Göran Svenning and David Hellström

Lyricist Göran Svenning and composer David Hellström were a top Swedish songwriting team of the early 20th century. Together they wrote over thirty waltzes, including the classic Kostervalsen (The Koster waltz).

Göran Svenning

Göran Svenning was a songwriter, who was also a dentist. He was born on 6 September 1870 in Ljungsarp and died in Strömstad on 27 December 1953 at the age of eighty-three. A native of Västergötland, he had a dental practice in Strömstad in Bohuslän, where he met the composer David Hellström.

David Hellström David Hellström was a Swedish composer from the province of Bohuslän. He was born on 23 September 1883 in Strömstad and died there on 7 April 1965 at the age of eighty-one. As a young man he enlisted in the Royal Bohuslän Regiment, where he studied music and played the French horn. He returned to civilian life after attaining the rank of sergeant and from then on worked as a gardener.

The song Friarevalsen (The suitor’s waltz) was given a second life when the producer Emil Norlander borrowed its melody for his revue "Tokiga Amelie" (Crazy Amelie). Norlander, who was a prolific songwriter, wrote new words for the song and called it Balen på bakgården (The dance in the back yard).

In 1914 Svenning and Hellström wrote Malmö valsen (The Malmö waltz), also known as På Baltiskan (On the Baltic). The piece commemorated the Baltic Exhibition of 1914 that was held in Malmö, Sweden on the eve of the First World War. Hjalmar Peterson and his wife Olga Lindgren recorded the song in 1917 for Columbia Records. The same year Charles G. Widdén recorded Sångvals (Song waltz) for Victor Records. His recording was an adaptation of Malmö valsen. It had Hellström’s melody, some of Svenning’s text and new lyrics that were partly in English.

Songs by Svenning and Hellström

Balen på bakgården / Friarevalsen ~ T: Emil Norlander (1910) Beväringsvals (1912) Bondvals ~ M: Theodor Pinet (1909) Bohuslänska sjömansvalsen (1910) Brudvalsen Bröllopsvalsen Fiskarvals från Bohuslän (1908) Friarevalsen (1909) Hjärterövalsen (1915) I det soliga blå Kostervalsen (1913) Kyssvalsen (1914) Kärestan min Landsvägstrall Malmö valsen / På Baltiskan / The Baltic Exposition Waltz (1914) Midsommarsvalsen Ny fiskarvals (1912) Nya Kostervalsen Stockholmsvalsen (1916) Sångvals / Malmö valsen / (1917)