Multimedia Mania/abacus-multimedia-mania.iso/dp/0015/00155.txt

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$Unique_ID{bob00155}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Denmark
Carl Nielsen}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Nils Schiorring}
$Affiliation{Press and Cultural Relations}
$Subject{carl
nielsen
music
danish
copenhagen
symphony
musical
works
first
life}
$Date{1988}
$Log{}
Title:       Denmark
Book:        Fact Sheets on Denmark
Author:      Nils Schiorring
Affiliation: Press and Cultural Relations
Date:        1988

Carl Nielsen

His life

     In autumn 1883 an 18-year old bandsman left Odense for Copenhagen in
search of fame, precisely as Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark's renowned
writer of fairytales, had done at age 14 half a century earlier. There is no
way of telling whether Carl Nielsen, consciously or subconsciously, was
inspired by the example of Hans Christian Andersen but somehow their destinies
resembled each other. Hans Christian Andersen's naive but irrepressible
aspirations were strangely successful in gaining the attention of influential
people in Copenhagen. They organised his education and thus laid the
foundation for his development. In similar manner, and directly on his arrival
in Copenhagen Carl Nielsen introduced himself to the composer Niels W. Gade,
prime mover of Danish music life, and, together with J. P. E. Hartmann, the
greatest name of the Danish Romantic School in music and director of the
Copenhagen Conservatoire. Carl Nielsen who despite his tender age possessed a
respectable musical background showed some of his compositions to Gade and was
immediately admitted to the Conservatory. During his three obligatory study
years he matured into a talented violinist but he wanted above all to become a
composer.

     He was born on June 9, 1865 in a small house in the village of Norre
Lyndelse - today a museum for him - some ten kilometres south of Odense, and
was, as it were, raised on music. His father, Niels the Painter, was a
craftsman, mostly a housepainter as witness his nickname but he would derive
his greatest satisfaction from music. He was the local fiddler but versed in
much more than the traditional dance tunes with which he would delight young
and old alike at weddings, christening parties and other gatherings in the
countryside. The cornet was his principal instrument but he was a nimble
fiddler as well. In the local music society he would join in the playing of
both Haydn and Mozart whose music became enchanted and familiar to young Carl
who early began to play his father's instruments. Already as a boy he would
join his father on long and arduous evenings and nights to entertain the
carousing peasants - even though he had a long day's work as a cowherd behind
him.

     Music soon became Carl Nielsen's sole preoccupation but he had to do a
brief stint as a grocer's apprentice before his father suggested that he
devote himself to the wind instruments, which might open up a career for him
as a military musician in Odense. He auditioned for the first vacancy and won,
even though at 14 he was the youngest applicant. Carl Nielsen has himself
written about this period of his life in his memoir My Childhood (1927) which
is a worthy companion piece to Hans Christian Andersen's famous The Story of
My Life.

     While in Odense he began playing the piano and composing profusely. At
the tender age of 8 he had composed a couple of dance tunes and the musical
talent he demonstrated in Odense was obvious enough to gain him the confidence
of the circles which were to back him throughout his study period at the
Conservatory. In Copenhagen the violin became his principal instrument
although the lessons in theory and composition were what fascinated him most.
Only a year and a half after leaving the Conservatory His Official opus 1 was
performed in Tivoli Gardens in summer 1888. This was the lovely Suite for
Strings which was critically acclaimed and has since become a regular item in
the Danish concert repertory.

     Although he hoped to be able to make a living as a composer he saw the
necessity of applying for a regular position and in 1889 auditioned for and
won a place as a violinist in the Chapel Royal, opera and ballet orchestra of
the Royal Theatre, where he remained until 1905. There he immediately sensed
the pre-eminent musicality of the Theatre's conductor, Norwegian-born Johan
Svendsen, in his capacity of both conductor of operas and composer. The operas
performed at the Theatre in those years and new additions such as Othello,
Falstaff and Carmen, greatly impressed the young people playing in the
orchestra, and the earliest Nielsen compositions show traces of Svendsen's
boldly unsentimental and national Romanticism of pure form, to wit the G minor
string quartet and the G major string quintet (both 1888), the F minor string
quartet (1890) and the first symphony in G minor (1892). No matter how finely
tuned Carl Nielsen's inner musical world would become as years went by his
music will always feature a line going back to something simple and serene
even though in terms of rhythm and tonality he quickly developed a sense of
greater differentiation. His preoccupation in particular with a tonality going
beyond the major-minor modes must be linked to his studies during his
relatively young years of the works of Palestrina which inspired him to
emphasise the horizontal-linear structure rather than the vertical-harmonic
movement.

