Tune under the microscope: Kom te mæ

By Ånon Egeland
Translated by Lucy Moffatt

I’ve spent a long time scratching my head over how to give this edition of Tune under the microscope a suitably Christmassy angle. The original idea was to offer either a traditional tune with some Yuletide connection or a well-known Christmas carol adapted for the Jew’s harp. But the only tunes I could come up with in the first category were all long, extended fiddle tunes that went well beyond bounds of what a Jew’s harp can do in terms of both compass and tonality. In the second category, a few of the classics could certainly be played on the Jew’s harp – nearly. But the vast majority of these tunes are built on a harmonic template for which equal temperament is a prerequisite. I feel that playing melodies like these on a Jew’s harp – where several notes will deviate dramatically from those in the original melody – does the instrument no favours. At worst, the tune may seem comical. We’ll come back to the problems associated with using these kinds of classics, with or without a Christmas connection, in a future issue of Munnharpa. 

Proper reworkings of such classics are a different kettle of fish: here, the melodies aren’t just transferred from one instrument to another; the entire traditional Jew’s harp style – phrasing, ornamentation, melodic shape and rhythm – is incorporated into the musical result. At its best, that can be a good way to say something about the unique characteristics of the Jew’s harp. But these sorts of processes can take time, so I’ve decided to postpone the attempt. Perhaps a Christmas classic in disguise will turn up in the Christmas 2026 number of Munnharpa… Keep your eyes peeled!

Instead, the tune we’re putting under the microscope today is one from the repertoire of Artur Vibeto (1906–1971) of Fen, due south of Ulefoss in Telemark. It’s a halling that falls well within the compass of the Jew’s harp, although some notes will diverge from the langeleik (fretted dulcimer) original. The third on Artur Vibeto’s langeleik leans more towards minor than overtone 10, and the fourth is perfect – so not as sharp as overtone 11. This recording – admittedly of a different tune, but with the same man on the same instrument – will give you an impression of this.

There is a rhyme to go with this tune, spoken by a milkmaid – words full of promise for their intended recipient:

Come to me, my boy, for now I am alone.

Artur Vibeto’s phrasing practice may seem somewhat vague and random, but since I don’t play the langeleik, I must tread with care. At any rate, I feel that the tune is best served by the phrasing generally used for this tune type on the fiddle – and the Jew’s harp. In the first instance that mostly means you need to avoid changing bow direction or striking on the foot-stomp. In common time, the foot-stomp and strokes will most often follow the same rhythm, albeit displaced in relation to each other by the equivalent of half the duration of a stomp or stroke. This creates just the right subtle backbeat feeling that a tune of this kind is meant to have.

In my Jew’s harp version of the tune, I’ve made a point of breaking up this pattern a bit. Even a backbeat can get monotonous, after all. I also did this as a way of dealing with closed notes that coincide with the foot-stomp, as in measures 2, 4, etc. Notes like this have a tendency to lose their volume mid-stroke and it may take another stroke to make them clear. When I strike on these notes, a pattern arises that is surprisingly consistent, but slightly less foreseeable than a simple backbeat stroke. See the transcription and instruction video for further explanations. You can also listen to this tune on my album, MMXXIV, or here.

Good luck – and Merry Christmas!