Johan Svendsen

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Johan Severin Svendsen (September 30, 1840–June 14, 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most his life in Copenhagen, Denmark.

His father was a music teacher and Svendsen learned both the violin and clarinet from him. By the time he finished school, he was working as an orchestral musician, and occasionally made short concert tours as a violinist. In Lubeck, on one of his tours, he came to the attention of a wealthy merchant who made it possible for him to study from 1863-67 at the Leipzig Conservatory. He began his studies with Mendelssohn's favorite violinist, Ferdinand David, but problems with his hand forced him to switch to composition which he studied with Carl Reinecke. He completed his studies in Leipzig in 1867, receiving first prize in composition.

Gradually his attention turned to conducting. After spending time in Paris (1868-70) and Leipzig (1870-72), he returned to Christiania. In the summer of 1871, he went to New York City to marry Sarah (Sally, later changed to Bergljot) Levett Schmidt, whom he had met in Paris. He was conductor of the Musical Society Concerts in Christiania (1872-77), then spent three years in Germany, Italy, England and France. He returned to teach and conduct in Kristiania (1880-1883). In 1883, he was appointed principal conductor of the Royal Theater Orchestra in Copenhagen, where he lived until his death.

In 1884, he and his wife separated, and she moved to Paris. Their relationship had been chaotic for several years. In 1883, in a fit of anger, she threw in a fireplace and burned the only copy of his Symphony No. 3. This incident was used by Ibsen in Hedda Gabler. Following a divorce from Sarah (December 10, 1901), he married (December 23, 1901) Juliette Haase with whom he had been living and had 3 children. During his student days in Leipzig, Svendsen had a son out of wedlock, Johann Richard Rudolph (1867-1933)

In stark contrast to his more famous contemporary and close friend, Edvard Grieg, Svendsen was famous for his skill of orchestration rather than that of harmonic value. While Grieg composed mostly for small instrumentation, Svendsen composed primarily for orchestras and large ensembles. His most famous work is his romance for violin and orchestra. He was very popular in Denmark and Norway during his life both as a composer and a conductor, winning many national awards and honors. However this popularity did not translate into acceptance into the international repertory of classical music. He died in Copenhagen, aged 70.

One would have to go as far back as Schubert to find a composer who achieved the popular success Svendsen did with his first published work, the Op.1 string quartet in A minor. He quickly followed this with the Op.3 String Octet and Op.5 String Quintet, both of which only added to his early fame. All of Svendsen's chamber music was written while he was at the Leipzig Conservatory, yet these works were not then, and should not now be, considered student works. By general consensus, Svendsen was regarded as one of the most talented students then at the Conservatory. His works won prizes and received public performances to much acclaim.

Though Svendsen was at one time intimate friends with Wagner, the latter does not seem to have influenced his music, which includes two symphonies, a violin concerto, and the romance for violin, as well as a number of Norwegian rhapsodies for orchestra.

[edit] Works

In parentheses, composition years and premiere place and date

Orchestra:

Symphony No. 1 in D, Op. 4 (1865-67; Christiania, Oct. 12, 1867)
Symphony No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 15 (1874; Christiania, October 14, 1876)
Violin Concerto, Op. 6 (1868-70; Leipzig, Feb. 6, 1872
Cello Concerto, Op. 7 (1870; Leipzig, March 16, 1871)
Sigurd Slembe, Symphonic Prelude, Op. 8 (1871; Leipzig, December 12, 1871)
Carnival in Paris, Episode, Op. 9 (1872; Christiania, October, 26, 1872)
Funeral March, On the Death of King Carl XV, Op. 10 (1872; October 26, 1872)
Zorahayda, Legend, Op. 11 (1874, rev. 1879; Christiania, Oct. 3, 1874, rev., May 11, 1880)
Festival Polonaise, Op. 12 (1873; Christiana, August 6, 1873)
Coronation March (for the coronation of Oscar II), Op. 13 (1873; Trondheim, July 18, 1873)
Norwegian Artists' Carnival, Op. 14 (1874; Christiania, March 17, 1874)
Norwegian Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 17 (1876; Kristiania, September 25, 1877)
Romeo and Juliet, Fantasia, Op. 18 (1876; Christiania, October 14, 1876)
Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 19 (1876; ??)
Norwegian Rhapsody No. 3, Op. 21 (1876; Paris, January ??, 1879)
Norwegian Rhapsody No. 4, Op. 22 (1877; Paris, February 1, 1879)
Violin Romance, Op. 26 (1881; Kristiania, October 30, 1881)
Polonaise, Op. 28 (1882)

String Orchestra:

2 Swedish Folk Melodies, Op. 27 (1876, 1878)
2 Icelandic Melodies, Op. 30 (1874)
Ifjol gjætt' e gjeitinn (Last year I was tending the goats), Op. 31 (1874)

Chamber:

String Quartet, Op. 1 (1865)
String Octet, Op. 3 (1866)
String Quintet, Op. 5 (1867)
Humorous March, Op. 16 (1874)

Vocal:

2 Songs (Male Chorus), Op. 2 (1865)
5 Songs (Voice and Piano), Op. 24 (1879)
2 Songs (Voice and Piano), Op. 25 (1878, 1880)
Wedding Cantata (for Prince Oscar Gustav Adolph and Princess Sophia Maria Victoria), Op. 29 (1881; Kristiana, October 18, 1881)
Hymn (for golden wedding anniversary of King Christian IX and Queen Louise), Op. 32 (1892)

Ballet:

Foraaret kommer (The Arrival of Spring), Op. 33 (1892; Copenhagen, May 26, 1892)

About 50 other minor works, not included in his numbered catalog

[edit] References

Benestad, Finn and Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe, "Johan Svendsen: Mennesket og kunstneren" H. Aschehoug & Co., 1990
English translation: Benestad, Finn and Dag Schjelderup-Ebbe, "Johan Svendsen: The Man, the Maestro, the Music," Peer Gynt Press, 1995.
Øystad Gaukstad article on Svendsen for Norwegian Cultural Council (NFK) LPs of Svendsen's chamber music, 1981
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