Activity and History

The Bellman Society promotes interest in Bellman, supports research and safeguards the memory of the man who is perhaps the best-known of Sweden's 18th-century poets.
As a member of the Bellman Society, you will be kept up to date about the state of Bellman research and the publication of new Bellman literature and Bellman music.
You will receive invitations to lectures and concerts, occasionally also outings and tours.  In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet writers, researchers, artists and friends of Bellman from all over Sweden, sometimes from other parts of the world.

The Bellman Society was formed in Stockholm on February 4th, 1919, on Carl Michael Bellman's birthday.  Among the founders were the amateur researcher, Arvid Stålhane, and two Professors of Literature, Henrik Schück and Martin Lamm.  Schück became the first President of the Society and codified its rules. The author Erik Axel Karlfeldt wrote the invitation for new members.

The goal of the Bellman Society was and still remains that of working for a living interest for Carl Michael Bellman's life and times, and his poetry and music.

As a first and primary task, the Society took the initiative to publish a new, academically sound edition of Bellman's Complete Works.  The work with the so-called "Standardupplagan" or StU ("Standard Edition") was begun immediately.  Already in 1921, the first volume, Fredmans Epistlar ("Fredman's Epistles") and the following year, Fredmans Sånger ("Fredman's Songs) was published.  These two first volumes have now been replaced by new editions, taking into account a more modern methodology: a four-volume set annotated by Lecturer Gunnar Hillbom, with the assistance of a music historian, James Massengale. The set appeared in 1990-92 under the auspices of the Bellman Society. Gunnar Hillbom had at that time also had the responsibility in the Society for the continuation of the publication of Bellman's Complete Works.  This publication series is now complete, and numbers 20 volumes.
The Bellman Society has as another of its tasks that of presenting research on Bellman's life, poetry and the poet’s era.  For this purpose, the publication series Bellmansstudier ("Bellman Studies") was begun in 1924, and continues to this day.  These studies, now numbering 22 volumes, contains many of the most important articles on Bellman for the last 80 years.  In addition, the Bellman Society has published facsimile reproductions, collections of essays, and a very popular set of Bellman china ware decorated by the artist Yngve Berg.

Starting in 1992, the Bellman Society has produced a newsletter for its members called Hwad Behagas? ("What's your Pleasure?"); its name was taken from a comic periodical produced by Bellman in 1781.  The newsletter contains both practical information for members as well as interesting articles and notices about Bellman.

The Bellman Society has also underwritten different forms of musical publication, beginning already in 1923.  Since that time, LP's, music cassettes, videograms have been produced, plus two boxed sets of CD's with all of Fredman's Epistles and Fredman's Songs.

Several times a year, members of the Society are invited to lectures by researchers and authors, and to song performances and concerts as well as excursions to places connected with Bellman.  On occasion longer tours have been arranged to Copenhagen, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Warsaw, where Bellman lectures and performances have been presented.

The Bellman Society tries, to the extent of its financial capability, to support those in other countries who share its interest in promoting Bellman's life and works.  The Society has sister organizations in several countries, and is attempting to increase international exchange between our organizations.