     At an early age Carl Nielsen was awarded Det Anckerske Legat, at the time
the most prestigious and most coveted fellowship for young Danish artists and
authors wishing to study abroad. He first went to Germany where in Dresden he
was spellbound by a performance of the entire Ring of the Nibelungen, then
proceeded to France and Italy. Later extended tours took him to Germany and
Austria, to Greece and then to Sweden - mostly to conduct his own works. In
his mature years he would go to Germany again, as well as to England and
France to conduct own works. 1908-14 he held the post of conductor at the
Royal Theatre after Johan Svendsen, a job that would cause him several
disappointments, and from 1915 conducted in The Society of Music. In 1916 he
joined the board of the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music and was promoted to
chairman in 1931, less than one year before his death.

     During the last 15 years of his life he thus had opportunity to live and
work almost exclusively as a creative artist the way he had wanted it from his
earliest youth. His last years were, however, marred by failing health and as
an artist - despite all manner of official recognition - by the wholehearted
appreciation by only a relatively modest part of Danish musical life whose
members often found it difficult to understand his progressive, non-Romantic
tonal language. Nor did he arouse the kind of attention abroad - except in
Sweden - which his music has increasingly attracted after the Second World
War. As late as his 60th birthday Carl Nielsen spoke poignantly of his
bitterness about the social status of a creative artist. Not until after his
death did he - undeniably Denmark's greatest composer since Buxtehude - win
the recognition he so rightfully deserved.

His work

     The oeuvre of Carl Nielsen the composer became very comprehensive and his
creative capacity was astonishing even during the years when the theatre
demanded so much of his time, first as a violinist, later as a conductor. It
is amazing as well that within nearly all musical genres did he succeed in
formulating new norms for what might be called the national genius in Danish
music. He did not see himself as a revolutionary but in nearly all his works,
large or small, does one discern his ability to give new life to the major
musical forms of the past such as the symphony, opera and other vocal music,
including the simple and unpretentious Danish song so rich in tradition.
Romanticism was his point of departure, but Romanticism without excessive
sentimentality. It was shaped very early as Romanticism with fresh features in
terms of harmony with a twist towards modalism, in terms of melody with a
distinct dislike for large melodic intervals, and above all with a
predilection for equality among the parts which so many other composers had
tended to ignore.

     In his young years he would try his hand first at the simpler forms,
which does not imply that they are less exacting. His official opus 1, the
Suite for Strings, is a case in point. Soon to follow were songs with piano
accompaniment. It was typical of him to seek inspiration in contemporary
poetry, in J.P. Jacobsen (opus 4 and opus 6, both 1891) which would serve
as inspiration for foreign composers in the decades to come, among them
Schonberg (Gurrelieder) and Delius (Fennimore and Gerda). Also young Danish
lyricists such as Ludvig Holstein whose art was related to that of the French
symbolists, stirred the musicality of Carl Nielsen (opus 10, 1894). In his
later songs he was drawn towards a simplified expressiveness which was
inspired by Lieder im Volkston by the German 18th century composer J.A.P.
Schulz. Their object, "a touch of the familiar", in the same idealistic sense
became the motto of his (and his contemporary colleague, Thomas Laub's) Twenty
Danish Songs I-II (1915, 1917). They became the paragon of the Danish strophic
song from 1915 to 1945 and set the standard in the renaissance of the Danish
popular ballad.

     In major vocal forms as well Carl Nielsen was early to show his
peculiarity. The great choral work Hymnus Amoris was born 1895-96. It
describes the ages of love and praises its power, with lyrics translated into
Latin in order to elevate it above personal emotion. Without sacrificing one
iota of human warmth Carl Nielsen has with his music lifted his work to the
monumental-universal level by being clearly inspired by the great old works
from the great age of vocal polyphony. In contrast to Hymnus Amoris his Three
Motets from 1929, are composed for a capella choir to texts from the Psalms of
David but like the work of his youth they are with their refined polyphony
fresh and unequivocal evidence of their maker's lifelong preoccupation with
the contrapuntists of the past.

