Ingvar Lidholm
Encyclopedia
Ingvar Natanael Lidholm is a Swedish composer.
Ingvar Lidholm was born in Jönköping
. He was a pupil of Hilding Rosenberg
from 1943 to 1945, becoming a viola
player with the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra. Having been awarded the Jenny Lind Fellowship for 1946–7, he travelled to France, Switzerland and Italy. He was musical director of the "Örebro
Orchestral Society" from 1947 to 1956. "Mutanza" was written in 1959 for the society.
Lidholm was a member of Karl-Birger Blomdahl
's controversial radical "Monday Group". His early style was influenced by Igor Stravinsky
, Béla Bartók
and Paul Hindemith
. Later he became atonal, and sometimes serial. He taught composition at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan i Stockholm (Royal Swedish Music College) from 1956 to 1965. He wrote "Poesis" (1963) for the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Philharmonic, which was a far more radical piece than they had expected. This work was his last to use the 12-tone serial technique
. After that, he turned away from this complex style and adopted a simpler, hymn-like approach. He was still experimenting with electronic music in 1971. In the same year he composed "Stamp music". This celebrated a stamp issue which honored the 200th anniversary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
In 1993 he won the Rolf Schock Prize. The opera "Ett drömspel" (1992) is based on Strindberg's
"A Dream Play". He has written many orchestral works, but his main strength is in choral works. Between "Poesis" and "Greetings from an old World" there was a gap when he wrote no orchestral music. He quotes from a song by Heinrich Isaac
in "Greetings from an old World". Similarly, in "Kontakion" he uses Russian Orthodox choral music. Somewhat like Benjamin Britten his music is a kind of bridge between early music, and the avant-garde.
He plays the violin and viola, and has been a conductor and has served on musical juries.
His notable students include Edward Applebaum
.
Ingvar Lidholm was born in Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
. He was a pupil of Hilding Rosenberg
Hilding Rosenberg
Hilding Rosenberg , was the first Swedish modernist composer, and one of the most influential figures in Swedish 20th century classical music....
from 1943 to 1945, becoming a viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
player with the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra. Having been awarded the Jenny Lind Fellowship for 1946–7, he travelled to France, Switzerland and Italy. He was musical director of the "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....
Orchestral Society" from 1947 to 1956. "Mutanza" was written in 1959 for the society.
Lidholm was a member of Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Karl-Birger Blomdahl was a Swedish composer and conductor born in Växjö. He was educated in biochemistry, but was primarily active in music and by his experimental compositions he became one of the big names in Swedish modernism. His teachers included Hilding Rosenberg...
's controversial radical "Monday Group". His early style was influenced by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
and Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
. Later he became atonal, and sometimes serial. He taught composition at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan i Stockholm (Royal Swedish Music College) from 1956 to 1965. He wrote "Poesis" (1963) for the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Philharmonic, which was a far more radical piece than they had expected. This work was his last to use the 12-tone serial technique
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
. After that, he turned away from this complex style and adopted a simpler, hymn-like approach. He was still experimenting with electronic music in 1971. In the same year he composed "Stamp music". This celebrated a stamp issue which honored the 200th anniversary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
In 1993 he won the Rolf Schock Prize. The opera "Ett drömspel" (1992) is based on Strindberg's
August Strindberg
Johan 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,...
"A Dream Play". He has written many orchestral works, but his main strength is in choral works. Between "Poesis" and "Greetings from an old World" there was a gap when he wrote no orchestral music. He quotes from a song by Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac was a Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer of south Netherlandish origin. He wrote masses, motets, songs , and instrumental music. A significant contemporary of Josquin des Prez, Isaac influenced the development of music in Germany...
in "Greetings from an old World". Similarly, in "Kontakion" he uses Russian Orthodox choral music. Somewhat like Benjamin Britten his music is a kind of bridge between early music, and the avant-garde.
He plays the violin and viola, and has been a conductor and has served on musical juries.
His notable students include Edward Applebaum
Edward Applebaum
Edward Applebaum is an American composer of contemporary classical music.He began his career as a jazz pianist and conductor. He holds a B.A. , M.A. , and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and also studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. His primary...
.
Selected compositions
- Toccata e Canto (1944)
- Concerto (1945)
- Sonata for flute (1946)
- Laudi (1947)
- Music for Strings (1952)
- Invention for viola and cello (1954)
- Riter (Rites), ballet (1959)
- Mutanza (1959/65)
- Notturno-Canto (1958/2000)
- Motus-colores (1960)
- Skaldens Natt (The Poet's Night) (1958/81)
- Poesis (1963)
- Holländaren (The Dutchman), TV opera (1967)
- Stamp Music (1971)
- Greetings from an Old World for orchestra (1976)
- Kontakion for orchestra (1978)
- Ett drömspel (A Dream Play), opera (1992)
- Nausikaa Alone for soprano, chorus and orchestra