Carl Michael Bellman

Carl Michael Bellman (February 4, 1740 – February 11, 1795) was a Swedish composer, songwriter, poet, and musician from Stockholm. Educated by private tutors in multiple languages, Bellman primarily performed on the cittern. In 1768, he began composing the works that formed his two major collections, Fredman's Epistles (1790) and Fredman's Songs (1791). His songs, including “Gubben Noak” and “Fjäriln vingad”, combined elegantly rococo classical references with descriptions of 18th-century life and drinking. Bellman’s patrons included King Gustav III, who identified him as a master improviser. In 1790, Bellman received the Swedish Academy’s Lundblad prize. His work was translated into over 20 languages and recorded by artists including Sven-Bertil Taube, Fred Åkerström, and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Bellman died of tuberculosis in 1795.