Hilding Constantin Rosenberg (June 21, 1892 – May 18, 1985)Lyne Peter H. Rosenberg, Hilding (Constantin). In: ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

''. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

composer and conductor. He is commonly regarded as the first Swedish

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

composer, and one of the most influential figures in 20th-century

classical music in Sweden Classical may refer to: European antiquity *Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek and ...

Life and career

Born in

Bosjökloster Bosjökloster ( en, Bosjö Abbey) is a castle located on the shore of Lake Ringsjön in Höör Municipality, Scania, Sweden. History It was originally a nunnery, founded in 1080 by the Benedictine Order. The oldest preserved document that ...

, he was an organist (completing his examinations in 1909), and as a young man a concert pianist and music teacher. In 1915 he began studying at the Stockholm Conservatory under Ernst Ellberg. Later teachers included

Wilhelm Stenhammar Carl Wilhelm Eugen Stenhammar (February 7, 1871 – November 20, 1927) was a Swedish composer, conductor and pianist. Biography Stenhammar was born in Stockholm and was the brother of architect Ernst Stenhammar. He received his first musical e ...

(counterpoint) and Hermann Scherchen (conducting). Stenhammar included several of Rosenberg's early works in concerts he arranged. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he toured Europe and became a prominent conductor. In 1920 he studied on a scholarship in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, which brought formative contacts with

Arnold Schönberg 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 ...

and

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

. In 1932 he was appointed coach and assistant conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera, becoming its chief conductor two years later, although from this point composing began to take a prominent part in his life to conducting. While his earlier works display the influence of

Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

, he soon led the way for Swedish composers to move away from the late Romantic style and became considered as somewhat radical. His output covered all genres, from his 14 works for string quartet (1920–1972) and eight symphonies (1917–1974, including his symphony no. 2 ''Grave'', symphony no. 4 ''Johannes Uppenbarelse'', fifth symphony ''Örtagårdsmästaren'' and sixth ''Sinfonia Semplice'') as well as ''Piano Concerto no. 2'' to songs. He wrote a considerable body of work for the theatre (around 50 scores in total), including nine operatic works. He taught composition privately to amongst others

Karl-Birger Blomdahl Karl-Birger Blomdahl (19 October 1916 – 14 June 1968) was a Swedish composer and conductor born in Växjö. He was educated in biochemistry, but was primarily active in music and by his experimental compositions he became one of the big names ...

, Ingvar Lidholm, and

Daniel Börtz Daniel Börtz (born 8 August 1943) is a Swedish composer, born in Hässleholm. He studied composition under Hilding Rosenberg, Karl-Birger Blomdahl and Ingvar Lidholm. Among his works are the operas ''Bacchanterna'' (1991), ''Marie Antoinette'' ...

. He opined that "One creates out of what has been before, out of the experiences of others, as well as those of oneself, out of everything one knows, has read, or been acquainted with". His violin concerto features as part of the sound track of the 1936 film ''

Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

'', directed by

Gustaf Molander Gustaf Harald August Molander (18 November 1888 – 19 June 1973) was a Swedish actor and film director. His parents were director Harald Molander, Sr. (1858–1900) and singer and actress Lydia Molander, ''née'' Wessler, and his brother was th ...

and starring Ingrid Bergman and

Gösta Ekman Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman (; 28 July 1939 – 1 April 2017) was a Swedish actor, comedian, and director. Career Ekman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and was the son of the director Hasse Ekman and Agneta (née Wrangel). Ekman represented ...

. He also composed music for the 1944 film '' Hets'' (known in English as either ''Torment'' or ''Frenzy''), directed by

Alf Sjöberg Sven Erik Alf Sjöberg (21 June 1903 – 17 April 1980) was a Swedish theatre and film director. He won the Grand Prix du Festival at the Cannes Film Festival twice: in 1946 for '' Torment'' ( sv, Hets) (part of an eleven-way tie), and in 1951 ...

from a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman. Rosenberg was Vice-President of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music ( sv, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. At the time of its foundation, only one of its co-founder was a professional musician, Ferdin ...

in 1951–1953, received a honorary doctorate from

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

in 1951 and was a honorary member of the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following th ...

.Percy, Gösta. Leading Swedish Composers of the Twentieth Century - Hilding Rosenberg. In: ''Swedish music - past and present.'' Stockholm, Musikrevy, 1967?. OCLC Number: 585452. He died in Bromma, Stockholm.

