A Swedish Melody: Ack, Värmeland, du sköna

This arrangement is based on the Swedish folksong Ack, Värmelad, du sköna. (“Oh Värmeland, You Fair and Lovely Place.”) The lyrics of the song speak of the beauty of the landscape and the wonderful nature of the people that live there. Although the folksong is presented with some alterations, an attempt is made to capture the attractiveness of the melody and the sentiments expressed in the lyrics. The scoring assigns the melody to ever-changing combinations of instruments, adding artistic variety, and making the music more fun to rehearse and perform.