Nationality: Swedish

Categories
20th Century Swedish

ALFVÉN, Hugo

Hugo Alfvén

Born in Stockholm, May 1, 1872
Died in Falun, May 8, 1960

[al-VAY-n] / Swedish pronunciation]

  • Alfvén was a violinist and choral conductor as well as a composer. 
  • Alfvén was the Music Director of Uppsala University from 1910–39.

Biography from Naxos

Pieces

Categories
Romantic (~1820–1900) Swedish

ANDRÉE, Elfrida

Elfrida Andree

Born in Visby, Feb 19, 1841 
Died in Göteborg, Jan 11, 1929 

  • Elfrida Andrée [PRONUNCIATION] was a Swedish organist, composer and conductor. 
  • Andrée’s teachers included Niels Gade. 
  • Andrée accomplished an impressive set of firsts:
    • she was the first Swedish woman to pass the nation’s professional organist examination (and she successfully lobbied to change the law preventing women from holding the office organist at churches and cathedrals) 
    • she was the first Swedish woman to compose chamber music and symphonic music 
    • she was the first Swedish women to conduct a symphony orchestra.1

Learn More
Biography from Swedish Musical Heritage 

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Swedish

ATTERBERG, Kurt

Kurt Atterberg

Born in Göteborg, Dec 12, 1887
Died in Stockholm, Feb 15, 19742

Biography from Naxos

Pieces

Categories
Classical (~1750–1820) Finnish Swedish

CRUSELL, Bernhard

Bernhard Crusell

Born in Uusikaupunki, Finland, Oct 15, 1775
Died in Stockholm, July 28, 18383

[Pronunciation]

Biography from Swedish Musical Heritage

Pieces

Categories
Contemporary Swedish

FRÖST, Göran

b. 1974

[YUR-ran fruhst]

  • Göran Fröst is a Swedish violist and composer.
  • Fröst is a member of Kammaremsemblen, a Swedish contemporary music ensemble, is principal violist in the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and teaches viola at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm.4

Composer website

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Romantic (~1820–1900) Finnish Swedish

JÄRNEFELT, Armas

Black and white portrait of Armas Jarnefelt

Born in Viipuri [now Vyborg, Russia], Aug 14, 1869
Died in Stockholm, June 23, 1958

[AR-mas YAIR-neh-felt | PRONUNCIATION]

  • Composer and conductor Armas Järnefelt was of Finnish birth and later took Swedish nationality.5
  • While studying at the Helsinki Institute of Music under Ferruccio Busoni, Järnefelt met both his soon-to-be-friend and fellow composer, Jean Sibelius, and his future first wife, soprano Maikki Pakarinen.
    • Fun fact – Järnefelt’s younger sister, Aino, married Sibelius. The couple became acquainted when Armas brought his friend to his family home for a visit.
  • Following his graduation from the Institute, Järnefelt pursued further studies, first in Berlin with Albert Becker, followed by Paris with Jules Massenet.
  • As a composer, Järnefelt wrote works for orchestra, choir, and solo piano.
  • In addition to composing, Järnefelt took on conducting posts throughout his career. He is best known for his position as principal conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera (where he met his second wife, mezzo-soprano Liva Edström). At 70 years old, Järnefelt was invited to lead the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.6
    • Additional fun fact – Järnefelt is responsible for introducing Finnish audiences to Wagner’s operas.7 

Learn More
Bio via Armas Järnefelt’s Society

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Swedish

LARSSON, Lars-Erik

Born in Åkarp, Skåne, May 15, 1908
Died in Helsingborg, Dec 26, 1986

  • Larsson studied at the Stockholm Conservatory and also took composition lessons with Alban Berg.
  • Larsson spent much of his career as a composer and director for Swedish radio orchestras and was also a university composition professor.
  • Style: Larsson’s music shows the influence of Nordic Romanticism (i.e. Grieg) but also of serialism and polytonality.8

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Late Romantic (~1860 – 1920) Swedish

LINDBERG, Oskar

Born in Gagnef, Dalarna, Feb 23, 1887
Died in Stockholm, April 10, 1955

  • Lindberg was an organist and teacher as well as a composer.
  • Lindberg was a conservatory professor of harmony and also taught high school music. He was instrumental in compiling a hymnal in 1939, which contained 14 of his original hymn compositions.
  • Style: Lindberg’s composition was influenced both by the late Romantic music of styles of Rachmaninoff and Sibelius, and by his own family heritage of folk music (he had peasant violinists in his ancestry).9

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Late Romantic (~1860 – 1920) Swedish

STENHAMMAR, Wilhelm

Wilhelm Stenhammar

Born in Stockholm, Feb 7, 1871
Died in Stockholm, Nov 20, 1927

  • Stenhammar was a Swedish conductor, organist, and pianist. He studied organ and theory with private teachers, but as a composer, he was mostly self-taught.
  • Fun fact: Stenhammar came from an artistic family that included and architect and composer (his father) a visual artist (his mother), singers (his uncle and aunt), and a choral conductor (his cousin). As a child he was part of a family choir that sang for upper-class families.
  • Stenhammar was a conductor who held posts directing the Stockholm Philharmonic Society, the Swedish Royal Opera, the New Philharmonic Society, and the Göteborg Orchestral Society.10

Biography and works list from Swedish Musical Heritage  

Pieces

Categories
20th Century Swedish

WIRÉN, Dag

Dag Wirén

Born in Striberg, Närke, Oct 15, 1905
Died in Stockholm, April 19, 198611

Biography

Name pronunciation:
[dɔg viɾ’in]
“dawg vee-REEN”
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Pieces