John Frandsen
Encyclopedia
John Frandsen is a Danish
composer
, organist
and choral conductor, whose work includes operas, chamber music, and religious music
. His 1999 Now Flashes the White Light of the Spirit commissioned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment
of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church was performed simultaneously in over 100 Danish churches on the day of the anniversary.
and studied at Aarhus University and the Jutland
Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen
and Karl Aage Rasmussen
. From 1993 to 1995 he was chairman of the music committee of the Danish National Arts Foundation, and since 1999 he has been chairman of the Danish Composers' Association.
His opera trilogy, Tugt og Utugt I Mellemtiden (Virtue and Vice in the Meantime), based on the novel of the same name by Svend Aage Madsen
premiered in 1998 at the Aarhus Summer Opera. His other operas include Amalie (premiered 1995 at the Musikteateret Undergrunden in Aarhus), Dronning Boudicca (Queen Boudica
) (premiered in 1997 at Anden Opera in Copenhagen
) and I-K-O-N (premiered in 2002 at the Royal Danish Theatre
.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
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...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and choral conductor, whose work includes operas, chamber music, and religious music
Religious music
Religious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
. His 1999 Now Flashes the White Light of the Spirit commissioned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment
State religion
A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...
of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church was performed simultaneously in over 100 Danish churches on the day of the anniversary.
Biography
Frandsen was born in AalborgAalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
and studied at Aarhus University and the Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen is a Danish composer.Born in Copenhagen, Abrahamsen first got to know music through playing the French horn at school. He went on to study music theory at the Royal Danish Academy of Music...
and Karl Aage Rasmussen
Karl Aage Rasmussen
Karl Aage Rasmussen is a Danish composer and writer.Quotation and particularly collage played an important role in his music from the early 70s, but increasingly he used pre-existing musical material in new connections and for new purposes, most often in a densely woven montage of small idioms...
. From 1993 to 1995 he was chairman of the music committee of the Danish National Arts Foundation, and since 1999 he has been chairman of the Danish Composers' Association.
His opera trilogy, Tugt og Utugt I Mellemtiden (Virtue and Vice in the Meantime), based on the novel of the same name by Svend Aage Madsen
Svend Aage Madsen
Svend Åge Madsen is a Danish novelist. He studied mathematics before he began writing fiction. His novels are generally philosophical and humorous. Several of his works have been made into films in Denmark...
premiered in 1998 at the Aarhus Summer Opera. His other operas include Amalie (premiered 1995 at the Musikteateret Undergrunden in Aarhus), Dronning Boudicca (Queen Boudica
Boudica
Boudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
) (premiered in 1997 at Anden Opera in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
) and I-K-O-N (premiered in 2002 at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
.
Religious music
John Frandsen's commissions for religious music include:- Stabat MaterStabat MaterStabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been variously attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi and to Innocent III...
for 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...
and organ, commissioned by the Sorø Organ Festival (1986) - Det evige Halleluja (The Eternal Hallelujah) cantata for sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
, mixed choir, recitation and organ, commissioned by the Amager Music Festival (1992) - Talsmand som på jorderige (Advocate as on Earth) for mixed choir a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, commissioned by the Dansk Kirkesang (Danish Sacred Song Society) - Nu blitzer Åndens hvide lys (Now Flashes the White Light of the Spirit) ten variations for organ solo with a concluding choral movement, commissioned by the Danish National Evangelical Lutheran Church (1999)
- Messe til det nye Årtusinde (Mass for the New Millennium) for five soloists, chamber choir, male choir, large choir, brass, chamber orchestra and organ, first performed in Aarhus on 31 December 1999.
Sources
- Nielsen, Svend Hvidtfelt, John Frandsen, Edition Samfundet, 2000
- Aarhus Sommer Opera Tugt og Utugt I Mellemtiden - John Frandsen