Oeystein Olsen Vadsten

The Battle of the Hats

The word svimeslått, which is the title of this piece in Norwegian, has two meanings. One meaning is 'knocked out', whilst the other, 'slått', means a folk melody/dance.
Svimeslått is one of several folk dances, all of them with humorous titles, originally written by (O/ystein Olsen Vadsten. Norwegian culture is the basis for these dances, both rhythmically and melodically. The accompaniment has brought this fun piece into the 21st Century.

When it comes to Svimeslått, it is the traditional dance 'halling' that is the inspiration. Halling is a rather wild dance, where the man tries to win the heart of a lady by attempting to kick a hat off a stick, held up in the air. This is where The Battle of the Hats gets its distinctive name - A truly Norwegian tradition.

The composer wanted to write a 'crazy' melody, which highlights how 'knocked out' a man can be by love, as he tries to win the chosen one's heart.