Gerhard Rosenkrone Schjelderup (November 17, 1859 – July 29, 1933) was a Norwegian composer, known especially for his operas.

Biography

Schjelderup was born in Kristiansand. Norway. One of five children, each with an artistic bent, his talent was encouraged from youth. The composer Mon Schjelderup was his cousin. In 1878 he traveled to Paris, where he studied cello with Auguste Franchomme and

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

with Augustin Savard. He also studied with

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...

at the Conservatoire de Paris. By the time of his return to Norway, in 1884, he had already written a number of works. Norske komponister ved Musikkfesten i Bergen, 1898

Norske komponister ved Musikkfesten i Bergen, 1898

Schjelderup was introduced to the work of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

while in Paris, and went to Germany for further exposure to his work. This in turn inspired him to write operas, which were to prove the bulk of his output, though he also composed a number of orchestral and

chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...

works. He also wrote on music for Norwegian publications, and wrote biographies of Edvard Grieg and of Wagner. In 1921 together with

Ole Mørk Sandvik Ole Mørk Sandvik (9 May 1875 – 5 August 1976) was a Norwegian educator, musicologist and folk-song collector. Background Sandvik was born on the island of Helgøya in Hedmark, Norway. He was a son of school inspector Paul Knutsen Barstad Sa ...

, he published ''Norsk folkemusik, særlig Østlandsmusikken'' which was the first history of Norwegian music. Schjelderup was among the founders of the Norwegian Society of Composers (''Norsk komponistforening'') in 1917, and from that year until 1920 served as its chairman. He continued to promote Norwegian music despite living abroad; he died at

Benediktbeuern Benediktbeuern (Central Bavarian: ''Benediktbeiern'') is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria, Germany, 2 kilometers, or 1.25 miles from Bichl. The village has 3,602 residents as of 31 December 2019. The medieval ...

in Bavaria, Germany during 1933.

Operas

* ''Austanfyre sol og vestanfyre måne'' (1889-1890) – one act performed at Munich, 1990 * ''Sonntagmorgen'' (1891–92) – Munich, 1893 * ''Norwegische Hochzeit'' (1894) – Prague, 1900 :*as ''Bruderovet'' – Kristiania, 1919 * ''En hellig aften'' (1895) – Kristiania, 1915 * ''Sampo Lappelill'' (1890-1900) (see

Sampo Lappelill ''Sampo Lappelill. En saga från Lappland.'' (''Sampo the Little Lapp Boy. A Tale from Lappland'') is a fairy tale by Finnish writer Zachris Topelius about an adventurous Sámi boy who defies the Mountain King creature. "Lapp" is the historical te ...

) * ''Et folk i nød'' (1906–07) * ''Vårnatt'' (1906–07) – Dresden, 1908 * ''Opal'' (1915) – Dresden, 1915 * ''Den røde pimpernell'' * ''Sturmvögel'' – Schwerin, 1926 * ''Liebesnächte'' (1930) – Lübeck 1934

Documents

Letters by Gerhard Schjelderup held by the State Archives in Leipzig, company archives of the Music Publishing House C.F.Peters (Leipzig).

References

External links

Gerhard Schjelderup: Obscure Operas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schjelderup, Gerhard 1859 births 1933 deaths Conservatoire de Paris alumni Norwegian classical composers Norwegian musicologists Norwegian opera composers Musicians from Kristiansand Norwegian male classical composers