Carl Nielsen

Carl August Nielsen (June 9, 1865–October 3, 1931) was a Danish composer. He is probably the best known composer from Denmark.

Music

Internationally, Nielsen is best known for his six symphonies. Other well-known pieces of his are the incidental music for Oehlenschläger's drama Aladdin, the operas Saul og David and Maskarade, the concerti for flute and for clarinet, and the wind quintet. In Denmark, everybody knows and sings the numerous songs by various poets, set to music by Carl Nielsen.

Related Topics:
Symphonies - Incidental music - Oehlenschläger's - Aladdin - Opera - Maskarade - Concerti - Flute - Clarinet - Wind quintet

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Nielsen's works are sometimes referred to by FS numbers, from the 1965 catalog compiled by Dan Fog and Torben Schousboe.

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Symphonies

Nielsen's early Symphony No. 1 in G minor already shows his individuality and hints at what Robert Simpson calls "progressive tonality". It was written during, and shares some qualities with, the Holstein songs of opus 10.

Related Topics:
Symphony No. 1 in G minor - Robert Simpson - Holstein

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A painting Nielsen saw at an inn, depicting the four temperaments (choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine) inspired him to write Symphony No. 2, "The Four Temperaments". It is in four movements, each depicting a temperament, but it's more than a suite of tone poems, it is a fully integrated Symphony.

Related Topics:
Four temperaments - Symphony No. 2, "The Four Temperaments"

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Symphony No. 3, "Espansiva" was premiered in the same concert as the Violin Concerto. The second movement contains wordless solos for soprano and tenor (which can be alternatively played by clarinet and trombone).

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Perhaps the best known of Nielsen's Symphonies is Symphony No. 4, "Inextinguishable". It is in four connected movements and the most dramatic Nielsen had written to date. In the last movement two sets of timpani are placed on opposite sides of the stage for a sort of musical duel.

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Symphony No. 5 is one of only two of Nielsen's Symphonies without a subtitle. Like No. 4, it also has dramatic use of percussion: at one point in the first movement the snare drummer is instructed to improvise "as if at all costs to stop the progress of the orchestra."

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Even Robert Simpson was at first confused by Nielsen's Symphony No. 6, "Semplice". It is not as obviously dramatic as the previous two and in some ways it strikes listeners as strange. For instance, the second movement is only scored for nine instruments of the orchestra: piccolo, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, trombone and percussion.

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