Ludvig Norman
Encyclopedia
Ludvig Norman was a Swedish
composer
, conductor
, pianist
, and music teacher. Together with Franz Berwald
and Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
, he ranks among the most important Swedish symphonists
of the 19th century.
Norman was born Fredrik Vilhelm Ludvig Norman in Stockholm
.
Norman began his musical training with Lindblad and later studied at the Leipzig Conservatory
from 1848 to 1852, where he also made the acquaintance of Robert Schumann
. Starting in 1857, he taught at the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm
. In 1860, he became the conductor of the Nya harmoniska sällskapet and obtained the post of Kapellmeister at the Royal Swedish Opera
the following year. After 1881, he conducted the choral concerts of the Musikvorenigen. He was married to the noted violinist Wilma Neruda
in 1864. Their son Ludwig Norman Neruda was a famous alpinist
.
As conductor, he is remembered for premiering the fourth symphony of Franz Berwald
on 9 April 1878.
Norman composed in a wide variety of genres, including four symphonies, four overture
s, four sets of incidental music
for plays, cantata
s, and chamber music
, as well as a great number of lied
er and songs for choir
.
He was the dedicatee of Woldemar Bargiel
's octet for strings.
His pupils included Elfrida Andrée
.
Ludvig Norman died in 1885 also in Stockholm.
Chamber music
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and music teacher. Together with Franz Berwald
Franz Berwald
Franz Adolf Berwald was a Swedish Romantic composer who was generally ignored during his lifetime. He made his living as an orthopedic surgeon and later as the manager of a saw mill and glass factory....
and Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
Adolf Fredrik Lindblad was a Swedish composer, mainly remembered for his songs.Lindblad composed one opera, Frondörerna , two symphonies, in C and D major, and chamber music including two string quintets, three violin sonatas and seven string quartets...
, he ranks among the most important Swedish symphonists
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
of the 19th century.
Norman was born Fredrik Vilhelm Ludvig Norman in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Norman began his musical training with Lindblad and later studied at the Leipzig Conservatory
Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig . Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatory of Music, it is the oldest university school of music in Germany....
from 1848 to 1852, where he also made the acquaintance of Robert 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....
. Starting in 1857, he taught at the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm
Royal College of Music, Stockholm
The Royal College of Music, Stockholm is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
. In 1860, he became the conductor of the Nya harmoniska sällskapet and obtained the post of Kapellmeister at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
the following year. After 1881, he conducted the choral concerts of the Musikvorenigen. He was married to the noted violinist Wilma Neruda
Wilma Neruda
Wilma Neruda, Lady Hallé, originally Wilhelmine Maria Franziska Neruda was a Moravian violinist.-Biography:...
in 1864. Their son Ludwig Norman Neruda was a famous alpinist
Alpinist
Alpinist is a quarterly American magazine focused on mountaineering ascents worldwide. It was originally published out of Jackson, Wyoming and was founded in 2002...
.
As conductor, he is remembered for premiering the fourth symphony of Franz Berwald
Franz Berwald
Franz Adolf Berwald was a Swedish Romantic composer who was generally ignored during his lifetime. He made his living as an orthopedic surgeon and later as the manager of a saw mill and glass factory....
on 9 April 1878.
Norman composed in a wide variety of genres, including four symphonies, four overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s, four sets of incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for plays, cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, and 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...
, as well as a great number of lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er and songs for choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
He was the dedicatee of Woldemar Bargiel
Woldemar Bargiel
Woldemar Bargiel was a German composer of classical music.-Life:Bargiel was born in Berlin, and was the half brother of Clara Schumann. Bargiel’s father Adolph was a well-known piano and voice teacher while his mother Mariane had been unhappily married to Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck. Clara was...
's octet for strings.
His pupils included Elfrida Andrée
Elfrida Andrée
Elfrida Andrée , was a Swedish organist, composer, and conductor.Andrée was born in Visby. She was the pupil of Ludvig Norman and Niels Wilhelm Gade. Her sister was the singer Fredrika Stenhammar. An activist in the Swedish women's movement, she was one of the first female organists to be...
.
Ludvig Norman died in 1885 also in Stockholm.
Selected works
Orchestra- Symphony No. 1 in F Major, Op. 22 (1857)
- Symphony No. 2 in E Major, Op. 40 (1871)
- Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 58 (1881)
- Concert Overture in E Major, Op. 21 (1856)
- Overture to Shakespeare's Antony and CleopatraAntony and CleopatraAntony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
, Op. 57 (1881) - Festive Overture in C Major, Op. 60 (1882)
- Concertstück for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 54 (rev.1880)
Chamber music
- Piano Trio No. 1 in D, Op. 4 (1849, pub. 1853)
- Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor, Op. 38
- "5 Tonbilder im Zusammenhange" for violin and piano, Op.6 (1851, publ 1854)
- Sonata for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 3 (1848, pub. 1852)
- Piano Quartet in E Minor, Op. 10
- String Sextet in A major, Op. 18
- Sextet for Piano and Strings in A minor, Op. 29
- Sonata in G Minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 32
- String Octet in C Major, Op. 30
- Sonata in D Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 28
- String Quartet No. 1 in E Major (1848)
- String Quartet No. 2 in E Major, Op. 20 (1855)
- String Quartet No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 24 (1858)
- String Quartet No. 4 in C Major, Op. 41/2 (between 1871 and 1883)
- String Quartet No. 5 in A Minor, Op. 65 (1884, pub. 1887)
- String Quintet in C Minor, Op. 35