Västerös Domkyrka, Sweden
While traveling in Sweden in 1997, Diana and I visited the Västerås Cathedral. This is the Domkyrka where my ninth great grandfather Johannes Rudbeckius and my eighth great grandfather, his son Nicholas Rudbeckius, were once Bishops. Their tombs are found within the church, along with a number of Swedish Kings and Nobelmen.
In the Gift Shop there I bought an audio tape that contained a variety of music including some selections by Hugo Melin (1907-1998). One of my favorites was Var är den Vän (Where is the friend?). Although I could not understand most of the Swedish lyrics, there was something compelling about this piece.
After returning to the USA, I imposed on my friend Rustan Gandvik of Haninge, Sweden to see if he could locate a copy of the sheet music for me. Rustan recognized the song immediately. It turns out that the text from verse four of this music is inscribed on the gravestone of his grandparents. Rustan provided me with the sheet music and also with a literal translation of the text to English, which I have modified to fit the music.
Hugo Melin, who wrote the music for Var är den Vän, was for a long time the conductor and the organist of the Västerås Cathedral.
