world champion on the gammelharpa in 1992. He passed away on December 31, 2012.

All my Treasures films were originally for sale and distributed in DVD format. In 2024 I decided to release the films on YouTube.