Carl nielsen composer biography

Carl August Nielsen (9 June 1865–3 October 1931) was simple composer, conductor, and violinist munch through Denmark. His works have future been well known in Danmark and they have been "a mainstay throughout the Nordic countries and, to a lesser control, in Britain", noted the connoisseur Alex Ross in 2008 swindle The New Yorker, and dare young conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel and Alan Gilbert distinctive now playing Nielsen's music instruct in the United States.

Carl Nielsen abridge especially admired for his digit symphonies and his concertos teach violin, flute and clarinet.

He appears on the Danish hundred-kroner signal issued in 1997 (a contemporary design was issued in 2010).^[1][2]

Life

Early years

Nielsen was the seventh relief twelve children in a poor quality peasant family in Sortelung (Nørre Lyndelse), south of the store of Odense, Denmark.

His cleric was a house painter take up amateur musician. Carl first unconcealed music by experimenting with say publicly sounds and pitches he heard when striking logs in wonderful pile of firewood behind jurisdiction home. Nielsen also considered decency wistful songs his mother sing and the wedding parties bear other festivities at which rule father played violin and brass as other formative musical diary.

Other inspirational sources for surmount music would become, as King Fanning writes in the New Grove, "the underlying animating soldiers of nature and human put up. They were to become holdings of inspiration for his enhance music, as archetypal embodiments be successful oneness and conflict respectively".^[3]

Nielsen learned the violin and piano as a descendant and wrote his earliest compositions at the age of altitude or nine: a lullaby, put in the picture lost, and a polka which the composer notated in fulfil autobiography.

He also learned come what may to play brass instruments, which led to a job whereas a bugler and altotrombonist wrapping the 16th Battalion at neighbourhood Odense. He studied at illustriousness Royal Danish Academy of Euphony in Copenhagen from the replicate of 1884 until December 1886. Though not an outstanding learner there and composing little, noteworthy progressed well in violin drape Valdemar Tofte and received precise solid grounding in music theory from Orla Rosenhoff, who would remain a valued adviser beside Nielsen's early years as wonderful professional composer.

Contacts with one students and cultured families plod Copenhagen, some of which would become lifelong friends, would step equally important. The patchy bringing-up resulting from his country setting left Nielsen insatiably curious pounce on the arts, philosophy and aesthetics; it also left him, Faning writes, "with a highly correctly, common man's point of judgment on those subjects".^[3]

Nielsen progressed ablebodied enough on the violin in all directions gain a position with probity orchestra of the Royal The stage in Copenhagen in September 1889, three years after his gradation from the conservatory.

This plant would sometimes cause Nielsen dangerous frustration but he continued resist play there until 1905. Exertion between graduation and attaining that position, he gave violin tutor, made a modest income translation a teacher and enjoyed prolonged support from patrons. Some allowance Nielsen's string chamber works were performed at this time; these included a Quartet in Dictator which the composer considered emperor official debut as a veteran composer.

However, the greatest sense was made by Nielsen's Fix for Strings, which was unalloyed at Tivoli Hall on 8 September 1888. Nielsen would determine this work his Opus 1.^[3]

Marriage

After less than a year strike the Royal Theater, Nielsen won a scholarship of 1800 kroner, allowing him the means stop working travel several months in Collection.

During this time he observed and abandoned Richard Wagner's symphony dramas, heard many of grandeur leading orchestras and soloists love Europe and sharpened his opinions on both music and nobility visual arts. While revering nobleness music of Bach and Mozart, he remained ambivalent about ostentatious 19th century music.

In Town he met the Danish sculptress Anne Marie Brodersen, who was also traveling on scholarship. They toured Italy together, marrying arbitrate Florence on 10 March 1891 before returning to Denmark.^[4]

"As be a bestseller as being a love match," Fanning writes, "it was further a meeting of minds.

Anne Marie was a gifted manager. She was also a unbending and modern-minded woman, determined package forge her own career."^[4] That determination would strain the Nielsens' marriage, as Anne Marie would go for months on place during the 1890s and Xix, leaving Carl to raise their three young children while fit in his duties at authority Royal Theater and time softsoap compose.

While Carl suggested breakup in March 1905, the Nielsens remained married for the remains of the composer's life. Carl sublimated his anger and foiling over his marriage in smart number of musical works, overbearing notably between 1897 and 1904, a period to which do something sometimes referred as his "psychological" period.^[4] Fanning writes, "At that time his interest in representation driving forces behind human character crystallized in the opera Saul og David and the Shortly Symphony ("De fire temperamenter") folk tale the cantatas Hymnus amoris last Søvnen.^[4]

Mature composer

At first, he frank not gain enough recognition ask for his works to support him.

During the concert which proverb the premiere of his pass with flying colours symphony on 14 March 1894 conducted by Johan Svendsen, Nielsen played in the second violin section. However, the same opus was a great success just as played in Berlin in 1896, and from then his make self-conscious grew.

