Anders Andersson

Also went by the name  Andreas Andersson and Anders Anderson 
  • Born:  1841. Börstil, Uppland, Sweden. 
  • Emigrated: October 8, 1907 with his destination listed as "Marinette, Wisconsin"  
  • Death:  By 1912 
"57 Låtar efter Byss-Kalle Utgivna av Uplands Spelmansförbund" Uplands spelmansförbund 2023.   
Anders Andersson was born on October 1, 1841, in Söderby, Börstil Parish, the son of farmers Anders Persson and Anna Pehrsdotter. From a young age, his talent for music was clear, and his parents arranged for him to study with the well-regarded nyckelharpa player Jan Nilsson in nearby Norrskedika. Under Nilsson’s guidance, Anders developed into a skilled and expressive musician.
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As a young man, Anders moved to the village of Ånö in Hökhuvud Parish, where he worked as a farmhand and later married Johanna Maria Jansdotter. He bought a small homestead and balanced a life of farming with music. Known for his gentle nature and love of the nyckelharpa, he played regularly for village dances and gatherings, often playing all night without pause. His playing was steady, lyrical, and technically refined—marked by trills and flourishes reminiscent of his teacher’s style.

Anders generally played solo, though he sometimes performed with fiddler Per Ersson from Björsta. At a nyckelharpa competition in Vigelsbo, Anders won first prize for his elegant and masterful performance, impressing both the jury and the crowd with his flawless technique and musicality.

Later in life, he moved to a cottage in Syltbo and devoted more time to music. His reputation grew in the local area, but his quiet personality and rural life kept him from becoming widely known outside the region.
Around 1900, two of Anders’s sons emigrated to America. A few years later, one of them returned and persuaded their father to follow. Although hesitant to leave his homeland, Anders eventually agreed and sailed for America on October 8, 1907. His listed destination was Marinette Wisconsin. 

Shortly before his departure, his nyckelharpa was damaged at a dance, and he initially didn’t plan to replace it, saying, “I will never play over there anyway.” But fellow nyckelharpa player, Emil Sjulander of Östhammar insisted he take an instrument with him, "so that the Americans can hear what a nyckelharpa sounds like.”

Anders Andersson passed away in the United States around 1912. Though his tunes are mostly lost to time, his memory lives on in the Uppland villages where he once played, and in the legacy of the nyckelharpa tradition he helped sustain.
Credit to  "Uppländske spelmän, under 4 århundraden" by Lars Erik Larsson.  Upplands Grafiska, Uppsala.  1980.   Also to Per-Ulf Allmo, Sweden for providing valuable information for this story.  
FUN FACTS: 
  • Anders Andersson is mentioned in the book "57 Låtar efter Byss-Kalle Utgivna av Uplands Spelmansförbund" Uplands spelmansförbund 2023.  "Many other fiddlers in northern Upland were widely known for their skill.   "Many other fiddlers in northern Upland were widely known for their skill. Jan Nilsson in Börstil, Anders Andersson in Hökhuvud (are among those) whose names and reputations still live on in the tradition.
  • When nyckelharpa player Emil Sjulander moved to Östhammar, he sought out local musicians and was introduced to Anders Andersson of Syltbo, Ånö in Hökhuvud. Sjulander called Andersson the most distinguished nyckelharpa player he had ever heard. Andersson’s rich repertoire came in part from Jan Nilsson of Börstil, a harpist who died in 1878 and was, by some accounts, even more prominent.
  • Andersson rarely played in public, but he did win first prize in solo harp playing at a competition in Vigselbo, and later performed in Harg.  "Anders Andersson, a tall old man with pale, intelligent features. He immediately struck out as everyone's candidate for first prize at the first stroke. Perfect tuning of the strings, flawless intonation of the keys. His technique bordered on virtuosity, never a single misstep, although he played selected old songs intended only for masters of the nyckelharpa".  Found in Uppländske spelmän, under 4 århundraden" by Lars Erik Larsson.  Upplands Grafiska, Uppsala.  1980. 
Music Links
​Here are nyckelharpa tunes in the tradition of Byss-Kalle. We don’t know if Anders Andersson played in this style, but the fact that he’s mentioned in  "57 Låtar efter Byss-Kalle" is pretty special.