Ruth Bakke is a Norwegian

Norwegians

Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 organist and composer. She was born in Bergen

Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

, Norway

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...

, and studied at the Bergen Music Conservatory and the University of Oslo

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

. She continued her studies on a Fulbright grant at Converse College

Converse College

Converse College is a liberal arts women's college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. It was established by a group of Spartanburg citizens and named after Dexter Edgar Converse.-History:...

 in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, Texas Lutheran College, University of Redlands

University of Redlands

The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts and sciences university located in Redlands, California. The university's campus sits on near downtown Redlands. The university was founded in 1907 and was associated with the American Baptist Church. The land for the university was donated by...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and Washington State University

Washington State University

Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...

.

After completing her studies, Bakke returned to Norway where she worked in Bergen as an organist and choir conductor, and also taught music theory at the Bergen Music Conservatory and Bergen Teacher’s Training College.

Works

Bakke composes for orchestra, band, chamber, sacred, organ, vocal and multimedia works. Selected works include:

• Organ sonata, 1970
• Rumus for chamber orchestra, 1976
• Bonn for soprano, organ and guitar, 1976
• Illuminations, bassoon concerto
• Tubazzo and Chromocumuli for symphony orchestra
• Dolorosa, electronic
• Body & Soul for percussion and live electronics
• Into the Light for violin and organ, 1982
• Trollsuite for string quartet, 1981
• Medication for horn and organ, 1986
• Nonsense for solo voice, 1990
• Sphaerae for organ, 1992
• Suite ACD for Renaissance instruments, 1992
• Psalm 200 for organ and tuba, 1993