1881.10 - The ballads recorded in The Hentze Collection


Course number
1881.10
Title
The ballads recorded in The Hentze Collection
ECTS
10
Purpose
The aim of the subject of study is to discuss the style in an individual ballad manuscript and analyse it from different perspectives. One of the main focuses will be on analysing local dialect characteristics in the texts, particularly their phonology and morphology. The texts will also be examined as language history reference materials, as they, for example, enable scholars to compare the language in the older and more recent ballads in the manuscript.
Content
Jóannes í Króki from Sandur was among the first people to write down Faroese ballads. Once scholars in Copenhagen began to take an interest in ballads, J. H. Schrøter Vicar of Suðuroy and Peter Hentze Dean of Sandur were asked to secure written records, and thus Dean Hentze initiated Jóannes í Króki’s recording efforts. Jóannes submitted his first manuscript to Dean Hentze in 1819, who sent it to Copenhagen, where it was given his name when it was submitted to the Danish Royal Library and registered there in the New Royal Collection as Ny Kongelig Samling 1954, 4to (since 1996 it has been in safekeeping at the National Library of the Faroe Islands). The manuscript contains 18 ballads, both old and more recent, with a total of around 1800 stanzas. Two years later Jóannes í Króki started writing Sandoyarbók (1821-31), however, we will only refer to it briefly and only in so far as it sheds light on the Hentze Collection. This will also apply to the many individual records Hammershaimb received from Jóannes í Króki at a later stage. Students are advised to acquire: M.A. Jacobsen: Úr bókmentasøgu okkara 1921 (reprinted by Emil Thomsen). Jóannes í Króki: Sandoyarbók I-II. Introduction on the historical phonology by Mikjel Sørlie. Tórshavn 1968-82. Jóannes í Króki 200 ár. Fróðskaparrit 42. 1994.
Learning and teaching approaches
Instruction is organized into lectures and exercises. The texts will be read from a word for word copy, but students will have the opportunity to read photocopied excerpts. Students are required to participate actively and take on limited assignments, which they will present in sessions.
Assessment method
Written exam, 6 hours.
Contact
Eivind Weyhe