In this house, "Bullahuset",
located at "Valestrandsfossen",
the world famous violinist Ole
Bull spent several summers
while he was a boy. Every
summer holiday he spent
together with his grandparents
at "Valestrand". During the
summer months several
wedding-parades were passing
by their house on their way
to"Hamre" church. Ole Bull
followed them, at a distance,
and listened to the music that
was played. When he got home, he played as much as he could remember of this music on his violin. When he inherited his grandfather's farm at "Valestrand", he rode his horse all over the island to talk to the people and exchange cultural- and musical ideas. He was well liked and was welcomed everywhere and he had quite an influence on the people in the area. Numerous famous people visited him at his farm; among them were Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Edvard Grieg, and "Myllarguten". Except for Ola Brakvatne (from the farm "Brakvatnet" at "Valestrand") who taught Ole Bull the basics on his violin, it was probably the tenant farmer, Magne Kleiveland, who Ole Bull had the highest regard for. When Magne Kleiveland
didn't work on the farm or didn't play
in weddings, Ole Bull and Magne were
together at the tenant farmers place
"Einlidskaret" at "Kleiveland", "Hauge".
Ole Bull learned numerous songs here,
among them "Hopparen". The violinist
Ole Bull did intermittently live at
"Valestrand" for more then 60 years
(from around 1810 to 1870's).
