Theodor Larsson (1880–1937) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

songwriter and comedian.Theodor Larsson
''atspace.cc''. Retrieved: October 08, 2019.

Career

Larsson was born June 8, 1880, in Gylle parish near the town of

Trelleborg Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of 31 December 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the Smygehuk, southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is one ...

Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

. He died June 30, 1937, in

Mjölby Mjölby ( ) is a city and the seat of Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 28,544 inhabitants in 2024. Mjölby is located by the rivulet Svartån. The name ''Mjölby'' is derived from ''Mölloby'', which comes from or , meani ...

. A Swedish ''bondkomiker'' (rustic comic) and lyricist, his professional name was Skånska Lasse (Skåning Lasse). He worked as a cabinetmaker in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, then for a short time in Stockholm before moving to

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, where he found employment at a furniture factory in

. It was during his time there that Larsson embarked on his course as an entertainer. He often performed in a long coat with a flowery vest while playing the accordion. Married twice, he was the father of eleven children, several of whom also became entertainers. A prolific songwriter, Larsson developed a talent for writing lyrics about topical events. He even found humor in technological advances as his protagonists grappled with electricity, radio and motorized transport. The song ''Motorcykeln'' (The Motorcycle) became a hit for the singer

Ernst Rolf Ernst Ragnar Johansson (20 January 1891– 25 December 1932), professionally known as Ernst Rolf was a Swedish-language, Swedish actor, singer and composer and musical revue artist.:sv:Ernst Rolf, Ernst Rolf. ''sv.wikipedia.org''. Retrieved: Marc ...

and was also recorded in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Olle i Skratthult Hjalmar Peterson (7 February 1886 – 24 June 1960) was a singer and comedian from Sweden, who achieved great popularity during the 1910s and 1920s. His stage name was Olle i Skratthult (Olle from Laughtersville). Life Career Hjalmar Pete ...

and

Ragnar Hasselgren Ragnar Hasselgren (June 3, 1904 – September 28, 1982) was a Swedish-born singer and recording artist, who was active on the American West Coast from the 1920s through the 1970s.''From Sweden To America'' (Stockholm: Caprice Records, 1981). ...

.''Ethnic Music on Records: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893-1942'' by Richard K. Spottswood, (University of Illinois Press, 1990) LCCN 89-020526. Volume 5. Another of his compositions, ''Josefin mä symaskin'' (Josephine with the sewing machine), crossed the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

in a version by Bert Leman. Skånska Lasse made many recordings himself. ''Sven Svenssons Sven'' — later recorded by the

Swedish-American Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

singers

and

Charles G. Widdén Charles Godfrey Widdén (1874-1933) was a Swedish-born singer and comedian, who performed regularly in Worcester, Massachusetts, and New York City during the years 1900 - 1920 and achieved national prominence through his numerous recordings.

— brought up the subject of temperance while ''De rysliga bolshevikerna'' (The terrible bolsheviks) was a sly piece of political satire. The latter song was recorded in 2009 by the

actor

Sven Wollter Sven Justus Fredrik Wollter (11 January 1934 – 10 November 2020) was a Swedish actor, writer, and political activist. Wollter is one of the most renowned Swedish actors, he was awarded Best Swedish actor twice. In his native country, he becam ...

. There is one song above all others for which Lasse is remembered, ''Bonnjazz'' (Country dance), which he recorded in 1924. The song, one of the best-known works in

popular music, has gone by many names, including ''Jazz på landet'' (Dance in the country) and ''Johan på snippen'' (Johan on the snippet of land). In

it was recorded by

Lydia Hedberg Lydia Hedberg (1878–1964) was a Swedish singer, who performed in folk costume and was known as Bergslagsmor (Mother of the Mining District). Biography According to a critic at ''Vecko-journalen'' (The Weekly Journal), Hedberg was "a sweet ...

in 1925 and

in 1927.

Johan på snippen

The song commonly known as ''Johan på snippen'' was first published in 1922. It had music by Gaston René Wahlberg and words by Skånska Lasse (Theodor Larsson). The two men never met.''På Nöjets Estrader'' by Uno Myggan Ericson, (Stockholm: Bonnier, 1971) pp. 127 - 141. Wahlberg, who was an engineer by profession, lived in

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

in the province of

Närke Närke () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the sou ...

. When the iron industry flourished in the mining region of

Bergslagen Bergslagen is a historical, cultural, and linguistic region located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand, Sweden, traditionally known as a mining district. In Bergslagen, the mining and metallurgic industries have been important since t ...

, people would come to

to do business at ''Hindersmässan'' (The St. Henry’s Fair), an annual event which has continued until the present day. Wahlberg used to amuse himself on the piano, and one time after a visit to the local fair he set down some musical impressions. The result was a schottische he called ''Hindersmässan''.

purchased the melody from Wahlberg and passed it on to Larsson, who then set about writing suitable lyrics. ''Hindersmässan'' was the only melody that Wahlberg ever published, and over the years there has been some confusion about his name. Some have thought the composer to be Gideon Wahlberg, a Swedish songwriter best known for the waltz ''Svinnsta skär''. It was Walter Larsson, the lyricist’s son, who finally tracked down G. R. Wahlberg and saw to it that he received royalty payments for the composition. Near Skånska Lasse’s home was a cottage on a small plot of land. He based ''Johan på snippen'' partly on the neighbor who lived there but also drew upon his knowledge of local customs and folk festivals, having written many such verses before. Wahlberg’s famous tune has inspired countless parodies, the most notable being ''Johan på snippens Ford'' (Johan på snippen’s Ford) with lyrics by Skånska Lasse and ''Johan på snibbens dammsugsmaskin'' (Johan på snibben’s vacuum cleaner) with lyrics by Erik Eriksson. Both songs were recorded by Eric P:son Friberg in the late 1920s.Erik P:son Friberg
''atspace.cc''. Retrieved: June 21, 2019.

Selected lyrics

*''Bonnjazz'' *''Genom sotat glas'' *''Josefin mä symaskin'' *''Nödbroms visan''

References

External links

Photos
Skånska LasseSkånska Lasse (on the left)Skånska Lasse statue by K. G. Bejemerk
Articles
Theodor Larsson at Cultural Heritage of Östergötland
Swedish music and film

Swedish discography
Skånska Lasse
at the

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden (, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish association published ab ...

. Selected recordings (Sweden)
''Bonnjazz''''Johan på snibbens dammsugsmaskin''''Johan på snippens Ford''''Josefin mä symaskin:''
recorded by Calle Lindström
''Motorcykeln''''Sven Svenssons Sven:''
recorded by Calle Lindström and Skånska Lasse American discography
Skånska LasseGaston René Wahlberg
Selected recordings (America)
''Genom sotat glas'' 1919

''Nödbroms visan'' 1919

''Sven Svenssons Sven'' 1921

''Josefin mä symaskin'' 1928
Songbook
Skånska Lasse
Skånska Lasse lyrics

Skånska Lasse recordings
''Genom sotat glas''

''Josefin mä symaskin''''Nödbroms visan ''''Sven Svenssons Sven''
Videos * * Streaming audio
Skånska Lasse
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, Theodor 1880 births 1937 deaths Swedish comedy writers Swedish entertainers Swedish satirists Swedish comedy musicians Swedish satirical musicians Swedish accordionists Swedish male songwriters Swedish-language writers People from Trelleborg Musicians from Skåne County