Arvid Franzen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arvid Franzen
Background information
Born	1899 Gothenburg
Died	1961 New York City
Occupation(s)	musician, bandleader
Instruments	Accordion
Years active	1919–61

Arvid Franzen (born 1899, died 1961) was a talented accordion player and bandleader from Sweden. He became very famous in America among people from Scandinavian countries. His live shows and many recordings made him a well-known name.

Early Life and Music Career

Arvid Franzen was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He later moved to the New York City area in America. There, he led a big music group. His band played at many shows, dances, and social events. They performed for over 40 years, right up until Arvid's death in 1961.

A famous accordion player named Pietro Frosini often played concerts with Franzen. Frosini really admired Franzen's work. He even gave Arvid an autographed photo. On it, he wrote how much he respected Franzen's efforts to show the accordion as an artistic instrument.

Making Records

Arvid Franzen started recording music in 1919. Over the years, his songs were released on several record labels. These included Colonial, Columbia, Scandinavian, Standard, and Victor.

Many of his records featured two accordions playing together. He had many duet partners. Some of these included Eric Berg, Walter Eriksson, Harold Freeman, and Ragnar Sundquist. Franzen also went on tours with other accordionists like Eric Olson. He even toured with the comedian Hjalmar Peterson.

Between 1927 and 1929, the Hjalmar Peterson Orchestra released 18 instrumental songs. These records were made by studio musicians in New York and Chicago. Arvid Franzen played the accordion on some of these recordings.

In 1929, Franzen played on 12 recordings for Hjalmar Peterson. That same year, he joined Peterson's traveling show. This show had singers, dancers, and musicians. They toured the Upper Midwest region of America. A newspaper in Bagley, Minnesota wrote about their visit. It mentioned Arvid Franzen as "the celebrated accordion artist." The paper noted that his Victor and Columbia records were popular in many Scandinavian homes.

Even 50 years after his death, you can still find Franzen's recordings. Vintage music stores and online shops sell them. You can also find his music on video-sharing websites and other digital places. In 2011, the Library of Congress launched its National Jukebox website. It lets you listen to 14 songs by Arvid Franzen for free.

Gallery

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  Arvid Franzen in a Victor catalog

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  Pietro Frosini in 1906

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  Gustav Nyberg and Olle i Skratthult in 1916

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  Ragnar Sundquist in 1920