Johan Severin Svendsen was born on September 30, 1840, and died on June 14, 1911. He was a Norwegian composer, conductor, and violinist. He was born in Christiania, which is now called Oslo, Norway. He spent most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Svendsen wrote two symphonies, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and the Romance for violin. He also composed several Norwegian Rhapsodies for orchestra. At one time, he was a close friend of the German composer Richard Wagner and the Icelandic composer Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson.

Life

Svendsen's father was a music teacher and military band leader who taught him to play the violin and clarinet. He started playing in orchestras at age nine after learning the violin and began composing music at age eleven. At fifteen, he joined the military band at Akershus Fortress, where he played the clarinet, flute, trombone, and percussion, among other instruments. By the time he finished school, he was working as an orchestral musician and sometimes performed short concerts as a violinist. During one of his tours in Lübeck, a wealthy merchant noticed his talent and helped him study at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1863 to 1867. He initially studied with Ferdinand David but had to switch to composition after hand problems. He studied composition with Carl Reinecke and received first prize in composition when he finished his studies in 1867. During this time, Svendsen had a son out of wedlock named Johann Richard Rudolph (1867–1933).

Later, Svendsen focused on conducting. After spending time in Paris (1868–70) and Leipzig (1870–72), he returned to Christiania. One of his students in Christiania was pianist Bertha Tapper. In the summer of 1871, he traveled to New York City to marry Sarah (Sally, later Bergljot) Levett Schmidt, whom he had met in Paris. He worked as the conductor of the Musical Society Concerts in Christiania from 1872 to 1877. He then spent three years traveling in Germany, Italy, England, and France before returning to teach and conduct in Kristiania (1880–1883). In 1883, he became the principal conductor of the Royal Theater Orchestra in Copenhagen, where he lived until his death.

In 1884, Svendsen and his wife separated, and she moved to Paris. Their relationship had been difficult for several years. A well-known story claims that in 1883, during an argument, she threw the only copy of his Symphony No. 3 into a fire. This story was used by Henrik Ibsen in his play Hedda Gabler. However, it is unlikely that a complete symphony was burned. In 2007, conductor Bjarte Engeset discovered some sketches, likely for a symphony, which were later developed and performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Engeset in 2011.

After divorcing Sarah on December 10, 1901, Svendsen married Juliette Haase on December 23, 1901. They had three children together. His youngest son from this marriage was the famous Danish actor Eyvind Johan-Svendsen (1896–1946).

Unlike his famous contemporary and friend Edvard Grieg, who was known for his use of harmony, Svendsen was celebrated for his skill in orchestration. While Grieg wrote music for small groups, Svendsen composed primarily for large orchestras and ensembles. His most famous work is the Romance for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 26. He was very popular in Denmark and Norway during his lifetime as both a composer and conductor, winning many national awards. However, his fame did not lead to widespread recognition in the international classical music world. He died in Copenhagen at the age of 70.

Svendsen's first published work, the String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 1, became very popular. He soon followed with the String Octet, Op. 3 and String Quintet, Op. 5, which further increased his early fame. All of Svendsen's chamber music was written while he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, but these works are not considered student pieces. Most people agreed that Svendsen was one of the most talented students at the Conservatory. His compositions won prizes and were performed publicly with great praise.

Works

In parentheses, the years the works were written and the places and dates they were first performed:

• Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4 (Written between 1865 and 1867; first performed in Christiania on October 12, 1867)
• Violin Concerto, Op. 6 (Written between 1868 and 1870; first performed in Leipzig on February 6, 1872)
• Cello Concerto, Op. 7 (Written in 1870; first performed in Leipzig on March 16, 1871)
• Sigurd Slembe, Symphonic Prelude, Op. 8 (Written in 1871; first performed in Leipzig on December 12, 1871)
• Carnival in Paris, Episode, Op. 9 (Written in 1872; first performed in Christiania on October 26, 1872)
• Funeral March, On the Death of King Carl XV, Op. 10 (Written in 1872; first performed on October 26, 1872)
• Zorahayda, Legend, Op. 11 (Written in 1874, revised in 1879; first performed in Christiania on October 3, 1874, and revised again on May 11, 1880)
• Festival Polonaise, Op. 12 (Written in 1873; first performed in Christiania on August 6, 1873)
• Coronation March (for the Coronation of King Oscar II), Op. 13 (Written in 1873; first performed in Trondheim on July 18, 1873)
• Norwegian Artists' Carnival, Op. 14 (Written in 1874; first performed in Christiania on March 17, 1874)
• Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 15 (Written in 1874; first performed in Christiania on October 14, 1876)
• Norwegian Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 17 (Written in 1876; first performed in Kristiania on September 25, 1877)
• Romeo and Juliet, Fantasia, Op. 18 (Written in 1876; first performed in Christiania on October 14, 1876)
• Norwegian Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 19 (Written in 1876; first performed in ???)
• Norwegian Rhapsody No. 3, Op. 21 (Written in 1876; first performed in Paris on January ??, 1879)
• Norwegian Rhapsody No. 4, Op. 22 (Written in 1877; first performed in Paris on February 1, 1879)
• Violin Romance, Op. 26 (Written in 1881; first performed in Kristiania on October 30, 1881; the soloist was Stanisław Barcewicz)
• Polonaise, Op. 28 (Written in 1882)
• Andante Funebre (Written in 1895)

• 2 Swedish Folk Melodies, Op. 27 (Written in 1876 and 1878)
• 2 Icelandic Melodies, Op. 30 (Written in 1874)
• Ifjol gjætt' e gjeitinn (Last year I was tending the goats), Op. 31 (Written in 1874)

• String Quartet, Op. 1 (Written in 1865)
• String Octet, Op. 3 (Written in 1866)
• String Quintet, Op. 5 (Written in 1867)
• Humorous March, Op. 16 (Written in 1874)

• 2 Songs (Male Chorus), Op. 2 (Written in 1865)
• 5 Songs (Voice and Piano), Op. 23 (Written in 1879)
• 4 Songs (Voice and Piano), Op. 24 (Written in 1879)
• 2 Songs (Voice and Piano), Op. 25 (Written in 1878 and 1880)
• Wedding Cantata (for Prince Oscar Gustav Adolph and Princess Sophia Maria Victoria), Op. 29 (Written in 1881; first performed in Kristiania on October 18, 1881)
• Hymn (for golden wedding anniversary of King Christian IX and Queen Louise), Op. 32 (Written in 1892)

• Foraaret kommer (The Arrival of Spring), Op. 33

Documents

Letters written by Johan Svendsen are stored in the State Archives in Leipzig. These letters are part of the business records of the Music Publishing House C.F. Peters in Leipzig.