Hjalmar Borgstrøm
Encyclopedia
Hjalmar Borgstrøm was a Norwegian
composer and music critic who played a prominent role in the musical life of his country in the first quarter of the 20th century.
). His father, Carl Christian Jensen, was a civil servant and the family were keen amateur musicians. Borgstrøm showed an early aptitude for music and by the age of fifteen was a talented violinist. After studying composition and music theory in Oslo with Johan Svendsen
and Ludvig Mathias Lindeman
, he went to the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany for two years. On his return to Norway in 1889, he worked as a music critic for several newspapers and successfully premiered his cantata
, Hvæm er du med de tusene navne (Who are you with a thousand names). However, in 1890, he left Norway and was to live for the next thirteen years in Leipzig and Berlin
, where he became a friend of the Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni
whose musical philosophy he shared.
Borgstrøm returned to Norway in 1903, the year in which his symphonic poem
for piano and orchestra, Hamlet, premiered to great acclaim in Oslo. The soloist at the premiere was the pianist Amalie Müller. Borgstrøm and Müller married the following year and she was to become a champion of his works. The period between 1903 and Amalie's death in 1913 marked Borgstrøm's most intense period of composition. Although, he is primarily known for his symphonic works, written in a late Romantic
style with influences of Expressionism
, he also composed 45 songs, most notably "Svalerne" (The Swallows), "Rød valmue" (Red Poppy), and "Frossen skog" (Frozen Forest), as well as two operas, neither of which was performed in his lifetime. He also became a highly regarded music critic, writing for Verdens Gang
from 1903 to 1913 and Aftenposten
from 1913 to 1925.
Borgstrøm died in Oslo in on 5 July 1925 at the age of 61. His works were regularly performed until World War II, and were then largely ignored. However, the 21st century saw a resurgence of interest in him. His two operas finally received their premieres over a hundred years after they were first composed — Thora paa Rimol (Thora of Rimol) in 2002 and Der Fischer (The Fisherman) in 2003.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
composer and music critic who played a prominent role in the musical life of his country in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Biography
He was born Hjalmar Jensen on 23 March 1864 in Kristiania (now OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
). His father, Carl Christian Jensen, was a civil servant and the family were keen amateur musicians. Borgstrøm showed an early aptitude for music and by the age of fifteen was a talented violinist. After studying composition and music theory in Oslo with Johan Svendsen
Johan Svendsen
Johan Severin Svendsen was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania , Norway, he lived most his life in Copenhagen, Denmark....
and Ludvig Mathias Lindeman
Ludvig Mathias Lindeman
Ludvig Mathias Lindeman was a Norwegian composer and organist. He is most noted for compiling Norwegian folk music in his work Ældre og nyere norske Fjeldmelodier. -Background:...
, he went to the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany for two years. On his return to Norway in 1889, he worked as a music critic for several newspapers and successfully premiered his cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
, Hvæm er du med de tusene navne (Who are you with a thousand names). However, in 1890, he left Norway and was to live for the next thirteen years in Leipzig and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he became a friend of the Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
whose musical philosophy he shared.
Borgstrøm returned to Norway in 1903, the year in which his symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
for piano and orchestra, Hamlet, premiered to great acclaim in Oslo. The soloist at the premiere was the pianist Amalie Müller. Borgstrøm and Müller married the following year and she was to become a champion of his works. The period between 1903 and Amalie's death in 1913 marked Borgstrøm's most intense period of composition. Although, he is primarily known for his symphonic works, written in a late Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
style with influences of Expressionism
Expressionism (music)
,Expressionism as a musical genre is difficult to exactly define. It is, however, one of the most important movements of 20th Century music. The three central figures of musical expressionism are Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils, Anton Webern and Alban Berg, the so-called Second Viennese...
, he also composed 45 songs, most notably "Svalerne" (The Swallows), "Rød valmue" (Red Poppy), and "Frossen skog" (Frozen Forest), as well as two operas, neither of which was performed in his lifetime. He also became a highly regarded music critic, writing for Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
from 1903 to 1913 and Aftenposten
Aftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
from 1913 to 1925.
Borgstrøm died in Oslo in on 5 July 1925 at the age of 61. His works were regularly performed until World War II, and were then largely ignored. However, the 21st century saw a resurgence of interest in him. His two operas finally received their premieres over a hundred years after they were first composed — Thora paa Rimol (Thora of Rimol) in 2002 and Der Fischer (The Fisherman) in 2003.
Principal works
- String Quartet in C, op.6, 1887
- Hvæm er du med de tusene navne (Who are you with a thousand names), cantata, 1889
- Symphony in C, op.5, 1890
- Thora paa Rimol (Thora from RimolRimulRimul is a farm in the municipality of Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson by his slave Tormod Kark , as described in the Saga of king Olav Tryggvason in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla.-Location:There is still a farm named Romol in the western...
), opera in 2 acts, 1894 - Der Fischer (The Fisherman), opera in three acts, 1900
- Hamlet, symphonic poemSymphonic poemA symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
for piano and orchestra, op.13, 1903 - Jesus i Gethsemane (Jesus in Gethsemane), symphonic poem, op.14, 1904
- John Gabriel Borkman, symphonic poem, op.15, 1905
- Die Nacht der Toten (The Night of the Dead), symphonic poem, op.16, 1905
- SonataSonataSonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
for Violin and Piano in G major, op.19, 1906 - Piano Concerto in C, op.22, 1910
- Symfoni id (Id Symphony) , op.24, 1912
- Violin Concerto in G major, op.25, 1914
- Tanken (The Idea), symphonic poem, op.26, 1917
- Piano Quintet in F, op.31, 1919
Recordings
- Hjalmar Borgstrøm: Thora paa Rimol – Randi Stene, mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
, as Thora of RimolRimulRimul is a farm in the municipality of Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson by his slave Tormod Kark , as described in the Saga of king Olav Tryggvason in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla.-Location:There is still a farm named Romol in the western...
; Harald Bjørkøy, tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, as Olav Trygvason; Trond Halstein MoeTrond Halstein MoeTrond Halstein Moe is a Norwegian operatic baritone.He trained at University of Trondheim and the Norwegian Academy of Music, and in 1987 won First Prize in the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna in 1987. Since 1990, he has been a regular performer in over 70...
, baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, as Håkon Jarl; Oddbjørn Tennfjord, bass-baritoneBass-baritoneA bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
, as Tormod KarkTormod KarkTormod Kark was the slave and friend of Håkon Sigurdsson . Hoping for a reward, Kark killed the wanted earl and brought his head to enemy Olaf Tryggvason, later king of Norway. The murder happened at Rimul in Melhus...
; Trønderopera Chorus, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra; Terje Boye Hansen, conductor. Label: Simax Classics
- Hjalmar Borgstrøm: Jesus i Gethsemane, Die Nacht der Toten, and Violin Concerto in G major, op.25 – Jonas Båtstrand (violin); Nils Anders Mortensen (piano); Norrlandsoperaen Symphony Orchestra; Terje Boye Hansen, conductor. Label: Simax Classics
Sources
- Guldbrandsen, Erling E., "Hjalmar Borgstrøm", Store norske leksikon
- Guldbrandsen, Erling E., "Hjalmar Borgstrøm’s studies of the soul, death, and music", Simax Classics, January 2010