Rued Langgaard
Encyclopedia
Rued Langgaard ʁuðˀ ˈlɑŋg̊ɒːˀ (born Rud Immanuel Langgaard; 28 July 1893 - 10 July 1952) was a late-Romantic
Danish
composer
and organist
. His then-unconventional music was at odds with that of his Danish contemporaries and was recognized only 16 years after his death.
, Rued Langgaard was the only son of composer and Royal Chamber musician Siegfried Langgaard (1852–1914) and Emma Langgaard (née Foss, 1861–1926), both of whom were pianists. At the age of five Rued began taking piano
lessons with his mother, and later with his father and a private teacher. His talent emerged quickly, and at seven he was able to play Schumann
's Davidsbündlertänze
and Chopin
's mazurka
s. By then he had begun to compose short pieces for the piano and play the organ
. At 10 he began to study the organ under Gustav Helsted, organist at the Jesuskirken in Valby
, and the violin
under Chr. Petersen, formerly of the Royal Orchestra.
At the age of 11 he made his first public appearance as an organist and improviser on the organ at a concert at the Frederikskirken (Marmorkirken) in Copenhagen. When he was 12, he started to study music theory
under C. F. E. Horneman and, later, Vilhelm Rosenberg.
Langgaard's first compositions, 2 piano pieces and 2 songs, were published when he was 13, and around that time he was taught counterpoint
by the celebrated composer Carl Nielsen
for about a month. A year later, his choral work Musae triumphantes was performed at a concert in Copenhagen, marking his public debut as a composer. During his teen years he continued composing and travelled with his parents around Christmas and New Year's Eve, meeting conductors Arthur Nikisch
and Max Fiedler
.
At 18, Langgaard served as assistant organist at the Frederikskirken (Marmorkirken) in Copenhagen. The following year (1913) his Symphony No. 1 "Mountain Pastorals" received its first performance at a concert in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
under the baton of Max Fiedler
.
His father died in 1914, and from 1915 to 1917 he was assistant organist at the Garnisons Kirke in Copenhagen. From 1917 onward he applied without success for the post of organist at a large number of churches in Copenhagen. In 1922 a young woman named Constance Tetens moved in with Rued Langgaard and his mother in Copenhagen. A year after his mother died in 1926, Rued Langgaard married Valborg Constance Olivia Tetens.
Although Rued Langgaard was given a state grant from the age of 30, his works and job applications were almost continually rejected by the establishment. Only at the age of 46 did he manage to obtain a permanent job, as the organist at the cathedral
in Ribe
, the oldest town in Denmark, situated in southwest Jutland
. Just shy of his 59th birthday, Rued Langgaard died in Ribe, still unrecognized as a composer.
and Richard Strauss
and, like Strauss, he was a master of orchestration
. He was a prolific composer for the large orchestra, writing 16 symphonies as well as other orchestral works.
Music of the spheres is one of his better-known works. It is a symphonic work of great complexity, calling for a large orchestra, organ and choir, a supporting (distant) orchestra including a soprano voice, and a further piano on which the strings are played directly rather than via the keys. It was composed during World War I
, but only performed twice (in Germany in 1921-1922) during Langgaard's lifetime and lay dormant for almost 50 years before being rediscovered. When it was rediscovered in the late 1960s, it was considered remarkably modern and reflective of the pathfinding style in which Langgaard composed.
His unorthodox style and sense of drama extended to the titles of his compositions. His fourth and sixth symphonies are known as the Leaf Fall and Heaven Storming. His symphonies Nos. 13 and 16 are named Faithlessness and Deluge of Sun, respectively. Examples of descriptive names for individual movements are Wireless Caruso and Compulsive Energy and Daddies rushing off to the Office (in symphony no. 14, The Morning).
His total production of over 400 works included more than 150 songs, works for piano, organ, and an opera entitled Antikrist
(The Antichrist).
* Despite sharing some thematic material, the differences between both versions of the Fifth Symphony are so important and so many, that these are really two separate symphonies.
under the baton of Thomas Dausgaard
. Both cycles have had their share of critical recognition.
Other works of Langgaard currently available on CD include Music of the Spheres, Messis (Organ drama in three evenings), Antichrist (Church opera in six scenes), Duo Lys Pa Himlen, piano concertos, The End of Time, and various works for solo instruments.
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
Danish
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...
and 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...
. His then-unconventional music was at odds with that of his Danish contemporaries and was recognized only 16 years after his death.
