Chicagovalsen
There is quite a story behind Chicagovalsen.
It was composed by the great fiddler, Gyris Anders Andersson, from the village of Älvdalen in the province of Dalarna. He was born in 1822, and died in 1909.
In the 1870’s he joined a religious sect and travelled with them to Cincinnati. To his dismay, they forbade him from playing his fiddle, so he did not stay long, and went back to Sweden.
While in the United States, he visited Chicago, and experienced the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871. He was thus inspired to write an exciting waltz that he named after the City.
It is easy to imagine the fire, the evacuations, and the firefighters in this tune. Here is a recording of three fiddlers from Älvdalen playing the tune in 1949. The first minute is talking about Gyris Anders and the tune, so you can hear it starting at about 1:02.
To the left is a photo of Gyris Anders taken when he was probably in his 80’s.