Thread: Scandinavian Composers

So who are your favorite Scandinavian Composers? Those of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Then Choose your most favorite from the poll.

Geirr Tveitt should really be on that list.

Segerstam?

Halvorsen?

Norman, Lumbye, Roman, Larsson and Svendsen are minor/very minor composers, whereas big names are missing - Pettersson, Rautavaara, Atterberg, Holmboe, Saariahoo, Valen ... or Nørholm, Bentzon, Ruders, Sørensen, Englund, Kokkonen, Merikanto, Melartin, Raitio, Gade, Tveitt, Rangström, Peterson-Berger etc. ...

Poll limit, It always slow us down! At least I'm courageous enough to make polls

I must vote Sibelius but in this poll Grieg gets my vote.
I don't know many of them (their works), so in a year from now my chosen one will change possibly.

Originally Posted by joen_cph

Norman, Lumbye, Roman, Larsson and Svendsen are minor/very minor composers, whereas big names are missing - Pettersson, Rautavaara, Atterberg, Holmboe, Saariahoo, Valen, Langgaard ... or Nørholm, Bentzon, Ruders, Sørensen, Englund, Kokkonen, Merikanto, Melartin, Raitio, Gade, Tveitt etc. ...

Well, I suppose you can make Version 2 of this poll.

no Herman Severin Løvenskiold?

Originally Posted by joen_cph

Norman, Lumbye, Roman, Larsson and Svendsen are minor/very minor composers, whereas big names are missing - Pettersson, Rautavaara, Atterberg, Holmboe, Saariahoo, Valen, Langgaard ... or Nørholm, Bentzon, Ruders, Sørensen, Englund, Kokkonen, Merikanto, Melartin, Raitio, Gade, Tveitt etc. ...

We are talking about Scandinavian composers here, so no Finns allowed.

Also, calling Lars-Erik Erik Larsson and Johann Svendsen minor composers is rather strange. Larsson was one of the most imporant Swedish composers of the mid 20th century.
And Svendsen, along with Halvorsen, were second only to Grieg! His output is admittedly rather small, but Svendsen's symphonies are really really great.

I was going to vote for Grieg until I saw Larsson being called a "minor" composer...

Originally Posted by Aksel

We are talking about Scandinavian composers here, so no Finns allowed.

Also, calling Lars-Erik Erik Larsson and Johann Svendsen minor composers is rather strange. Larsson was one of the most imporant Swedish composers of the mid 20th century.
And Svendsen, along with Halvorsen, were second only to Grieg! His output is admittedly rather small, but Svendsen's symphonies are really really great.

This is a matter of debate. Some will include Finland in Scandinavia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavia )

Concerning the composers, I am calling them minor because they were relatively conservative/traditional and not groundbreaking in the same way as those I mention. Valen and Tveitt are more important IMO among the Norwegians - they are experiencing a lot more interest now, and the list shouldn´t be stuck in pre-1920 Romantic thinking.

Larsson excelled a lot in pastorals and a divertimento-like style, lacking intellectual weight. The "Förklädd Gud" might be an exception, I haven´t heard it. However I agree that calling him minor is probably an exaggeration, at least in a Swedish context, since he experienced with various styles, including serialism, at an early time in that country.

Originally Posted by joen_cph

This is a matter of debate. Some will include Finland in Scandinavia.

Concerning the composers, I am calling them minor because they were relatively conservative/traditional and not groundbreaking in the same way as those I mention. Valen and Tveitt are more important IMO among the Norwegians - and the list shouldn´t be stuck in pre-1920 thinking.

Finland is included in Fennoscandinavia
I do agree that Valen and Tveitt are more important. But Svendsen is one of Norway's great romantic composers, along with Grieg, Halvorsen and (I think) Olsen. Had he only been released from his duties at the Royal Danish Court to conduct the newly founded New York Philharmonic, I think he would have been much more of a household name.

Originally Posted by BurningDesire

no Herman Severin Løvenskiold?

Unlikely, for a minor composer.

In spite of the success of the ballet "La Sylphide", Løvenskiold is a very minor composer.

Lately, I have been listening to a great deal of music by 20th century Danish composer Vagn Holmboe, who wrote more or less in a neo-classical sort of style. He didn't embrace pure 12-tone. I thought his symphonies were reasonably enjoyable. He was quite talented as a composer, who at age 16 "began formal music training at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen on the recommendation of Carl Nielsen".