Halfdan Kjerulf (17 September 1815 – 11 August 1868) was aNorwegian composer.[1]
Kjerulf was born inChristiania (nowOslo),Norway. He was the son of a high government official. His early education was atChristiania University, for a legal career,[2] but his studies ended in 1839 as a result of illness, and the next year he spent some time in Paris. Soon after his return his father and two siblings died and he took a job as a journalist at one of Oslo's main newspapers,Den Constitutionelle whereAndreas Munch (1811–1884) was editor and where Kjerulf worked until 1845.[3]
Kjerulf started his career as a music teacher and composer of songs before ever having seriously studied music at all, and not for ten years did he attract any particular notice.[2] He was counted among those in theModern Breakthrough movement in literature, painting and music which was replacing romanticism within Scandinavia. It was typified by the poetJohan Sebastian Welhaven, whose poems he set.[4]
In 1848 he studied with German musician and composerCarl Arnold (1794-1873), and after studying withNiels Gade (1817–1890) inCopenhagen, the Norwegian Government paid for a year's instruction for him atLeipzig in 1850, where he was taught byErnst Richter (1808–1879). For many years after his return to Norway, Kjerulf tried in vain to establish regular classical concerts, while he himself was working withBjørnson and other writers at the composition of lyrical songs.[2] He did present some concerts, at which he introduced the Norwegian public toBeethoven'sFifth Symphony and other standards otherwise little known to them.[5] He obtained some official recognition during the 1860s. He died inGrefsen, near Christiania, in 1868, aged only 52.[6][7]
His fame rests mainly on his beautiful and manly national partsongs and solos. His piano music is equally charming.[2]Edvard Grieg was an enthusiastic admirer of it and he was undoubtedly influenced by it in writing hisLyric Pieces.[5] It was recorded in its entirety in 2001 byEinar Steen-Nøkleberg.His piano students includedAgathe Backer-Grøndahl andErika Nissen (then known as Erika Lie).[5]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kjerulf, Halfdan".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 843.| International | |
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