Nils Bakke was of Traveller heritage and grew up "on the road". The road was also his first concert hall, and his first fiddle, which he got from his father, was supposedly made of tin. Nils' father was a tinsmith. When his father discovered that his son had a great musical talent, the boy got a proper instrument. He quickly became a sought-after musician. As an adult, Nils Bakke worked at Løkken Verk and was also for several years an instrument-maker and toolmaker at the Gideon engine factory in Molde.
- 1/1
Nils Bakke and his fiddle. Foto: Anno Glomdalsmuseet
«Draum» (Dream)
The play Draum has a connection to Nils Bakke. It is claimed that the play is based on the story that Nils fell in love with the daughter of the director at Løkken Verk. The director did not approve of this relationship and sent his daughter away. Nils was crushed and composed the beautiful waltz Draum. Whether there is any truth to this story is unknown, but he later said that he had no time for women or alcohol.
Nils Bakke
As a fiddler, he was an interpreter of music,
Handsome and stalwart, but of travelling family,
And the girl he loved, he could not have,
Because he could not compete with rich folks.
And so, dreams are often crushed,
He couldn’t have the one he loved the most,
Then he made a tune in the girl’s memory,
In the sound of music he will find her.
And the fiddle sang in grief and in pain,
So soft and so gentle, it came from the heart,
and the fiddle told of longing and loss,
and the tune was called “Draum” (Dream).
And maybe the tune will last a long time,
and touch vibrating fiddle strings,
when the woeful sound reaches the listening ear,
maybe touching hidden memories.
We all have a dream that has something to give,
Which may live after our time on earth.
So too the musician who lies in his grave,
something of himself in a melody he gives us.
