Vår Ulla låg i sängen och sov
| "Vår Ulla låg i sängen och sov" | |
|---|---|
| Art song | |
First page of sheet music for the 1810 edition | |
| English | Our Ulla lay in bed and slept |
| Written | 1773–1776 |
| Text | poem by Carl Michael Bellman |
| Language | Swedish |
| Melody | Prins Fredric, a contredanse |
| Published | 1790 in Fredman's Epistles |
| Scoring | voice, cittern, and horn |
Vår Ulla låg i sängen och sov (Our Ulla lay in bed and slept) is Epistle No. 36 in the Swedish poet and performer Carl Michael Bellman's 1790 song collection, Fredman's Epistles. The epistle is subtitled "Rörande Ulla Winblad's flykt" (Concerning Ulla Winblad's flight). It begins with the innkeeper peeping through the keyhole to her bedroom and whispering with his friends as she sleeps, slowly waking up. Then she dresses ornately and enters the tavern, delighting the menfolk until she is suddenly arrested.
The epistle has been praised as a perfect example of Bellman's rococo style, narrated with a mix of earthy and poetic detail.