NIELSEN, Carl
b Norre Lyndelse, Denmark, 9 June 1865
d Copenhagen, 3 October 1931, aged sixty-six
He was born into a peasant family; his father played violin and cornet. At the age of fourteen he became a military bandsman in Odense, and soon began to compose chamber music. In 1884 he entered the Copenhagen Conservatory, and from 1889 to 1905 played second violin in the Royal Theatre Orchestra, of which he was later conductor from 1908 to 1914. He was appointed to the governing body of the Conservatory in 1915, remaining there until 1927, and teaching theory there from 1916 to 1919. Heart trouble affected him increasingly from 1922. He became director of the Conservatory in 1931 and died of a heart attack later that same year. In his first symphony he showed the influence of the orchestral style of Brahms, but though his form and harmony were classical he was showing contemporary developments in chromaticism and tone colour. By his fifth symphony he was using progressive tonality, and was demonstrating the reformulation of traditional symphonic form.
1881-2 (16-17)
Sonata No 1
in G for violin and piano (unpublished)
1882-3 (17-18)
Two Character Pieces for piano (unpublished)
String Quartet in Dm (unpublished)
Duet in A, for two violins (unpublished)
1883 (18)
Piano Trio in G (unpublished)
1883-7 (18-22)
Various string quartet movements (unpublished)
1887-8 (22-3)
String Quartet in Gm
1888 (23)
String Quintet in G
Little Suite for strings
Symphonic Rhapsody (unpublished)
1889 (24)
Fantasistykker, for oboe and piano
890 (25)
String Quartet in Fm
Five Pieces for piano
1889-92 (25-7)
Symphony No 1
1893 (28)
Snofrid, melodrama (unpublished)
1894 (29)
Symphonic Suite for piano
1894-7 (29-32)
Humoreske-bagateller, for piano
1895 (30)
Sonata in A for violin and piano
1896-7 (31-2)
Hymnus amoris, for baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra
1897-8 (32-3)
String Quartet in Eb
1900 (35)
Fest-praeludium, for piano
Cantata for the Lorens Frelich Festival (unpublished)
1901 (36)
Cantata for the Students' Association (unpublished)
1901-2 (36-7)
Symphony No 2, The Four Temperaments
1902 (37)
Saul and David, opera
1903 (38)
Helios, overture
1903-4 (38-9)
Søvnen, for chorus and orchestra
1905 (40)
Drømmen om 'Glade Jul', for piano 1
906 (41)
fp Maskarade, opera
String Quartet in F
1907-8 (42-3)
Saga-drom, for orchestra
1908 (43)
Cantata for the Anniversary of Copenhagen University
1909 (44)
Cantata for a Commemoration (unpublished)
Cantata for the National Exhibition at Arhus (unpublished)
1910 (45)
At the Young Artist's Bier, for string quartet
1910-11 (45-6)
Symphony No 3, Espansiva
1911 (46)
Violin Concerto
1912 (47)
Sonata No 2 for violin and piano
Paraphrase on 'Nearer My God to Thee', for wind (unpublished)
1913-48)
Canto Serioso, for horn and piano
1914 (49)
Serenata in vano, for clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and double-bass
1914-16 (49-51)
Symphony No 4, The Inextinguishable
1916 (51)
Chaconne for piano
1917 (52)
Theme and Variations for piano
Cantata for the Centenary of the Merchants' Committee
1917-18 (52-3)
Pan and Syrinx, for orchestra
1918 (53)
Three Compositions for piano
1919-20 (54-5)
Suite, Den Luciferiske, for piano
1921 (56)
Springtime in Fyn, for soprano, tenor, bass, chorus and orchestra
1921-2 (56-7)
Symphony No 5
1922 (57)
Hyldest til Holberg, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (unpublished)
Wind Quintet
1923 (58)
Prelude and Theme with Variations for violin
1924-5 (59-60)
Symphony No 6, The Simple
1926 (61)
Flute Concerto
1927 (62)
En Fantasirejse til Faeroerne, rhapsodic overture
1927-8 (62-3)
Prelude and Presto for violin
1928 (63)
Clarinet Concerto
Bohmisk-dansk folketom, for strings
Three Pieces for piano
1929 (64)
Cantata for the Centenary of the Polytechnic High School
(unpublished)
Hymne til Kunsten, for soprano, tenor, chorus and wind
(unpublished)
Twenty-nine Little Preludes for organ
1930 (65)
Cantata for the 50th Anniversary of the Danish Cremation Union
(unpublished)
Cantata for the 50th Anniversary of the Young Merchants'
Educational Association (unpublished)
Klaviermusik for Smaa og Store, two volumes
Two Preludes for organ
1931 (66)
Allegretto in F, for two recorders
Commotio, for organ
Nielsen also wrote much incidental music, unaccompanied choral works, and many songs.