Carl Michael Bellman
Carl Michael Bellman (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːɭ ˈmîːkaɛl ˈbɛ̌lːman] ; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature, to this day. He has been compared to Shakespeare, Beethoven, Mozart, and Hogarth, but his gift, using elegantly rococo classical references in comic contrast to sordid drinking and prostitution—at once regretted and celebrated in song—is unique. Bellman is best known for two collections of poems set to music, Fredman's epistles (Fredmans epistlar) and Fredman's songs (Fredmans sånger). Each consists of about 70 songs. The general theme is drinking, but the songs "most ingeniously" combine words and music to express feelings and moods ranging from humorous to elegiac, romantic to satirical. Bellman's patrons included King Gustav III of Sweden, who called him a master improviser. Bellman's songs continue to be performed and recorded by musicians from Scandinavia and in other languages, including English, French, German, Italian, and Russian. Several of his songs including Gubben Noak and Fjäriln vingad are known by heart by many Swedes. His legacy further includes a museum in Stockholm and a society that fosters interest in him and his work. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Maria Magdalena parish (parish of the Church of Sweden), Died February 11, 1795 (Klara Church Parish (parish in Stockholm) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1917
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]972 | 7-in. | 10/8/1901 | Käraste broder | Swedish Quartet | Vocal quartet | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3590 | 10-in. | 10/8/1901 | Käraste bröder | Swedish Quartet | Vocal quartet | composer | |
| Victor | B-2387 | 10-in. | 3/21/1905 | Simple Simon | Arthur Pryor's Band | Band | composer | |
| Victor | B-3531 | 10-in. | 7/12/1906 | Drick ur ditt glas | Joel Mossberg | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-10637 | 10-in. | 6/30/1911 | Fredmans epistel no. 16 | Torkel Scholander | Male vocal solo, with lute | composer | |
| Victor | B-10642 | 10-in. | 6/30/1911 | Fredmans epistel no. 22 : Til the Nybyggare på Gröna Lund | Torkel Scholander | Male vocal solo, with lute | composer | |
| Victor | B-10643 | 10-in. | 6/30/1911 | Fredmans sång, no. 35 | Torkel Scholander | Male vocal solo, with lute | composer | |
| Columbia | 45768 | 10-in. | 6/14/1915 | Hvila vid denna källa | Swedish Glee Club of Brooklyn | Male vocal chorus, unaccompanied | composer | |
| Columbia | 43862 | 10-in. | February 1916 | Undan ur vägen | Oscar Bergström | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 43863 | 10-in. | February 1916 | Hör pukor och trumpeter | Oscar Bergström | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 44061 | 10-in. | either 1916 or 1917 | Skratta, mina barn och varen glada | Joel Mossberg | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Gramophone | 777ae | 10-in. | September 1909 | Spinn, spinn | Torsten Lennartsson | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Gramophone | 842ah | 10-in. | October 1910 | Lik en herdinna | Torsten Lennartsson | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Gramophone | 6960e | 10-in. | October 1907 | Hvem är som ej vår broder minns | Grammophon Kvartetten | Vocal quartet | composer | |
| Gramophone | 7928e | 10-in. | March 1908 | Fjäriln vingad syns på Haga | Grammophon Kvartetten | Vocal quartet | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bellman, Carl Michael," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102389.
Bellman, Carl Michael. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102389.
"Bellman, Carl Michael." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Carl Michael Bellman
Discogs: Carl Michael Bellman
Grove: Carl Michael Bellman
IMSLP: Carl Michael Bellman
RILM: Carl Michael Bellman
RISM: Carl Michael Bellman
IMDb: Carl Michael Bellman
Britannica: Carl Michael Bellman
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Bellman, Carl Michael, 1740-1795 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79065938
Wikidata: Carl Michael Bellman - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q312498
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/22155503
MusicBrainz: Carl Michael Bellman - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/56550d86-c89a-4811-b81f-ac3ab94a5e9a
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/37657 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/37657
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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