Edvard Fliflet Bræin (23 August 1924 – 30 April 1976) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

composer and conductor. He is best remembered for the composition ''Ut mot havet'' and the opera ''Anne Pedersdotter''.

Personal life

Bræin was born in

Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of ...

as the son of composer, conductor and organist Edvard Bræin (1887–1957) and his wife Magnhild Fliflet. He married Karen Torjusen in 1946.

Career

Bræin studied at the institution Musikkonservatoriet i Oslo from 1942 to 1945, and musical composition with

Bjarne Brustad Bjarne Brustad (4 March 1895, in Kristiania, now Oslo – 20 May 1978, in Oslo) was a Norwegian composer, violinist and violist. He played with symphonic orchestras in Stavanger and Oslo. In the 1920s he travelled to European cities such as ...

and conducting with

Odd Grüner-Hegge Odd Ragnar Grüner-Hegge (September 23, 1899 – May 11, 1973) was a Norwegian conductor and composer. He was the longest-serving conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and he was the conductor at the Norwegian National Opera in the 1960s. Family ...

. His debut as conductor was in Bergen in 1947, with Musikselskabet Harmoniens orkester. His first compositions were ''De glade musikanter'' and ''Konsertouverture'' from 1948. He studied composition with

Jean Rivier Alexis Fernand Félix Jean Rivier (21 July 1896 – 6 November 1987) was a French composer of classical music in the neoclassical style. The son of Henri Rivier, a co-inventor of Armenian paper, he composed over two hundred works, including mus ...

in Paris from 1950 to 1951. Bræin wrote symphonies, compositions for piano and orchestra, for flute and orchestra, chamber music and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s. His first symphony was finished in 1950, his second in 1954, and his third in 1968. His best-known composition is ''Ut mot havet'' from 1964, originally a song melody (with lyrics by Henrik Straumsheim), and later versions include an arrangement for orchestra, a piano version, and several choir versions. He has further composed melodies for songs with lyrics by Einar Skjæraasen,

Jakob Sande Jakob Sande (1 December 1906 – 16 March 1967) was a Norwegian writer, poet and folk singer from Dale in Sunnfjord. His parents were Andreas Sande and Ragna Margrete (born Barsnes). He married Solveig Ytterlid in 1942 and they had a daughter, Si ...

Hartvig Kiran Hartvig Kiran (3 November 1911 – 15 August 1978) was a Norwegian author, lyricist and composer. He was most commonly associated with his broadcasts on the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Biography Kiran was born at Ålesund in Møre og ...

and

Johan Herman Wessel Johan Herman Wessel (6 October 1742 – 29 December 1785) was an 18th-century Danish-Norwegian poet, satirist and playwright. His written work was characterized by the use of parody and satiric wit. Biography Wessel was born and raised at Vest ...

. He composed two operas. The opera ''Anne Pedersdotter'' was first performed at Den Norske Opera in 1971. It has a libretto by Hans Kristiansen based on a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Hans Wiers-Jenssen Hans Wiers-Jenssen (25 November 1866 – 25 August 1925) was a Norwegian novelist, playwright, stage producer and theatre historian. Wiers-Jenssen was employed at the theatres Christiania Theatre, Nationaltheatret and Den Nationale Scene. P ...

, which was inspired by the

witch trial A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...

in 1590 against Anne Pedersdotter, the widow of priest Absalon Pederssøn Beyer. The comic opera ''Den Stundesløse'', finished in 1975, is based on a comedy by

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...

Selected compositions

;Opera * ''Anne Pedersdotter'', opera in 4 acts, Op. 18 (1971); libretto by Hans Kristiansen after the play by Hans Wiers-Jensen * ''Den Stundesløse'' (The Fidget), Op. 21 (1975) ;Orchestral * ''Concert Overture'', Op. 2 (1948) * Symphony No. 1, Op. 4 (1950) * ''Serenade'', Op. 5 (1951–1952) * ''Adagio'' for string orchestra, Op. 6 (1953) * Symphony No.2, Op. 8 (1954) * ''Symfonisk forspill'' (Symphonic Prelude), Op. 11 (1959) * ''Largo'' for string orchestra, Op. 12 (1961) * ''Liten Ouverture'' (Ouverture in Miniature), Op. 14 * Symphony No. 3, Op. 16 (1968) * ''Ritmico e melodica'', Op. 19 (1971) * ''Havljom'', Concert Overture, Op. 20 (1973) ;Concertante * ''Serenade'' for viola and orchestra (1947) * ''Capriccio'' for piano and orchestra, Op. 9 (1958) * Concertino for flute and orchestra, Op. 10 ;Chamber music * ''The Merry Musicians'' for clarinet, violin, viola and cello, Op. 1 (1947) * ''Divertimento'' for clarinet, violin, viola and cello, Op. 13 (1962) * Trio for violin, viola and cello, Op. 15 (1964) ;Piano * ''2 Klaverstykker'' (2 Piano Pieces) * ''Bånsull og Scherzo'', Op. 7 ;Vocal * ''Einsleg'' for voice and orchestra, Op. 3 * ''Two Songs'' for voice and piano, Op. 17 (1968) * ''Ut mot havet'', Song for medium voice and piano; words by Henrik Straumsheim

References

External links

Edvard Fliflet Bræin at the Music Information Centre Norway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braein, Edvard Fliflet 1924 births 1976 deaths 20th-century classical composers Composers for violin Norwegian Academy of Music alumni Norwegian classical composers Norwegian opera composers Musicians from Kristiansund Norwegian male classical composers 20th-century Norwegian male musicians