[Gutenberg 18110] • The Bridal March; One Day

*Of the tunes and marches ascribed to him, some are said to have been inspired by the Trolls. One tune he learned from the devil himself, while another he made to save his life! But the most famous of all . . .*

Though he owned little, and lived in the poorest of cottages in the hills, Ole Haugen ended up giving a gift of seemingly everlasting goodness to his daughter, and then to the world -- for he was a fiddler, and his magical "Bridal March" seemed the merriest melody ever to strike the ear. Yet Ole Haugen spoke odd words about his cheery melody . . . and some came to wonder if its strange power was a blessing -- or curse.

Norwegian journalist, poet and novelist Bjonstjerne Bjornson (1832-1910) earned lasting fame with his "peasant novels," especially *Fiskerjenten* ( *The Fisher Lassie).* The tales in this volume, "The Bridal March" and "One Day," give entrancing accounts of everyday life in Norway -- one set in the country, the other in the town. Bjornson was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1903.