Life
Born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
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...
, Rued Langgaard was the only son of composer and Royal Chamber musician Siegfried Langgaard (1852–1914) and Emma Langgaard (née Foss, 1861–1926), both of whom were pianists. At the age of five Rued began taking 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 with his mother, and later with his father and a private teacher. His talent emerged quickly, and at seven he was able to play Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
's Davidsbündlertänze
Davidsbündlertänze
Davidsbündlertänze , Op. 6, is a group of eighteen pieces for solo piano composed by Robert Schumann in 1837. Schumann named them after the imaginary Davidsbündler. The pieces are not true dances, but are characteristic pieces, musical dialogues about contemporary music between Schumann's...
and Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
's mazurka
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
s. By then he had begun to compose short pieces for the piano and play the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. At 10 he began to study the organ under Gustav Helsted, organist at the Jesuskirken in Valby
Valby
' is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, it is a heterogeneous mixture of different types of housing - including apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single-family houses and allotments, as well as remains...
, and the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
under Chr. Petersen, formerly of the Royal Orchestra.
At the age of 11 he made his first public appearance as an organist and improviser on the organ at a concert at the Frederikskirken (Marmorkirken) in Copenhagen. When he was 12, he started to study music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
under C. F. E. Horneman and, later, Vilhelm Rosenberg.
Langgaard's first compositions, 2 piano pieces and 2 songs, were published when he was 13, and around that time he was taught counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
by the celebrated composer Carl Nielsen
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
for about a month. A year later, his choral work Musae triumphantes was performed at a concert in Copenhagen, marking his public debut as a composer. During his teen years he continued composing and travelled with his parents around Christmas and New Year's Eve, meeting conductors Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
and Max Fiedler
Max Fiedler
Max Fiedler was a German conductor and composer, born August Max Fiedler in Zittau, Saxony, Germany...
.
At 18, Langgaard served as assistant organist at the Frederikskirken (Marmorkirken) in Copenhagen. The following year (1913) his Symphony No. 1 "Mountain Pastorals" received its first performance at a concert in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic, German: , formerly Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the...
under the baton of Max Fiedler
Max Fiedler
Max Fiedler was a German conductor and composer, born August Max Fiedler in Zittau, Saxony, Germany...
.
His father died in 1914, and from 1915 to 1917 he was assistant organist at the Garnisons Kirke in Copenhagen. From 1917 onward he applied without success for the post of organist at a large number of churches in Copenhagen. In 1922 a young woman named Constance Tetens moved in with Rued Langgaard and his mother in Copenhagen. A year after his mother died in 1926, Rued Langgaard married Valborg Constance Olivia Tetens.
Although Rued Langgaard was given a state grant from the age of 30, his works and job applications were almost continually rejected by the establishment. Only at the age of 46 did he manage to obtain a permanent job, as the organist at the cathedral
Ribe Cathedral
Our Lady Maria Cathedral is located in the ancient city of Ribe on the western coast of southern Jutland, Denmark- History :Ribe is Denmark's oldest surviving city. Ribe began as an open trading market on the north bank of the Ribe River where it runs into the ocean...
in Ribe
Ribe
Ribe , the oldest extant Danish town, is in southwest Jutland and has a population of 8,192 . Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding municipality, and county...
, the oldest town in Denmark, situated in southwest 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...
. Just shy of his 59th birthday, Rued Langgaard died in Ribe, still unrecognized as a composer.
Music
Rued Langgaard composed in a late Romantic style, emphatically dramatic and endowed with colossal mood swings. Unquestionably, he was influenced by Richard WagnerRichard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
and, like Strauss, he was a master of orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
. He was a prolific composer for the large orchestra, writing 16 symphonies as well as other orchestral works.
Music of the spheres is one of his better-known works. It is a symphonic work of great complexity, calling for a large orchestra, organ and choir, a supporting (distant) orchestra including a soprano voice, and a further piano on which the strings are played directly rather than via the keys. It was composed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but only performed twice (in Germany in 1921-1922) during Langgaard's lifetime and lay dormant for almost 50 years before being rediscovered. When it was rediscovered in the late 1960s, it was considered remarkably modern and reflective of the pathfinding style in which Langgaard composed.
His unorthodox style and sense of drama extended to the titles of his compositions. His fourth and sixth symphonies are known as the Leaf Fall and Heaven Storming. His symphonies Nos. 13 and 16 are named Faithlessness and Deluge of Sun, respectively. Examples of descriptive names for individual movements are Wireless Caruso and Compulsive Energy and Daddies rushing off to the Office (in symphony no. 14, The Morning).
