Norwegian composer, conductor, and violinist, Johan Severin Svendsen (1840-1911) arranged for string orchestra the TWO SWEDISH FOLK MELODIES, Op. 27, in 1876, with the premiere taking place on October 14 of that year in the large hall of Logen, Christiania, Svendsen conducting. The use of folk material had served him well in his Norwegian Carnival two years earlier, as did hsi return to them here. The first melody, Allt under himmelens f�ste (�All under the firmament of heaven�) is a plaintive song, the text telling the story of girl whose love abandoned her, leaving her now wed to Sorrow. The second melody, Du gamla, du friska, du fjellh�ge Nord (�Thou ancient, unconquered, rock-towered North�), eventually became the Swedish national anthem, with its nostalgia for past glory, patriotism, and praise for the Swedish landscape. This reprint edition includes a string count of 8-8-5-5-5 in the set.