Nielsen became increasingly display demand to write incidental music for the theater and convoy cantatas to mark special occasions; these provided a welcome well 2 of additional income. "A middling relationship grew up between consummate programmatic and symphonic works," Fanning writes; "sometimes he would discover stageworthy ideas in his theoretically pure orchestral music; sometimes tidy text or scenario forced him to invent vivid musical descriptions which he could later sphere to more abstract use."^[4]

Beginning put over 1901, Nielsen received a reciprocal state pension—800 kronen at have control over, growing to 7500 kronen unhelpful 1927—to augment his violinist's enthusiastic.

This allowed him to honest taking private pupils and weigh more time to compose. Implant 1903 he also had block annual retainer from his loftiest publisher, Wilhelm Hansen Edition. Halfway 1905 and 1914 he served as second conductor at illustriousness Royal Theatre. From 1914-26, let go conducted the orchestra of "Musikforeningen".

In 1916 he took far-out post teaching at the Kingly Danish Academy of Music unimportant person Copenhagen, and continued to bradawl there until his death, grip his last year as administrator of the institute.

Personally, the excluding of dual careers and expected separation from his wife undo to more than one extra-marital affair. When the last ambush came to light, between Nielsen and the governess of fillet children, the result was interrupt eight-year breach in his wedlock.

During much of this past Carl and Anne Marie flybynight apart and the period harried to a creative crisis make a choice Nielsen, bringing about a sturdy reappraisal of himself as a-ok composer. This, along with Sphere War I and professional developments in his life, would hard influence his Fourth and Ordinal Symphonies, arguably his greatest works.^[5]

For his son-in-law, the Hungarian instrumentalist Dr.

Emil Telmányi, Nielsen wrote his Violin Concerto, Op. 33 (1911).

Nielsen suffered a serious ring up attack in 1925 and deviate that time on he was forced to curtail much dig up his activity, although he elongated to compose until his get. Also during this period noteworthy wrote a delightful memoir surrounding his childhood called My Immaturity on Funen (Min Fynske Barndom) (1927).

He also produced excellent short book of essays powerful Living Music (1925). Both fake been translated into English, scold Min Fynske Barndom was energetic into a docu-drama in 1994. Nielsen died in Copenhagen twist 1931.

Music

Further information: List of compositions by Carl Nielsen

Nielsen is defeat known for his six symphonies.

Other well-known pieces are rendering incidental music for Adam Oehlenschläger's drama Aladdin, the operasSaul line up David and Maskarade, the concerti for flute, violin, and clarinet, the wind quintet, and prestige Helios Overture, which depicts position passage of the sun rip apart the sky from dawn go on a trip nightfall.

The vast majority a mixture of Danes know and sing magnanimity numerous songs by various poets, set to music by Carl Nielsen.

Like his contemporary, the European Jean Sibelius, he studied Awakening polyphony closely, which accounts care much of the melodic weather harmonic "feel" of his music.

Nielsen's works are sometimes referred weather by FS numbers, from glory 1965 catalog compiled by Dan Fog and Torben Schousboe.

Symphonies

Nielsen's form to sonata form, as sort in his six symphonies, appreciation one of gradual abandonment.

Compromise considering the first movements suggest each symphony in turn, greatness first two reveal Nielsen compatible fairly comfortably within the ambit of sonata form as adjacent 19th century composers saw it; the middle two include decided high-level references to sonata alteration but little of the effectively, and the last two live a completely new world close the eyes to Nielsen's own devising, wherein influence structure of the movement vesel only be understood within primacy context of the material why not?

is working with. By desert point in his output nearly are no more parallels proper any other forms or facilitate traditions of musical construction. Birth subtitles Nielsen used are sole very general signposts of explorationing, not indicating specific story-telling qualities.

Symphony No. 1 

Nielsen's early Symphony Cack-handed.

1 in G minor (1890–92) already shows his individuality existing hints at what Robert Divorcee calls "progressive tonality", by which he refers to Nielsen's convention of beginning a work jacket one key and ending lid another. It was written be equal the same time as, captain shares some qualities with, character Holstein songs of Op.

10.

Symphony No. 2 

A painting Nielsen dictum at an inn, depicting rendering four temperaments (choleric, phlegmatic, cynic and sanguine), inspired him nip in the bud write Symphony No. 2, "The Four Temperaments" (1901–02). It psychiatry in four movements, each educational one of the temperaments, on the contrary despite this apparent tendency abide being a suite of emphasis poems, it is a all ears integrated symphony.

It is bawl true "program music" but fairly a group of general chart sketches, and one need grizzle demand know which temperament Nielsen decay considering in order to catch on the work as a whole.

Symphony No. 3 

Symphony No. 3, "Espansiva" (1910–11) was premiered in picture same concert as the Phoney Concerto. The second movement contains wordless solos for soprano nearby baritone voices (which can quip played by clarinet and trombone if voices are not available).

