Bjørn Fongaard was a Norwegian 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...

, guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

, and teacher. In addition to being concerned with microtonal

Microtonal music

Microtonal music is music using microtones—intervals of less than an equally spaced semitone. Microtonal music can also refer to music which uses intervals not found in the Western system of 12 equal intervals to the octave.-Terminology:...

 and electronic music

Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

, he was perhaps the first to use the prepared guitar

Prepared guitar

A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...

.

He studied at the Oslo Conservatory of Music with teachers including Per Steenberg, Sigurd Islandsmoen

Sigurd Islandsmoen

Sigurd Islandsmoen was a Norwegian composer. Sigurd Islandsmoen made significant contributions to the music of the Church of Norway. In all he wrote some 70 opus, among these five feature-length works for orchestra, choir and soloists. He is perhaps best known for his composition Requiem written...

, Bjarne Brustad

Bjarne Brustad

Bjarne Brustad was a Norwegian composer, violinist and violist. He played with symphonic orchestras in Stavanger and Oslo. In the 1920s he travelled to European cities such as Paris, Munich and Berlin, where he received musical inspiration and contacts...

, and Karl Andersen.

He started off by constructing a quarter tone

Quarter tone

A quarter tone , is a pitch halfway between the usual notes of a chromatic scale, an interval about half as wide as a semitone, which is half a whole tone....

 guitar with adaption of the fretboard

Fingerboard

The fingerboard is a part of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument and above which the strings run...

, but very early left this in favor of a diverse set of prepared guitar techniques. His first pieces in this genre came in the mid 60's. A new sampler CD out recently (2011) is titled Elektrofoni: Works For Micro Intervallic Guitar 1965-1978.

"Fongaard's output is considerable...Due to the partly experimental notation

Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...

, these works have not become widely known."

List of works

• Galaxy op. 46
• Homo Sapiens op. 80
• Genesis
• Sinfonia Microtonalis op. 79
• Orchestra Antiphonalis
• Symphony of Space
• Universum
• Mare Tranquilitatis
• 23 Concertos for Piano and Orchestra 0p. 118
• 12 Concertos for Solo Instrument and Orchestra op. 120
• 21 String Quartets op. 123
• 57 Sonatas for One Instrument op. 125
• 41 Concertos for Solo Instrument and Tape op. 131

External links

• "Bjørn Fongaard: Elektrofoni 3CD/1DVD Box-Set", PrismaRecords.BlogSpot.com.
• "Bjørn Fongaard, "Elektrofoni: Works for Micro Intervallic Guitar 1965-1978"", BrainWashed.com.