Last
time we looked at how folk music influenced Edvard Grieg’s output. What about
lesser-known composer Johan Svendsen (1840–1911)? He lived and composed during
the same era as Grieg and, though not as nationalistic as Grieg, still found
influence from his native land.
Svendsen
grew up surrounded by music as his father was a military musician. He played
violin for the first part of his career but ended up having to give it up when
a nervous disorder in his hand prohibited his ability to perform.
During
his time in Norway, Svendsen organized his own orchestra, the Norwegian Music
Society, and became the second conductor for the Euterpe concerts. The time
spent working alongside Grieg was one that both composers enjoyed and found
fruitful.
Below
are a few examples of Svendsen’s folk-inspired music. First, listen to the Norwegian Artists’ Carnival that depicts
a Norwegian carnival in Rome. The artists are represented by Norwegian folk
music while Rome is represented by an Italian folk theme.
Of
Svendsen’s folk-inspired output, the Norwegian
Rhapsodies, Op. 17, 19, 21, and 22 are perhaps the most popular. They
borrow many themes from Ludvig Mathias Lindeman’s Old and New Norwegian Mountain Melodies. Grieg used the same
melodies as inspiration when writing his own Norwegian Dances.
Join
me next time as we travel to England and look at how Holst used folk in his
compositions!