Selected compositions

Orchestral music

Symphonies

* Symphony (no. 0) (1915–1916, withdrawn) * Symphony no. 1, op. 5 (1919, revised 1932, 1971) * Symphony no. 2, op. 62 ''Sinfonia grave'' (1934) * Symphony no. 3, ''The Four Ages of Man'' (1939, rev. 1943; 1949 with new third movement) * Symphony no. 4, ''The Revelation of John'', for baritone, choir and orchestra (1940;

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

Hjalmar Gullberg Hjalmar Gullberg (30 May 1898 – 19 July 1961) was a Swedish poet and translator. Career Gullberg was born in Malmö, Scania. As a student at Lund University, he was the editor of the student magazine Lundagård. He was the manager of t ...

) * Symphony no. 5, ''Örtagårdsmästaren'', for alto, mixed choir and orchestra (1944; Bible) * Symphony no. 6, ''Sinfonia semplice'' (1951) * Symphony no. 7, (1968, rev. 1968) * Symphony no. 8, ''In candidum'', for mixed choir and orchestra (1974;

Vilhelm Ekelund Vilhelm Ekelund (October 14, 1880 – September 3, 1949) was a Swedish poet. Career The works of Ekelund were influenced by Friedrich Hölderlin, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Emanuel Swedenborg. His early career was lyrical, and though not widely re ...

; rev. 1980 as ''Sinfonia serena'')

Concertante

* Suite in D major, op. 13 (1922, version for violin and orchestra) * Violin concerto no. 1, op. 22 (1924) * Trumpet concerto, op. 47 (1928) * Variation macabre över eget tema for violin and orchestra (1929, from the music of ''Dåren och döden'', op. 50, revised in 1953 for violin and small orchestra) * Piano concerto (1930; unfinished, two movements) * Sinfonia concertante for violin, viola, oboe, bassoon and orchestra (1935) * Cello concerto no. 1 (1939) * A Small Piece for cello, strings and organ (1940) * Viola concerto (1942, rev. 1945, 1964; for viola and string orchestra) * Piano concerto (1950) * Violin concerto no. 2 (1951) * Cello concerto no. 2 (1953) * Riflessioni no. 1 for violin and string orchestra (1959) * 5 pieces for piano and string orchestra (1965)

Other orchestral music

* 3 Fantasies for orchestra, op. 6 (1918) * Variations and passacaglia for large orchestra (1922) * Sinfonia da chiesa no. 1, op. 15 (1923, rev. 1950) * Chamber symphony, C major, op. 18 (1923) * Sinfonia da chiesa no. 2 (1924) * Suite on Swedish songs for string orchestra, op. 36 (1927) * Suite on ''De skapade intressena'', op. 35 for chamber orchestra and organ (1927) * Suite no. 1 on ''De skapade intressena'' (''Marionetterna'') op. 31a for small orchestra and harp (1927) * Funeral music, op. 43 (1927; for

) * Prelude to ''Yttersta domen'' (''The Last Judgment'') for small orchestra (1929) * Suite from ''Yttersta domen'' (''The Last Judgment'') for string orchestra (1929) * Suite no. 1 from ''Yttersta domen'' (''The Last Judgment'') op. 49 for large orchestra (1929) * Suite no. 2 for small orchestra from ''Marionetterna'' op 31b (1930) * Suite no. 1 from ''Livet en dröm'' for salon orchestra (1930) * Suite no. 2 from ''Livet en dröm'' for large orchestra (1930) * Suite from ''Moralitet'' (1930) * En festmarsch (1930) * De glada resenärerna (arr. for string orchestra) after ''Resa till Amerika'' (''Voyage to America'') (1932) * Symphonic Suite from ''Resa till Amerika'' (''Voyage to America'') (1934) * Overtura Piccola from ''Hus med dubbel ingång'' (1934, arr. for military band) * Dance Suite from ''Resa till Amerika'' (''Voyage to America'') for small orchestra (1935, arr. Yngve Sköld) * Dance Suite from ''Resa till Amerika'' (''Voyage to America'') (version for string orchestra) (1936, arr. Yngve Sköld) * Bergslagsbilder (Bergslagen Pictures) op 72, suite from film music for ''Bergslagsfolk'' (1937; Edvard Åkerberg) * Overture to ''Marionetter'' (1938) * Dance suite from ''Marionetter'' (1938) * Taffelmusik (Divertimento) for chamber orchestra (1939; revision of Taffelmusik for violin, cello and piano) * Dance Suite ''I Bergakungens sal'', from ''De två konungadöttrarna'' (1940) * Djufar, suite for orchestra (1942) * Vindarnas musik, suite from ''Lycksalighetens'' for orchestra (1943) * Music from the ballet ''Orfeus i sta'n'' (''Orpheus in the City'') (1945) * Overtura Bianca-nera for string orchestra (1946) * Concerto no. 1 per orchestra d'archi (1946) * Partita for orchestra from ''Josef och hans bröder'' (''Joseph and his brothers''), (1947) * Concerto no. 2 for large orchestra (1949) * Concerto no. 3, ''Louisville Concerto'' (1954, rev. 1968) * Ingresse solenne del premio Nobel, festive overture (1952) * Lento per orchestra d'archi ''Elegie – Ungernkrisen'' (''Elegy – Hungarian Crisis'') (1956) * Riflessioni no. 2 for string orchestra (1960) * Riflessioni no. 3 for string orchestra (1960) * Metamorfosi sinfoniche no. 1 for large orchestra, from the ballet Salome (1963) * Metamorfosi sinfoniche no. 2, Andantino and theme with 7 variations from the ballet ''Salome'' (1963) * Metamorfosi sinfoniche no. 3, from the ballet ''Sönerna'' (''The Sons'') (1964) * Concerto no. 4 for string orchestra (1966)

