Olav Fartein Valen (25 August 1887 – 14 December 1952) 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 A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, notable for his work in

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

music. He developed a polyphony similar to

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's counterpoint, but based on motivic working and dissonance rather than harmonic progression.

Biography

Early life

Valen was born in

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, Norway in 1887 into a deeply Christian religious family and maintained his religious beliefs all his life. His parents were missionaries, and he spent five years of his childhood in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. In addition to his aptitude for music, he was also a

polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingualism, monolingual speakers in the World population, world's pop ...

, mastering at least nine languages. He earned his

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

with the highest grades in all subjects except mathematics. He loved cats, nature and literature, cultivated roses (even developed an award-winning hybrid), and after losing them in a devastating freeze took up growing cacti.

Musical career

In 1906, Valen moved to Kristiania (today's Oslo) to study Norwegian literature and language but also took classes with Catharinus Elling (1858–1942) at the

Oslo Conservatory of Music Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of i ...

, graduating with a degree in organ playing. In 1909 he moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

to study piano, theory, and composition at the Music Academy with (amongst others)

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...

. While in Berlin, he worked on exercises in both tonal and atonal counterpoint. In 1916, he returned to Norway and took up residence at his family estate with his mother and sister in

Sunnhordland Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardang ...

where he started the most productive phase of his career, churning out more than 25,000 piano etudes (though they are not among his official works), while continuing to refine his own dissonant counterpoint. The counterpoint has similarities to that of J.S. Bach and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

, though evidence reveals that they were developed independently. After his mother's death, Valen traveled to Rome and Paris during the 1920s, gaining much inspiration from the wealth of art and architecture there. His work became more controversial among many conservative critics, much to Valen's disappointment. In 1924 he returned to Oslo, and from 1927 to 1936 he worked as a musical archivist at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. In 1935 the government gave him a semi-permanent grant for composers. He quit teaching and moved back to Sunnhordland into the care of his sister and began to compose full-time. After 1948, his work began to gain greater recognition, both within Norway and outside. Among others, pianist

Glenn Gould Glenn Herbert Gould (; né Gold; September 25, 1932October 4, 1982) was a Canadian classical pianist. He was one of the most famous and celebrated pianists of the 20th century, and was renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard works of Johann ...

became a great admirer of Valen and wrote in a letter to Jane Fiedman of CBS Records at the time of his recording of Valen's Piano Sonata no. 2, "I really do feel, for the first time in many years, that I've encountered a major figure in 20th century music". Valen never married. He died in 1952 in

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

Musical compositions

* Symphonies ** Symphony No. 1, Op. 30 (1937–39) ** Symphony No. 2, Op. 40 (1941–44) ** Symphony No. 3, Op. 41 (1944–46) ** Symphony No. 4, Op. 43 (1947–49) * Orchestral works ** ''Pastorale'', Op. 11 (1929–30) ** ''Sonetto di Michelangelo'', Op. 17 No. 1 (1932) ** ''Cantico di ringraziamento'', Op. 17 No. 2 (1932–33) ** ''Nenia sulla morte d'un giovan'', Op. 18 No. 1 (1932) ** ''An die Hoffnung'', Op. 18 No. 2 (1933) ** ''Epithalamion'', Op. 19 (1933) ** ''Le Cimetière marin'', Op. 20 (1933–34) ** ''La Isla de las calmas'', Op. 21 (1934) ** ''Ode til ensomheten'' (''Ode to solitude''), Op. 35 (1939) ** Violin Concerto, Op. 37 (1940) ** Piano Concerto, Op. 44 (1949–50) * Chamber works ** String Quartet No. 0 (without opus number) ** Violin Sonata, Op. 3 (1917) ** Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op. 5 (1917–24) ** String Quartet No. 1, Op. 10 (1928–29) ** String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13 (1930–31) ** Serenade for wind quintet, Op. 42 (1946–47) * Piano works ** ''Legende'', Op. 1 (1907–08) ** Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2 (1912) ** 4 Stücke, Op. 22 (1934–35) ** Variations, Op. 23 (1935–36) ** Gavotte and Musette, Op. 24 (1936) ** Prelude and Fugue, Op. 28 (1937) ** Two Preludes for piano, Op. 29 (1937) ** Intermezzo, Op. 36 (1939–40) ** Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 38 (1940–41) * Organ works ** Prelude and Fugue, Op. 33 (1939) ** Pastoral, Op. 34 (1939) * Choral works ** ''

Psalm 121 Psalm 121 is the 121st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint a ...

'', Op. 2 (1911) ** ''Hvad est du dog skiøn'',

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

for mixed choir a cappella, Op. 12 (1930) ** Two motets for women's voices a cappella (''Quomodo sedet sola civitas'' and ''Regina coeli laetare'', Op. 14 (1931) ** Two motets for male choir a cappella (''O Salutaris Hostia'' and ''Quia vidisti me''), Op. 15 (1931) ** Two motets for mixed choir a cappella (''Etdices in die illa'' and ''Deus noster refugium et virtus''), Op. 16 (1931–32) ** '' Kom regn fra det høie'', motet for women's voices a cappella, Op. 25 (1936) ** ''O store Konge, Davids Søn'', motet for male choir a cappella, Op. 26 (1936–37) ** ''Vaagn op, min Sjæl'', motet for mixed choir a cappella, Op. 27 (1937) * Orchestral songs ** ''Ave Maria'', Op. 4 (1917–21) ** ''Mignon: Zwei Gedichte von Goethe'', Op. 7 (1925–27) ** ''Zwei Chinesische Gedichte'', Op. 8 (1925–27) ** ''Darest Thou now, o Soul'', Op. 9 (1920–28) ** ''La noche oscura del alma'', Op. 32 (1939) * Songs for Piano and Voice ** Drei Gedichte von Goethe, Op. 6 (1925–27) ** Zwei Lieder, for soprano and piano, Op. 31 (1939) ** Zwei Lieder, for soprano and piano, Op. 39 (1941)

Fartein Valen Prize

The Fartein Valen Prize is a Norwegian music award in memory of the composer. The Fartein Valen Scholarship (''Fartein Valen-stipendet'') is an associated Norwegian music scholarship. The prize and scholarship were first awarded in 1999 and 2002, respectively, and are now awarded every two years. Past winners have included

Arve Tellefsen Arve Tellefsen () (born 14 December 1936) is a Norwegian violinist who has worked with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Arvid Jansons, Herbert Blomstedt, Gary Bertini, Evgeny Svetlanov, Bryden Thomson, Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paavo B ...

and Ståle Kleiberg.

References

Sources

* *

External links

FarteinValen.no

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valen, Fartein Modernist composers Norwegian classical composers Norwegian music theorists Musicians from Stavanger 1887 births 1952 deaths Norwegian male classical composers Oslo Conservatory of Music alumni 20th-century musicologists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians University of Oslo