Axel Ejnar Hakon Børresen (June 2, 1876 Copenhagen – October 6, 1954 Copenhagen) was one of the foremost Danish composers of the 20th century.

Life

Børresen was descended from a merchant family. As a child, he was given 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....

, cello

Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

 and 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. When Børresen made clear to his father that he wished to become a composer, the latter arranged for him to study at the Royal Danish Conservatory in 1895. There he studied composition with Johan Svendsen

Johan Svendsen

Johan Severin Svendsen was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania , Norway, he lived most his life in Copenhagen, Denmark....

. After further private studies, his First Symphony was given a privately premiered in 1901. It made his name as an up and coming composer. There followed travels in Germany, France and Belgium, where he made many useful connections. From 1902 on he divided his time between Copenhagen and Skagen where he maintained a second home. Børresen was an important organizer of several Danish music festivals and served as the president of Danish Composers Union between 1924 and 1949. At the time of his death, he was widely regarded as one of Denmark's most important musicians. His opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

, the Royal Guest, is widely regarded as the best early 20th Century Danish opera and his chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 works, though not numerous, received considerable critical praise.

Tonal Language

Børresen's style and musical language is primarily that of the late Romantic. His music shows little or no influence from more modern tendencies. Instead, his music takes as its inspiration Danish cultural ideas and folk melodies. As such, he can clearly be regarded, tonally speaking, as a Danish nationalist composer. His style reflects the influence of his teacher Svendsen as well as that of Tchaikovsky. Of particular note is Børresen's gift for melody along with his skillful and effective use of instrumentation. His music is fresh and shows a pronounced optimism. In sum, it can be said that while his music was perhaps a little behind the times, its freshness along with its use of folk melody makes an attractive impression upon the listener. Unfortunately, nowadays, his music is little heard outside of Denmark. In 2009, Edition Silvertrust

Edition Silvertrust

Edition Silvertrust is a U.S. publisher of chamber music. Founded by R.H.R. Silvertrust, Editor of The Chamber Music Journal and President of The International Cobbett Association for Chamber Music Research....

reprinted his String Sextet in G Major, Op.5

Orchestra

• Symphony No.1 c minor op.3 (1900)
• Symphony No.2 A Major op.7 "The Ocean" (1904)
• Symphony No.3 C Major op.21 (1925/26)
• Violin Concerto in G Major op.11 (1904)
• "The Normans", A Concert Overture op.16 (1912, rev. 1935)
• Serenade in C Major for Horn, Strings and Percussion (1944)
• "Nordic Folkmelodies" for String Orchestra (1949)

Stage

• "The Royal Guest", Opera (1919)
• "Kaddara", Opera (1921)
• "Tycho Brahe's Dream", A Ballet (1924)

Chamber

• String Quartet No.1 in e minor op.20 (1913)
• String Quartet No.1 in c minor (1939)
• String Sextet in G Major op.5 (1901)
• Sonata for Violin & Piano in a minor, op.9 (1907)
• Romance for Violoncello and Piano in D Major op.4 (1902)

External links

• Hakon Børresen String Sextet-Sound-bites and discussion of work