Chamber music

String quartets

* String Quartet no. 1 op. 9 (1920, rev. 1923, 1955) * String Quartet no. 2 op. 21 (1924, rev. 1955) * String Quartet no. 3 op. 28 ''Quartetto pastorale'' (1926, rev. 1955) * String Quartet no. 4 (1939) * String Quartet 1942 (1942, unfinished) * String Quartet no. 5 (1949) * String Quartet no. 6 (1953) * String Quartet no. 7 (1956) * String Quartet no. 8 (1957) * String Quartet no. 9 (1957, rev. 1964) * String Quartet no. 10 (1957) * String Quartet no. 11 (1957) * String Quartet no. 12 ''Quartetto riepilogo'' (1957) * 6 Moments musicaux for string quartet, ''Carl Nielsen in memoriam'' (1972) Violin and piano * Suite for violin and piano in D major, op. 13 (1922) * Sonata for violin no. 1 op. 32 (1926) * Sonata for violin no. 2 op. 85 (1940) Other chamber music * Piano quintet in D major op. 3 (1917) * Trio for flute, violin and alto op. 11 (1920) * Sonatine for flute and piano op. 19 (1923) * Prelude and aria for violin and piano op. 25 (1925) * Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon op. 42 (1927) * Divertimento for string trio, op. 67 (1936) * Taffelmusik for violin, cello and piano (1939) * Serenade for flute, violin and viola op. 82 (1940) * Brass quintet (1959, rev. 1968)

Solo compositions

Piano sonatas

* Piano sonata no. 1 op. 17 (1923) * Piano sonata no. 2 op. 27 (1925) * Piano sonata no. 3 op. 20 (1926) * Piano sonata no. 4 op. 35 (1926)

Other piano music

* 3 intermezzos for piano op. 1 (1916) * 8 plastiska scener (8 plastic scenes) for piano op. 10 (1921) * Suite for piano op. 20 (1924) * 11 small études for piano op. 24 (1925) * 2 pieces for piano (1927) * Improvisations for piano (1939) * Theme and variations for piano (1941, 17 variations) * 6 polyphonic études for piano (1945) * 11 new small études for piano (1949) * Sonatine for piano (1949) * De kära sekunderna (1962)

Organ

* 4 choral preludes op. 38 (1927) * Fantasia and Fugue (1941) * Prelude and Fugue (1948) * Toccata, Aria Pastorale, Chaconne (1952) * Sequence 40 (1961) * Chorale Variations on the hymn ''Lover Gud i himmelshöjd'' (1965) * Fantasia in D minor

Violin

* Sonata no. 1 for solo violin op. 12 (1920, rev. 1966) * Sonata no. 2 for solo violin (1953) * Sonata no. 3 for solo violin (1963, rev. 1967)

Other

* ''Legend för valthor'' (1929) * Sonata for solo flute (1959, rev. 1965) * Sonata for solo clarinet (1960)

References

External links

A discography.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Hilding 1892 births 1985 deaths 20th-century classical composers People from Höör Municipality Swedish classical composers Swedish male classical composers Swedish conductors (music) Male conductors (music) 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Swedish male musicians 20th-century Swedish musicians