Carsten Woll
Encyclopedia
The singer and composer Carsten Thorvald Woll (1885 - 1962) was born in Oslo, Norway
. He took his student exams in 1903 and subsequently studied music and voice in Denmark and Germany.
Woll emigrated to America in 1913 and was a professor first at Luther Seminary
in St. Paul, Minnesota and then at St. Olaf College
in Northfield, Minnesota
. In 1926 he also became the director of the Woll Music Studio in Minot, North Dakota
. Having retired from the position of teacher of singing and music at St. Olaf College
in 1951, he moved to Eugene, Oregon
.
Carsten Woll was one of the big names in Norwegian-American music with hundreds of live performances and frequent appearances at choral festivals. He published the Sons of Norway Songbook in 1926 and composed several songs as well.
Woll’s popularity as a singer made him one of the most sought-after Norwegian-American recording artists in the acoustic period. From 1913 to 1925 he recorded nearly 200 titles for a number of record companies. Most of his recordings were made for Victor
and Columbia
, but he also appeared on the Edison
, Vocalion
, Okeh
and Brunswick
labels.
Norwegian immigrants in America had a strong emotional attachment to the folk melodies of their homeland, and Woll probably made more recordings of traditional Norwegian folk songs than any other artist. His discography included Eg gjette Tulla, Eg veit ei lita jente, Kjerringa med staven and Og reven lå under birkerot. On the other hand, his recording Sommersol til siste stund was a Norwegian version of Silver threads among the gold
.
Recordings at the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
Streaming audio at the Library of Congress
Norwegian lyrics
Oslo
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...
. He took his student exams in 1903 and subsequently studied music and voice in Denmark and Germany.
Woll emigrated to America in 1913 and was a professor first at Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...
in St. Paul, Minnesota and then at St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
in Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
. In 1926 he also became the director of the Woll Music Studio in Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
. Having retired from the position of teacher of singing and music at St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
in 1951, he moved to Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
.
Carsten Woll was one of the big names in Norwegian-American music with hundreds of live performances and frequent appearances at choral festivals. He published the Sons of Norway Songbook in 1926 and composed several songs as well.
Woll’s popularity as a singer made him one of the most sought-after Norwegian-American recording artists in the acoustic period. From 1913 to 1925 he recorded nearly 200 titles for a number of record companies. Most of his recordings were made for Victor
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
and Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, but he also appeared on the Edison
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
, Okeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
and Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
labels.
Norwegian immigrants in America had a strong emotional attachment to the folk melodies of their homeland, and Woll probably made more recordings of traditional Norwegian folk songs than any other artist. His discography included Eg gjette Tulla, Eg veit ei lita jente, Kjerringa med staven and Og reven lå under birkerot. On the other hand, his recording Sommersol til siste stund was a Norwegian version of Silver threads among the gold
Silver Threads Among the Gold
"Silver Threads Among the Gold", first copyrighted in 1873, was an extremely popular song in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today it is a standard of barbershop quartet singing. The lyrics are by Eben E...
.
External links
The Encyclopedic Discography of Victor RecordingsRecordings at the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
Streaming audio at the Library of Congress
Norwegian lyrics
- Eg gjette Tulla
- Eg veit ei lita jente
- Kjerringa med staven
- Og reven lå under birkerot
- Sommersol til siste stund