His total production of over 400 works included more than 150 songs, works for piano, organ, and an opera entitled Antikrist
Antikrist
Antikrist is a Danish opera by Rued Langgaard. This is Langgaard's only opera, composed in 1921-23 and reworked 1926-30. Despite several attempts by the composer's hand, the work was first premiered in 1999, many years after Langgaard's death...
(The Antichrist).
Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1 "Mountain Pastorals" (1911)
- Symphony No. 2, "Awakening of Spring" (1914/1933)
- Symphony No. 3, "The flush of youth (La Melodia)" (effectively a piano concerto in one movement of about 30 minutes, 1916/1933)
- Symphony No. 4, "Fall of the Leaf" (1916/1920)
- Symphony No. 5 (1st version, 1918/1926)
* - Symphony No. 5, "Nature of the Steppe" (2nd version, 1920/1931)
* - Symphony No. 6, "Heaven Storming" (1920/1930)
- Symphony No. 7 (1st version, 1926)
- Symphony No. 7, "By Tordenskjold in Holmen's ChurchChurch of HolmenThe Church of Holmen is a church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the wedding between Margrethe II of Denmark, current queen of Denmark,...
" (2nd version, 1926/1932) - Symphony No. 8, "Memories at Amalienborg" (with mixed chorus, 1934)
- Symphony No. 9, "From Queen Dagmar's City" (1942)
- Symphony No. 10, "Yon Hall of Thunder" (1945)
- Symphony No. 11, "Ixion" (1945)
- Symphony No. 12, "Helsingeborg" (1946)
- Symphony No. 13, "Belief in Wonders" (1947)
- Symphony No. 14, "Morning" (with mixed chorus, 1948/1951)
- Symphony No. 15, "The Storm at Sea", (with baritone solo and male chorus, 1938/1949)
- Symphony No. 16, "Deluge of the Sun", (1951)
Other orchestral works
- Drapa (On the Death of Edvard Grieg, 1909)
- Heltedød (Death of a Hero) (1908)
- Sphinx (Tone Poem) (?, revised 1913)
- A Thing of the Past (1919)
- Symphonic Festival Play (1920)
- Prelude to "Antikrist" (original version, 1923)
- Music for "The Dream of a Poet" (1926)
- The Dance of the Muses on Helicon (Concert Ouverture, 1925/1939)
- Prelude to "Perdition (Antikrist)" (1923/1930)
- Prelude to "Everyman" (1923/1936)
- The Danish National Radio (Fanfares, 1948)
- Mistèrio (The Phantom Ship) (1932)
Concertante works
- Symphony no. 3 "The Flush of Youth (La melodia)" (1916/1933)
- Concerto (in one movement) for Violin and Orchestra (1944)
- Interdikt for Organ and Orchestra (1948)
- Sunday Sonata for Violin, piano, organ and orchestra (1950)
- "From Arild", Concerto for piano and orchestra freely adapted from compositions by Siegfried Langgaard (1937)
Chorus and Orchestra
- The Dream (Sinfonia interna) (1916/1945)
- Sea and Sun (with soprano or mezzosoprano; version with chorus by Mike Cholewa after the composer's sketches, 1915/1940s)
- The Music of the Spheres (soprano or mezzosoprano solo & choir, 1918)
Recordings
In recent years, many of his works have been recorded, including recordings by Danacord of his complete symphonies on seven CDs. This cycle, with the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ilya Stupel, is now gradually being followed by a second cycle recorded by Dacapo with the Danish National Symphony OrchestraDanish National Symphony Orchestra
The Danish National Symphony Orchestra , is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR...
under the baton of Thomas Dausgaard
Thomas Dausgaard
Thomas Dausgaard , is a Danish conductor.Since 1997, Dausgaard has been Principal Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. From 2001-2004, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra , and became principal conductor in 2004, the first Danish conductor to hold the...
. Both cycles have had their share of critical recognition.
Other works of Langgaard currently available on CD include Music of the Spheres, Messis (Organ drama in three evenings), Antichrist (Church opera in six scenes), Duo Lys Pa Himlen, piano concertos, The End of Time, and various works for solo instruments.
External links
- Very short Naxos biographical note on Rued Langgaard
- Danacord entry to Rued Langgaard, "a white duckling who became an ugly swan".