     To Danish opera and opera lovers Carl Nielsen gave two of his major and
most frequently performed works. They were innovations in both theme and
musical form. The first, Saul and David, begun in 1898, was inspired by
the Old Testament account of the power struggle between the first two kings of
Israel. It opened in 1902 at the Royal Theatre. Although librettist Einar
Christiansen wrote it as a psychological dramatic opera both text, music and
the majestic chorus scenes give it the quality of an oratorio and in its
tonal language it departs wholly from the verismo of the day and the latter's
contrived effect and from the sensuously effective alteration harmony of late
Romanticism.

     Carl Nielsen's second opera, Masquarade, which opened in 1906 is
something else again with its predominant note of merriment. The plot is
borrowed from the popular play of the same name by the great Danish writer of
comedies, Ludvig Holberg, dubbed the Moli@ere of Denmark. It was therefore
quite daring of librettist Vilh. Andersen and the composer to translate the
story into an opera. But Masquarade has also as a musical comedy proved its
vitality. The account in words and music of early 18th century Copenhagen
bourgeoisie, its daily life and entertainment, the clash between happy and
enamoured young people and stiff-necked old age is perceived with humour and
sensitivity. From the extravagantly spirited overture to the frivolity of
the dancing scenes of the last act the opera is pervaded by resilience and
zest which together with the fine lyrical episodes have won the Carl Nielsen
opera a greater following in our century than the Holberg comedy in the two
centuries since it was published in 1748.

     Among the purely symphonic works Carl Nielsen's six symphonies and
three concertos (for violin, 1911; for flute, 1927; for clarinet, 1928)
deserve particular attention. The symphonies are the high points of his
production and clearly show his development from early youth to old age.

     His first symphony (G minor, 1892) already showed maturity and
personality. The Carl Nielsen predilection for modal traces in the melodic
picture is already present. The treatment of dissonance is free and unusual
and the harmonic structure is an obvious result of the independent movement of
the parts. Carl Nielsen named his second symphony (1901-02) The Four
Temperaments just as he would later give his symphonies a title descriptive of
their spirit and content. Without being a piece of programme music as such the
second symphony is a spiritual and precise interpretation through the musical
medium of the choleric, the phlegmatic, the melancholy and the sanguine
temperaments. In his third symphony, Sinfonia Espansiva (1910-11) he
expressed - notably in the first movement - a musical thrust seeking its equal
while the fourth symphony, The Inextinguishable (1914-16) under the motto:
Music is life and as such inextinguishable, reinforces the huge musical
tensions that are so characteristic of the third symphony. But both also have
a noble lyrical tone which in the second theme groups and the slow movements
is so distinctly Carl Nielsen.

     The fifth symphony (1920-22) bears no special title although its two
mighty movements are in a way about the battle between musical motifs
and - in a broader sense in the immediate post-World War One period - about
the battle of humanity against its own doom. At its presentation the fifth
symphony was perceived as recondite but after the Second World War when the
name of Carl Nielsen was becoming known the world over it was one of the works
which jointly with Sinfonia Espansiva and the fascinating, entirely
unconventional clarinet concerto, would generate understanding for the
strength and independence of his music.

     The fifth symphony, unlike its predecessors, may in its development from
a tiny germ to enormous dimensions point to an inspiration from Carl Nielsen's
friend and great Finnish colleague Jean Sibelius's symphonies which is also
true in another sense of Carl Nielsen's grandiose violin concerto from 1911.
But the spirit of his sixth, and last, symphony (1925) is totally dissimilar
to that of the Sibelius works and once again Carl Nielsen proves to us that
in everything he created he was profoundly original but also open to the
currents in contemporary music. He named his last symphony Sinfonia Semplice.
It shows that he was preoccupied with what was going on in European music
after the First World War whose new currents he became acquainted with while
conducting own works in Berlin in 1922, London in 1923, Paris in 1926,
Frankfurt a.M. in 1927 (when Furtwangler conducted the fifth symphony at the
annual music festival of the International Society for Contemporary Music). At
this time, at age 60, Carl Nielsen demonstrated in his instrumentation with
many chamber-musical features, hints of dodecaphony, something resembling a
mosaic in his structure and in a pronounced freedom of tonality that he was
still open and receptive.

