Allan Pettersson
Encyclopedia
Gustav Allan Pettersson was a Swedish
composer
. Today he is considered one of the most important Swedish composers of the 20th century. His abstract and dissonant symphonies developed a devoted international following, starting in the final decade of his life.
, but grew up in poor circumstances in Stockholm
, where he resided during his whole life. He once said of himself: "I wasn't born under a piano, I didn't spend my childhood with my father, the composer... no, I learnt how to work white-hot iron with the smith's hammer. My father was a smith who may have said no to God, but not to alcohol. My mother was a pious woman who sang and played with her four children"
In 1930, he began study of violin
and viola
, as well as counterpoint
and harmony
, at the Stockholm Royal Conservatory of Music. He became a distinguished viola player but also started composing songs and smaller chamber works in the 1930s. At the beginning of the second world war he was studying the viola in Paris. During the 1940s he worked as a violist in the Stockholm Concert Society Orchestra, but also studied composition privately with Karl-Birger Blomdahl
and Otto Olsson
. His production from this decade include the twenty-four Barefoot Songs (1943-45) and a concerto for violin and string quartet
(1949).
In 1951 Pettersson composed the first of his seventeen symphonies
, which he left unfinished; the others were to follow in rapid succession. Also in 1951 he went to Paris to study composition, having been a student of René Leibowitz
and Arthur Honegger
.
Pettersson returned to Sweden in 1953. That same year he was given the diagnosis polyarthritis
and, by the time of his fifth symphony, completed in 1962, his mobility and health were considerably compromised. His greatest success came a few years later with his seventh symphony (1966-67), which has also received more recordings than his other works. The conductor Antal Doráti
made premiere recordings of several of Petterson's symphonies and contributed to his rise to fame during the seventies.
He was hospitalized for nine months in 1970, soon after the composition of his ninth
and longest symphony, beginning to write the tenth (1972) from his sickbed. He recovered, but ill health confined him permanently to his apartment. The release of a recording of his seventh symphony (with Antal Doráti
conducting the Stockholm Philharmonic) was a breakthrough, establishing his international reputation. During the last decade of his life he also wrote the cantata
Vox Humana (1974, on texts by Latin American poets), concertos for violin and orchestra (1977-78) and for viola and orchestra (1979), a twelfth symphony for mixed chorus and orchestra (1973) to poems by Pablo Neruda
and a sixteenth symphony (1979) which features a bravura solo part for alto saxophone
. He also started to write a seventeenth symphony, but he died before finishing it.
, but very strenuous and often has many simultaneous polyphonic lines
. Most of his symphonies are written in a single movement, making them all the more demanding. Overwhelmingly serious in tone, often dissonant, his music rises to ferocious climaxes, relieved, especially in his later works, by lyrical oases.
Pettersson’s music has a very distinctive sound and can hardly be confused with that of any other C20 composer. His symphonies, which range in length from 35-67 minutes, are typically one movement works made up of successive stretches of music of varying rhythms and figurations. The effect is like listening to a gigantic toccata
or chorale prelude
. Sometimes the effect is predominantly that of dance-music, as in the Symphony No.9, which sounds for long stretches like a huge Mahler scherzo, sometimes the effect is grimmer, with march rhythms or angry declamation predominating, as in the Symphony No.13.
Pettersson maintains the listener’s interest by varying the sounds and moods of the different sections, so some are more lyrical, others faster and more angry. The architecture of his symphonies is built on similar thematic material emerging at key points in the work (rather than classical statement-development-recapitulation), by rhythmic vitality and tonal progression. Even though his symphonies are some of the longest single movement orchestral works ever written, they are intensely compelling. The effect they convey is of great vitality and unstoppable momentum.
Most of his music has now been recorded at least once and much of it is now available in published score.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Today he is considered one of the most important Swedish composers of the 20th century. His abstract and dissonant symphonies developed a devoted international following, starting in the final decade of his life.
Biography
Pettersson, one of four children of a violent, alcoholic blacksmith, was born at the manor of Granhammar in Västra Ryd parish in the province of UpplandUppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
, but grew up in poor circumstances in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where he resided during his whole life. He once said of himself: "I wasn't born under a piano, I didn't spend my childhood with my father, the composer... no, I learnt how to work white-hot iron with the smith's hammer. My father was a smith who may have said no to God, but not to alcohol. My mother was a pious woman who sang and played with her four children"
In 1930, he began study of violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, as well as counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
and harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, at the Stockholm Royal Conservatory of Music. He became a distinguished viola player but also started composing songs and smaller chamber works in the 1930s. At the beginning of the second world war he was studying the viola in Paris. During the 1940s he worked as a violist in the Stockholm Concert Society Orchestra, but also studied composition privately with Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Karl-Birger Blomdahl 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 in Swedish modernism. His teachers included Hilding Rosenberg...
and Otto Olsson
Otto Olsson
Otto Olsson was a Swedish composer of classical music.Otto Olsson was one of the greatest organ virtuosos of his time. He studied organ with Lagergren and composition with Dente at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and then joined the faculty there, where he taught harmony and then organ...
