Hård Lars Larsson 

Also went by the name  Ård Lars Larsson and the nickname Niss Lars
  • Birth:   1822   Östermyckeläng, Älvdalen, Dalarna, Sweden
  • ​Emigrated:  1886. Settled in Minnesota: Solway and Lammers in Beltrami County
  • Death:  1916.  August 14.  Beltrami County, Minnesota 
Photo of Hård Lars Larsson  found in  "Spelmän, låtar och musik i Älvdalen" by  Ragnar Forslund (1926-)  Elfdalens hembygdsförening. 2006.  Used with permission
Photo of Hård Lars Larsson  found in  "Spelmän, låtar och musik i Älvdalen" by  Ragnar Forslund (1926-)  Elfdalens hembygdsförening. 2006.  Used with permission
Hård Lars Larsson, also known as Ård Lars Larsson or Niss Lars, was born in Älvdalen in 1822. His name is mentioned in Svenska Låtar Dalarna in an article discussing another notable fiddler, who learned from him.  Lars was a skilled fiddler, having played alongside the legendary Gambt Berg and Dieg Anders Lundin, whose music was recorded in Svenska Låtar.

He married Marit Jansdotter, and together they settled in a remote forested area in Älvdalen, where they built a home and worked the land. They had two sons and two daughters. Life in Älvdalen was challenging, with limited opportunities, prompting Lars to join his son and his family in Lammers, Solway, Beltrami County, Minnesota.  Lars was 64 years old when he left for the new country.  

In Solway, surrounded by expansive forests and plentiful work in forestry and agriculture, Lars continued playing his fiddle among family and close friends, even into his nineties.
This story is a translated summary of an article written for Ragnar Forslund’s book ""Spelmän, låtar och musik i Älvdalen"  by Ragnar Forslund (1926-)  Elfdalens hembygdsförening. 2006.​
FUN FACTS:   
  • He was one of the first immigrant pioneers in the “Swede Settlement,”  Lammers Township, Solway, Beltrami County. 
  • Hård Lars Larsson spoke  elfdalian, a Nordic language spoken by a small community in Älvdalen, Sweden, known for its distinct linguistic heritage.  His grandson shared a fun story that when the Larsson family wanted to speak to one another privately over the "open" public phone lines, they would speak in elfdalian.   As soon as they spoke elfdalian, they would hear the click-click-click of their rubbernecking Swedish-speaking neighbors hanging up. 
  • Hård Lars Larsson's grandson Herbert was a lifelong musician and played with the Solway Coronet Band.  His great-grandaughters were the popular “The Layne Sisters,” who sang for the Fargo radio station WDAY.   Photo below.  Family Collection. ​​​​
Music Links
Hård Lars Larsson was mentioned in Svenska Låtar Älvdalen as having alongside the legendary Gambt Berg and with Dieg Anders Lundin,  indicating a strong possibility that they shared the same repertoire.  Here is a link tunes played by Dieg Anders Lundin, found in Svenska Låtar, printed in 1923. 
Here are tunes in the probable style of Hård Lars Larsson   
  • "Gumas Polska" is after Gambt Berg, a playing partner of Hård Lars Larsson.  This tune is played by Verf Lena Egardt, a tradition bearer of Älvdalen folk tunes and of the elfdalian language.  
  • "Braulåt" is after Gambt Berg, a playing partner of Hård Lars Larsson.  This tune is played by Verf Lena Egardt, a tradition bearer of Älvdalen folk tunes and of the elfdalian language.  
  • ​"Gadden" is a polska after Dieg Anders Lundin, a playing partner of Hård Lars Larsson 
  • Systerpolskan, "Älvdalens Brudmarsch".  It is sung in elfdalian, the language of Hård Lars Larsson 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ​