Dag Wirén
Encyclopedia
Dag Ivar Wirén was a Swedish composer
.
near Nora
. His father had a roller blind factory, and there were various musical activities in the family home; he took piano
lessons, and was a student at the Karolinska school in Örebro
, and played the bass drum
and celesta
in the town orchestra.
Wirén studied at the Stockholm
conservatory from 1926 to 1931, which gave him much exposure to music from all periods; hearing Honegger's oratorio King David
in 1927 was an important experience.
In 1932 won the state stipend and used the award money to continue his studies in Paris
, where he lived from 1931 to 1934. While there, he studied composition under the Russian composer Leonid Sabaneyev
, though he admitted later that his endless attendance of concerts, and not his tutoring with Sabaneyev, had the greater impact on his own work. In Paris he also met Stravinsky and encountered the music of Prokofiev and Honegger.
He was music critic at the "Svenska Morgonbladet" from 1938 to 1946, and in 1947 became Vice-Chairman of the Society of Swedish Composers.
Upon his return to Sweden, he composed his first two symphonies and his most famous work, the Serenade
for Strings (1937); the spirit of this serenade may also be found in the finale of his 2nd Symphony. Wirén went on to compose five symphonies, string quartets, and orchestral pieces, music for the stage and film scores. His compositions range from neoclassic through to popular (such as the Swedish entry for the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest
). He commented that his first desire was to entertain and please, and compose listener-friendly 'modern' music.
His musical style on return from Paris was broadly traditional; melodic, energetic and with high spirits. Towards the mid 1940s Wirén became more serious in style, perhaps under the influence of Sibelius. Wirén also developed a personal technique, first used in the third string quartet, of motivic transformation. This was carried further in his third symphony, where the first motif in the first movement, based on a step-wise Dorian mode
progression, is transformed during the movement and then echoed in the last three movements.
From 1948, he spent summers on the island of Björkö, in Stockholm's archipelago. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Royal Swedish Opera
from 1962 to 1971. His TV ballet Den elaka drottningen (The Evil Queen) won the 1960 Prix Italia
.
During the 1930s, Wirén regularly played his main instrument, the piano on Swedish Radio; he devoted himself to chamber music in the 1930s and 40s; he hated conducting. Wirén's output is notable for its quality rather than quantity, and a number of his works were refused opus numbers or withdrawn.
Wirén met the Irish cellist Noel Franks in Paris and they married 1934. A daughter, Annika, was born in 1947. He died at Danderyd, Stockholm.
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...
.
Life and career
Wirén was born at StribergStriberg
Striberg is a locality situated in Nora Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 331 inhabitants in 2005....
near Nora
Nora Municipality
Nora Municipality is a municipality in Örebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Nora.The amalgamation leading to the present municipality took place already in 1967 and in 1971 the City of Nora became a unitary municipality.- Localities :* Dalkarlsberg* Gyttorp*...
. His father had a roller blind factory, and there were various musical activities in the family home; he took piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons, and was a student at the Karolinska school in Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, and played the bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
and celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
in the town orchestra.
Wirén studied at the 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...
conservatory from 1926 to 1931, which gave him much exposure to music from all periods; hearing Honegger's oratorio King David
Le Roi David (Honegger)
Le roi David was composed in Mézières, Switzerland in 1921 by Arthur Honegger and is classified as an oratorio or more specifically as a dramatic psalm...
in 1927 was an important experience.
In 1932 won the state stipend and used the award money to continue his studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he lived from 1931 to 1934. While there, he studied composition under the Russian composer Leonid Sabaneyev
Leonid Sabaneyev
Leonid Leonidovich Sabaneyev or Sabaneyeff or Sabaneev was a Russian musicologist, music critic, composer and scientist.-Biography:...
, though he admitted later that his endless attendance of concerts, and not his tutoring with Sabaneyev, had the greater impact on his own work. In Paris he also met Stravinsky and encountered the music of Prokofiev and Honegger.
He was music critic at the "Svenska Morgonbladet" from 1938 to 1946, and in 1947 became Vice-Chairman of the Society of Swedish Composers.
Upon his return to Sweden, he composed his first two symphonies and his most famous work, the Serenade
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
for Strings (1937); the spirit of this serenade may also be found in the finale of his 2nd Symphony. Wirén went on to compose five symphonies, string quartets, and orchestral pieces, music for the stage and film scores. His compositions range from neoclassic through to popular (such as the Swedish entry for the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965
After a year of absence, Sweden competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 with the opera singer Ingvar Wixell, and the song Absent Friend composed by Dag Wirén. For the first time, one singer sang all the songs in the national final, and Ingvar was also the first male singer to represent Sweden...
). He commented that his first desire was to entertain and please, and compose listener-friendly 'modern' music.
His musical style on return from Paris was broadly traditional; melodic, energetic and with high spirits. Towards the mid 1940s Wirén became more serious in style, perhaps under the influence of Sibelius. Wirén also developed a personal technique, first used in the third string quartet, of motivic transformation. This was carried further in his third symphony, where the first motif in the first movement, based on a step-wise Dorian mode
Dorian mode
Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different musical modes or diatonic scales, the Greek, the medieval, and the modern.- Greek Dorian mode :...
progression, is transformed during the movement and then echoed in the last three movements.
From 1948, he spent summers on the island of Björkö, in Stockholm's archipelago. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
from 1962 to 1971. His TV ballet Den elaka drottningen (The Evil Queen) won the 1960 Prix Italia
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
.
During the 1930s, Wirén regularly played his main instrument, the piano on Swedish Radio; he devoted himself to chamber music in the 1930s and 40s; he hated conducting. Wirén's output is notable for its quality rather than quantity, and a number of his works were refused opus numbers or withdrawn.
Wirén met the Irish cellist Noel Franks in Paris and they married 1934. A daughter, Annika, was born in 1947. He died at Danderyd, Stockholm.
Orchestral music
- Symphony 1, Op. 3 (1932)
- Symphony 2, Op. 14 (1939)
- Symphony 3, Op. 20 (1943–44)
- Symphony 4, Op. 27 (1951–52)
- Symphony 5, Op. 38 (1964)
- Concert Overture 1, Op. 2 (1931)
- Concert Overture 2, Op. 16 (1940)
- Lustspelsuvertyr, Op. 21 (1945)
- Sinfonietta, Op. 7a (1933–34)
- Two orchestral pieces, Op. 7b (1934)
- Serenade for strings, Op. 11 (1937)
- Little Suite, Op. 17 (1941)
- Romantic suite, Op. 22 (1943, rev. 1961)
- Divertimento, Op. 29 (1954–57)
- Triptych for small orchestra, Op. 33 (1958)
- Music for strings, Op. 40 (1966)
Concert works
- Cello Concerto, Op. 10 (1936)
- Violin Concerto, Op. 23 (1946)
- Piano Concerto, Op. 26 (1950)
- Concertino for flute and small orchestra, Op. 44 (1972)
Chamber music
- String Quartet 1
- String Quartet 2, Op. 9 (1935)
- String Quartet 3, Op. 18 (1941)
- String Quartet 4, Op. 28 (1952–53)
- String Quartet 5, Op. 41 (1970)
- Piano trio 1, Op. 6 (1933)
- Piano trio 2, Op. 36 (1961)
- Wind quintet, Op. 42 (1971)
- Quartet for flute, oboe, clarinet and cello, Op. 31 (1956)
- Sonatina for violin and piano, Op. 15 (1940)
- Sonatina for cello and piano 1, Op. 1 (1931)
- Sonatina for cello and piano 2, Op. 4 (1933)
- Miniature suite for cello and piano, Op. 8a (1934)
- Miniature suite for piano trio, Op. 8b (1934)
Instrumental
- Theme with variations for piano, Op. 5 (1933)
- Small ironic pieces for piano, Op. 19 (1942–45)
- Sonatina for piano, Op. 25 (1950)
- Improvisations for piano, Op. 35 (1959)
- Little serenade for guitar, Op. 39 (1964)
- Little suite for piano, Op. 43 (1971)
Choral
- Titania for women’s voices, words by Gustaf Fröding (1942)
- Three sea poems a capella, words by Karin Boye (1963)
Songs
- Livet och skrifterna ("En helig man"), words by Nils Ferlin (1934)
- Mitt trollslott står i skogens bryn, words by August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
(1934) - To your bed, Op. 13a, An autumn evening, Op. 13b, words by Erik Axel KarlfeldtErik Axel KarlfeldtErik Axel Karlfeldt was a Swedish poet whose highly symbolist poetry masquerading as regionalism was popular and won him the Nobel Prize in Literature posthumously in 1931. It has been rumored that he had been offered, but declined, the award already in 1919.Karlfeldt was born into a farmer's...
(1938) - Jungfru Maria and Malenavisorna, Op. 13 a-b (1938), words by Erik Axel Karlfeldt
- Annorstädes vals, words by Alf Henrikson (1965)
Works for the stage
- Ballet Oscarian ball, Op. 24, after Gustaf Fröding’s "Balen" (1948–49), (Royal Stockholm Opera, 1950, choreography by Birgit Cullberg)
- Radio operetta, Gult, rött och blått, libretto by Georg Eliasson (Swedish Radio, 1940)
- Radio operetta, Den glada patiencen, libretto by Georg Eliasson (Swedish Radio, 1941)
- Incidental music for Madame BovaryMadame BovaryMadame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life...
, (Gustave FlaubertGustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
), Blancheteatern 1939 - Stage music for Amorina (Carl Jonas Love Almqvist), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1951
- Music for The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(1943), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern - Incidental music for Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
(William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1953 - Stage music for Gudens hustru, (Vilhelm MobergVilhelm MobergKarl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was a Swedish author and historian, most commonly associated with his four novels known as The Emigrants Series.-Early life:...
), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1954 - Music for A midsummer night’s dream, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1955
- Music for The Queen's TiaraDrottningens juvelsmyckeThe Queen's Tiara is a classic Swedish novel by Carl Jonas Love Almquist.It is the fourth instalment in the series of novels known as Törnrosens bok and was published in 1834...
(Carl Jonas Love AlmqvistCarl Jonas Love Almqvistthumb|right|Painted by Almqvist, 1823Carl Jonas Love Almqvist , was a romantic poet, early feminist, realist, composer, social critic and traveller....
), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1957 - Ballet Take your place on stage
- Ballet, Den elaka drottningen, Sveriges TelevisionSveriges TelevisionSveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
1960, choreography by Birgit Cullberg - Stage music for HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(Shakespeare), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1960 - Stage music for King John (Shakespeare), Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 1961
Film music
- Man glömmer ingenting (One Forgets Nothing) (1942)
- Oss tjuvar emellan eller En burk ananas (1945)
- Grönt guld (1949)
- Bara en mor (1949)
- Miss JulieMiss JulieMiss Julie is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg dealing with class, love, lust, the battle of the sexes, and the interaction among them...
(1951) - En lektion i kärlekA Lesson in LoveA Lesson in Love is a 1954 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman.The film is a comedy by Ingmar Bergman and one of his early films. It deals with the marriage of David and his wife Marianne.The filmscore is by Dag Wirén.-Cast:...
(1954) - Vildfåglar (1955)
- Körkarlen (The Driver) (1958)
- De sista stegen (A matter of morals) (1961)