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Pete Seeger and David Mamet: Oleanna
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Just what does a Norwegian violinist have to do with a play and sexual harassment? Here's how and Ole Bull brought us Oleanna. Once upon a time there was a man named Ole Bornemann Bull who had a Utopian dream but was better at playing the violin. From him we get the name of a David Mamet play and a Pete Seeger song.
Born in Bergen in 1810, Ole Bull failed at university, but his violin playing made him famous. He played first violin for a Bergen orchestra at nine and was a soloist. In Paris, he began to give concerts and became famous. In 1853, he bought some land in Pennsylvania, in hopes of founding a colony which he called New Norway. There were four communities: New Bergen (now Carter Camp), Oleana (formed from his name and his mother's), New Norway and, what else, Valhalla. He even meant to build himself a castle, Nordjenskald.
Notwithstanding that colonization is hard when there is already a stable country in existence with a constitution and a legislature that was busy arguing about abolition versus slavery, the land was not good for farming. There were legal and financial problems. Oleana, now officially called Oleona, still exists in Potter County as does Old Bull Road and even Ole Bull State Park in the Susquehannock State Forest.
This village is referred to in the song. The Norwegian lyrics for Oleanna were written in 1853 by Ditmar Meidell, a newspaper editor in Norway. The song was included in Theodore C. Blegen's 1936 book of Norwegian emigrant songs. Pete Seeger used Blegen's book, "Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads," for his six-verse translation and recorded Oleanna for Folkways Records for the 1955 "Fold Songs of Four Continents" and the 1956 "With Voices Together We Sing."
Ole, oleanna, ole, oleanna
ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, oleanna
Oh to be in Oleanna,
that's where I'd like to be
Than to be in Norway
and bear the chains of slavery
Little roasted piggies
rush around the city streets
Inquiring so politely
if a slice of ham you'd like to eat
Beer as sweet as muncheners
springs from the ground and flows away
The cows all like to milk themselves
And the hens lay eggs ten times a day
The women there do all the work
As round the fields they quickly go
Each one has a hickory stick
And beats herself if she works too slow
In Oleanna land is free
The wheat and corn just plant themselves
Then grow a good four feet a day
While on your bed you rest yourself
Obviously what is Utopia for a man differs from what Utopia would be for a woman and perhaps that's what makes the title "Oleanna" a good one for the David Mamet play.
"Oleanna" continues until July 12 at the Mark Taper Forum. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. No 1 p.m. performance on Sunday, June 7. $20-$65.
For more info: Call (213) 628-2772 or go to www.centertheatregroup.org
For an article on "Oleanna" and the issue of sexual harassment, see my article on the flaws of this play.
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