Larraine Jenson-Kagee inspects an eight-string Hardangerfele (Hardanger fiddle) that was built in Norway in 1842 and given to her grandfather in the late 1800s. This type of fiddle, smaller than a violin, typically has four strings running along the top of the instrument and two to four strings running under the neck which resonate when the other strings are played.
Larraine Jenson-Kagee has a physical connection to her family's origins in Snarum, Norway, that sat in a box gathering dust for the past 20 years.
Last month, Jenson-Kagee's sister, Darlene, sent the family fiddle to Wrangell after it spent almost eight decades in Oregon, far from the place it was built in 1842.
Though some might refer to it as a violin, the instrument is actually a Hardangerfele or Hardanger fiddle, the national instrument of Norway named for the region of the country where it was built. Rather than the typical four strings of a violin, the Hardanger has up to eight strings.
Four strings run the length of the fingerboard and neck of the fiddle and two to four run underneath, resonating the notes played on the upper strings. Though many Hardanger fiddles are ornate with various designs, the Jenson fiddle is small and plain.
Jenson-Kagee's grandfather, Anton Jenson, was born in Snarum in 1872. Sometime during his childhood, he was gifted the fiddle and learned to play. The entire Jenson family was musical, according to a book written by Jenson-Kagee's aunt, Effie Ritsche.
"My dad had a strong and varied musical background," Ritsche wrote. "His mother played for the king of Norway and also the queen of England when they visited areas of Norway."
Jenson came to America in 1889 when he was 17, settling in Homesville Township, Minnesota. He instilled his love of music in his children, building violins out of strings and cigar boxes and flutes from red willows they would learn to play. He would also use his fiddle music to earn money to support his wife and 10 children.
"Throughout the years, he would put the (fiddle) in a cleaned, bleached flour sack, stick it into the ... box which he had made, would take off on foot through the woods to the neighbors and play for dances," Ritsche wrote. "He played alone and would come home about two in the morning, and brought $2 which he gave to my mother for the groceries and sundries."
Jenson-Kagee's father, Helmer Jenson, moved his family from Minnesota to Lebanon, Oregon, in 1942. The fiddle ended up with Helmer's sister.
"It was supposed to go to my dad, but the one sister took it," Jenson-Kagee said. "Then her son bought it from the estate and it ended up with my brother (in Lebanon). Then it sat in the case for over 20 years."
From there, Jenson-Kagee's sister, Darlene, ended up with it, eventually sending it to Wrangell.
Before he died, Anton Jenson said no one could lay claim to the fiddle, stating that his children could take care of it and pass it from brother to brother and sister to sister. "Whoever tries to keep it will have lots of bad luck, this is my will," Ritsche wrote.
Jenson-Kagee is giving the fiddle to her son, Richard Burr, who is fascinated with the instrument. He's not sure whether he will have it restored yet, but he admits he is fascinated with the style and history of it. He said the one thing he for sure will do with the treasured family heirloom is "hide it."
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