     The production of Carl Nielsen is so comprehensive that it has been
possible to discuss only a few of his major works. But mention must also be
made of his piano works, an area in which he was as innovative in Danish
music as in all others. His Symphonic Suite from 1892 is still reminiscent
of Brahms and his compatriot J.P.E. Hartmann. But later works such as
Chaconne and Theme and Variations (both from 1916-17) and Suite from 1919
reveal entirely independent features unknown to the European music of the day
and resembling the fourth and fifth symphonies while Three Piano Pieces (1928)
contain expressionist and dodecaphonic traits.

     The 1920s represented an incredibly rich artistic period in the life of
Carl Nielsen in which he demonstrated an irrepressible urge to include new
trends in his art. The wind quintet (1922) is a case in point, which its
classically pure features, today a regular item in the repertory of
windplayers the world over. An even more pronounced example is the clarinet
concerto from 1928 which seeks totally new avenues in the treatment of the
solo instrument and belongs in the programme of all great clarinet players.
Also Commotio, the mighty organ work from 1930-31, proves Carl Nielsen's urge
to seek out his own directions while still being inspired by the past. Around
1930, with the nascent reorientation in organ building and organ playing and
with a historically more correct view of how to perform Baroque music gaining
ground, the 65-year-old composer succeeded in raising with Commotio a
resounding monument to these endeavours. Its foundation is the organ style of
the period of Bach but its visible and audible superstructure is an
unequivocal expression of his own spirit and will.

     At a time when Romanticism was viewed as obsolete Carl Nielsen ushered in
a renaissance that would remain strong for a long time to come. He was firmly
anchored in the past, a past predating Romanticism. In it he sought clarity
and purity, giving it his own voice. He created a firm and energetic tonal
language, but one that held mild tones as well. The strengthen and mildness of
his own psyche are reflected in his music and thus he was able to strengthen
Danish music in a time of decline.

     He created new values in Danish music.



Bibliography

     Carl Nielsen: Kompositioner (Compositions. In Danish only). A
bibliography compiled by Dan Fog with Torben Schousboe. Nyt Nordisk Forlag -
Arnold Busck, Copenhagen 1965.

     Carl Nielsen: Levende musik. Martins Forlag, Copenhagen, 1927. Living
Music, English translation by R. Spink. Wilh. Hansen, Copenhagen, undated.

     Carl Nielsen: Min fynske barndom, Martins Forlag, Copenhagen, 1927. My
Childhood, English translation by R. Spink. Wilh. Hansen, Copenhagen,
undated.

     Carl Nielsen: Dagboger og brevveksling med Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen
(Diaries and correspondence with Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. In Danish only).
Edited by Torben Schousboe, Gyldendal, Copenhagen, 1983.

     Torben Meyer & Frede Schandorf Petersen: Carl Nielsen, kunstneren og
mennesket (Carl Nielsen as an artist and individual. In Danish only). Vols.
I-II. Nyt Nordisk Forlag - Arnold Busck, Copenhagen, 1947.

     Ludvig Dolleris: Carl Nielsen (in Danish only). Fyns Boghandels
Forlag - Viggo Madsen, Odense, 1949.

     Robert Simpson: Carl Nielsen, Symphonist, 1865-1931. J.M. Dent & Sons
Ltd., London, 1952. 2nd rev. ed. 1980.

     Jurgen Balzer (editor): Carl Nielsen Centenary Essays. Nyt Nordisk
Forlag - Arnold Busck, Copenhagen, 1965.

     Johannes Fabricius: Carl Nielsen 1865-1931 (in Danish only). A pictorial
biography. Berlingske Forlag, Copenhagen, 1965.

     John C. G. Waterhouse: Nielsen Reconsidered. The Musical Times, London,
June-August 1965.