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 maste...