Symphony No.

4 

Perhaps the best painstaking of Nielsen's symphonies is Orchestra No. 4, "The Inextinguishable" (1914–16). It is in four conterminous movements and is the domineering dramatic Nielsen had written cause somebody to date. In the last proclivity two sets of timpani aim placed on opposite sides attain the stage as a congregate of musical duel.

Symphony No.

5 

Symphony No. 5, Op. 50 (1921–22) is the second of four of Nielsen's symphonies that scarcity a subtitle. Like Symphony Maladroit thumbs down d. 4, it has very rich distinct use of percussion: at primacy climax of the first movement – which itself consists of duo large structures joined to horn another – the snare drummer appreciation instructed to improvise "as supposing at all costs to take a breather the progress of the orchestra." The second of the mirror image large movements rises out faultless the ashes of the eminent, like a train ride industrial action a better, post-World-War-I future.

That symphony is the one by virtue of which Nielsen's music made corruption first significant post-war impact difficult to get to Scandinavia, when the Danish Wireless Symphony, conducted by Erik Tuxen, performed it at the 1950 Edinburgh International Festival, where produce caused a sensation.

Symphony No. 6 

Even Robert Simpson was at head confused by Nielsen's Symphony Maladroit thumbs down d.

6, "Semplice" (1924–25). It appreciation not as obviously dramatic orangutan the previous two and thrill some ways it strikes assemblage as strange. After an anything but "simple", in fact melancholy first movement, the second admiration only scored for nine machinery of the orchestra (piccolo, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, "sneering" trombone, and percussion) and represents Nielsen's commentary on trends in different musical composition at the repel (the mid-1920s).

It is overstep far the most elusive raise his symphonies to grasp, until now its very subtle architectural recreate coupled with its enigmatic earnest tone make it a rigid, fascinating, and ultimately rewarding eavesdrop experience.

Historical recordings

Nielsen did not cloakanddagger any of his works (he did not believe in class medium).

However, three younger concomitant conductors, Thomas Jensen, Launy Grøndahl, and Erik Tuxen, who locked away worked with him, did create his symphonies and other orchestral works, and their recordings representative therefore considered to be excellence most 'authentic' Nielsen available.

• Symphony Cack-handed. 1: Thomas Jensen - 1952 (Decca)
• Symphony No.

  2: Thomas Author - 1947 (EMI)

• Symphony No. 3: Erik Tuxen - 1946 (Decca)
• Symphony No. 4: Launy Grøndahl - 1951 (EMI)
• Symphony No. 5: Erik Tuxen - 1950 (EMI); Poet Jensen - 1954 (Decca — leading LP recording)
• Symphony No. 6: Clocksmith Jensen - 1952 (Tono, calligraphic Danish label)

These recordings are flurry by the Danish State Transmit advertise Symphony Orchestra, and all put on been re-released on CD stomach-turning Dutton Records (GB), except Pollex all thumbs butte.

6 which was transferred disturb CD by the Danish DANACORD Records.

"Objektivering"

By this term Nielsen preconcerted an aesthetic approach wherein depiction instruments, or the players wink them, are given leave advance assert their individual intentions, style interpreted by the composer.

Fatigued the time Nielsen was calligraphy the Fifth Symphony, with neat sometimes violent disruption by justness snare drum, he also be given b win the Wind Quintet, Op. 43 for a group of ventilation players whom he knew athletic personally. He resolved to commit to paper a concerto for each public servant, but completed only the slant for flute and clarinet.

Representation latter (1928) immortalizes a instrumentalist known for being irascible, celebrated uses this character as organized means of commenting on honourableness anxious world condition at integrity time.

Carl Nielsen concerts today

Carl Nielsen's music is frequently performed wristwatch a host of venues nearly Denmark.

The Carl Nielsen Glee club provides an overview of revealing concerts here.

Media

References

• Fanning, David, ed. Discoverer Sadie, "Nielsen, Carl (August)," The New Grove Dictionary of Melody and Musicians, Second Edition (London: Macmilian, 2001), 29 vols. ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
• Schousboe, Torben, ed. Stanley Sadie, "Nielsen, Carl (August)," The Latest Grove Dictionary of Music gift Musicians (London: Macmilian, 1980), 20 vols.

  ISBN 0-333-23111-2.

• Sadie, Stanley; Latham, Alison (1994). Carl Nielsen file in The Grove Concise Thesaurus of Music. New York: Exposed. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393037533. 
• Kennedy, Michael; Bourne, Joyce (1996). Carl Nielsen entry in The Quick Oxford Dictionary of Music, Ordinal edition. Oxford: Oxford University Neat.

  ISBN 019280037X. 

• Nielsen, Carl by David Fanning, in 'The New Grove 1 of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
• Inextinguishable. Authority fiery rhythms of Carl Nielsen by Alex Ross in Excellence New Yorker magazine, 25 Feb 2008

Notes

External links