. His production from this decade include the twenty-four Barefoot Songs (1943-45) and a concerto for violin and string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
(1949).
In 1951 Pettersson composed the first of his seventeen symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, which he left unfinished; the others were to follow in rapid succession. Also in 1951 he went to Paris to study composition, having been a student of René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland.-Career:...
and Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
.
Pettersson returned to Sweden in 1953. That same year he was given the diagnosis polyarthritis
Polyarthritis
Polyarthritis is any type of arthritis which involves 5 or more joints simultaneously. It is usually associated with autoimmune conditions.Polyarthritis may be experienced at any age and is not gender specific.-Causes:...
and, by the time of his fifth symphony, completed in 1962, his mobility and health were considerably compromised. His greatest success came a few years later with his seventh symphony (1966-67), which has also received more recordings than his other works. The conductor Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
made premiere recordings of several of Petterson's symphonies and contributed to his rise to fame during the seventies.
He was hospitalized for nine months in 1970, soon after the composition of his ninth
Symphony No. 9 (Pettersson)
Allan Pettersson wrote his Symphony No. 9 in 1970.The symphony is his last composition preceding a nine-month stay in hospital ; it is also his longest symphony. There is one movement, though it divides into a number of smaller sections that follow each other with at most nominal pause but usually...
and longest symphony, beginning to write the tenth (1972) from his sickbed. He recovered, but ill health confined him permanently to his apartment. The release of a recording of his seventh symphony (with Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
conducting the Stockholm Philharmonic) was a breakthrough, establishing his international reputation. During the last decade of his life he also wrote the cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Vox Humana (1974, on texts by Latin American poets), concertos for violin and orchestra (1977-78) and for viola and orchestra (1979), a twelfth symphony for mixed chorus and orchestra (1973) to poems by Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
and a sixteenth symphony (1979) which features a bravura solo part for alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
. He also started to write a seventeenth symphony, but he died before finishing it.
Music
Pettersson's writing is tonalTonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
, but very strenuous and often has many simultaneous polyphonic lines
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
. Most of his symphonies are written in a single movement, making them all the more demanding. Overwhelmingly serious in tone, often dissonant, his music rises to ferocious climaxes, relieved, especially in his later works, by lyrical oases.
Pettersson’s music has a very distinctive sound and can hardly be confused with that of any other C20 composer. His symphonies, which range in length from 35-67 minutes, are typically one movement works made up of successive stretches of music of varying rhythms and figurations. The effect is like listening to a gigantic toccata
Toccata
Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers...
or chorale prelude
Chorale prelude
In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 examples of the form in his Orgelbüchlein.-Function:The liturgical...
. Sometimes the effect is predominantly that of dance-music, as in the Symphony No.9, which sounds for long stretches like a huge Mahler scherzo, sometimes the effect is grimmer, with march rhythms or angry declamation predominating, as in the Symphony No.13.
Pettersson maintains the listener’s interest by varying the sounds and moods of the different sections, so some are more lyrical, others faster and more angry. The architecture of his symphonies is built on similar thematic material emerging at key points in the work (rather than classical statement-development-recapitulation), by rhythmic vitality and tonal progression. Even though his symphonies are some of the longest single movement orchestral works ever written, they are intensely compelling. The effect they convey is of great vitality and unstoppable momentum.
Most of his music has now been recorded at least once and much of it is now available in published score.
Discography
- Sinfonie Nr. 2 (1952/53)
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stig WesterbergStig WesterbergStig Evald Börje Westerberg, born 26 November 1918 in Malmö, Sweden, died 1 July 1999 in Lidingö, was a Swedish conductor and pianist, whose career was based mostly in his home country.- Biography :...
- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stig Westerberg
- Sinfonie Nr. 3 (1954/55)
- Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Alun Francis
- Sinfonie Nr. 4 (1958/59)
- Göteborgs Symphoniker, Sergiu ComissionaSergiu ComissionaSergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
- Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Göteborgs Symphoniker, Sergiu Comissiona
- Sinfonie Nr. 5 (1960/62)
- Berliner Sibelius Orchester, Andreas Peer Kähler
- Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Moshe AtzmonMoshe AtzmonMoshe Atzmon is a Hungarian-born Israeli conductor.He was born in Budapest, and at the age of thirteen he emigrated with his family to Tel Aviv, Israel. He started his musical career on the horn before going to London for further studies in conducting....
- Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Sinfonie Nr. 6 (1963/66)
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Okko KamuOkko KamuOkko Kamu is a Finnish orchestral conductor.Kamu was born into a family of musicians. His father played double bass in the Helsinki Philharmonic. He began violin studies at age two and entered the Sibelius Academy at age six. He formed his own string quartet, the Suhonen, in 1964 where he played...
- Deutsches-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Manfred Trojahn
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
- Sinfonie Nr. 7 (1966/67)
- Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal DoratiAntal DorátiAntal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu ComissionaSergiu ComissionaSergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
- Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Gerd AlbrechtGerd AlbrechtGerd Albrecht is a German conductor. He was a first-prize winner at the International Conductors Competition in Besançon at age 22. His first post was as a repetiteur at the Stuttgart State Opera. Later, he became Senior Kapellmeister at the Mainz Municipal Theatre, and Generalmusikdirektor in...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati
- Sinfonie Nr. 8 (1968/69)
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu ComissionaSergiu ComissionaSergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
- Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Thomas Sanderling
- Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Gerd AlbrechtGerd AlbrechtGerd Albrecht is a German conductor. He was a first-prize winner at the International Conductors Competition in Besançon at age 22. His first post was as a repetiteur at the Stuttgart State Opera. Later, he became Senior Kapellmeister at the Mainz Municipal Theatre, and Generalmusikdirektor in...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona
- Sinfonie Nr. 9 (1970)
- Göteborgs Symfoniker, Sergiu ComissionaSergiu ComissionaSergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
- Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Göteborgs Symfoniker, Sergiu Comissiona
- Sinfonie Nr. 10 (1971/72)
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antal DoratiAntal DorátiAntal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
- Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati
- Sinfonie Nr. 11 (1971/73)
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
- Sinfonie Nr. 12 »De döda på torget« (1973/74)
- Stockholms Filharmoniska Orkester, Stockholms Filharmoniska Kör, Uppsala Akademiska Kammarkör, Carl Rune Larsson
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson Choir, Manfred Honeck
- Sinfonie Nr. 13 (1976)
- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alun Francis
- Sinfonie Nr. 14 (1976)
- Stockholms Filharmoniska Orkester, Sergiu ComissionaSergiu ComissionaSergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
- Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Johan M. Arnell
- Stockholms Filharmoniska Orkester, Sergiu Comissiona
- Sinfonie Nr. 15 (1978)
- Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Peter RuzickaPeter RuzickaPeter Ruzicka is a German composer and conductor of classical music.Peter Ruzicka was born in Düsseldorf on July 3, 1948. He received his early musical training at the Hamburg Conservatory. He studied composition with Hans Werner Henze and Hans Otte...
- Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Leif SegerstamLeif SegerstamLeif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
- Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Peter Ruzicka
- Sinfonie Nr. 16 (1979)
- Frederick L. Hemke (Saxophon), Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Ahronovitch
- John-Edward Kelly (Saxophon), Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Alun FrancisAlun FrancisAlun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
- Konzert Nr. 1 für Violine und Streichquartett (1949)
- Ulf HoelscherUlf HoelscherUlf Hoelscher is a violinist born in Germany in 1943. Soloist with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Symphoniker, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra...
, Mandelring-Quartett
- Ulf Hoelscher
- Konzert Nr. 2 für Violine und Orchester (1977/78)
- Ida HaendelIda HaendelIda Haendel, CBE is a British violinist of Polish birth.- Career :Ida Haendel was born in Chełm, a small city in Eastern Poland. She took up the violin at the age of three and as a seven-year-old was admitted at the Warsaw Conservatory. She later studied with Carl Flesch and George Enescu in Paris...
(Violine), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herbert BlomstedtHerbert BlomstedtHerbert Blomstedt is a Swedish conductor.Herbert Blomstedt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin... - Isabelle van Keulen (Violine), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas DausgaardThomas DausgaardThomas Dausgaard , is a Danish conductor.Since 1997, Dausgaard has been Principal Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. From 2001-2004, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra , and became principal conductor in 2004, the first Danish conductor to hold the...
- Ida Haendel
- Sieben Sonaten für zwei Violinen (1951)
- Duo GellandDuo GellandDuo Gelland is a Swedish-German violin duo on the international classical scene. It was founded in 1994.-Biography:Duo Gelland was founded in 1994...
- Duo Gelland
- Lamento für Klavier (1945)
- Volker Banfield
- Lennart Wallin
- A 12 CD pack "Complete Symphonies" of Allan Pettersson has been produced by Classic Produktion OsnabrückClassic Produktion OsnabrückClassic Produktion Osnabrück is a record label founded in 1986 by Georg Ortmann and several others. Its declared mission is to fill niches in the recorded classical repertory, with an emphasis on romantic, late romantic and 20th-century music...
, that is, CPO Music based on recordings of 1984, 1988, 1991-1995, 2004. - Cantata »Vox Humana« (1974)
- Radio Symphony Orchestra,Norrköping Symphony Orchestra