Music of Norway - Norwegian Choir Tradition

Norwegian Choir Tradition

The oldest material evidence of choral music in Norway belongs to the twelfth century, and as in all European choral singing, it was cultivated in monasteries and then in education centres (also initial purpose religious). Both the Catholic era and later the Lutheran reform of the choral singing was important. However, the beginning of a Norwegian tradition of choral singing itself takes place during the XIX century.

On the one hand the cession of Norway from Denmark to Sweden arose a strong nationalist cultural motivation ("Norskhetsbegerstring"). On the other hand, the ideas of Hans Georg Nägeli (1773–1836, Swiss) and Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758–1832, Germany) had given to choral singing reputed to be a particularly effective means of decimation of culture. This tradition is the joint work of composers, conductors, singing teachers and choral music publications. Roverud, Reissiger, Lindeman, Kjerulf, Conradi, and Behrens are just some of the names that formed this Norwegian tradition before E. Grieg. They took more than one role in this complex socio-cultural development, but each has a special merit.

The main contribution of L. M. Lindeman was his collection of folk music and hymnody compilations, as well as the organization of a school for organists in 1883, which later became the Conservatory of Oslo. Kjerulf, Behrens and Conradi were the three directors of choirs and choral societies organizers, but it was no doubt that Kjerulf stood out as composer leaving more than 170 choral pieces, mostly for male quartet. Behrens and Conradi rather had a social role by organizing festivals of choirs and choral societies as The Craftmen Choir and The Businessmen Choir, as well as the Norwegian Students' Choir in both Oslo and gradually in the provinces. Behrens has a special reputation for having published compilations of Norwegian composers; over 500 songs in his volumes of "Collections of Part Songs for Males Voices".

The most influential era of these musicians was during the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when the popularity of choral singing spread throughout Norway, especially male singing for four voices. Proof of this is the legacy "coral" that led to the U.S., especially since the founding of St. Olaf College Choir by F. Melius Christiansen in 1912. (They talk about mass services with 3000 singers.)

The choral tradition has since been exploited to strengthen the Norwegian identity. Conradi, Kjerulf and Reissiger wrote choral music with texts by Norwegian writers like Ibsen or Bjørnson, who in turn wrote with the intension that their texts could be easily added music. The 19th Century was a time of intense collaboration between writers and composers, to use the existing popularity of musical societies and especially the male quartets were particularly popular from the 1840s. A second generation of conductors and composers continued this tradition until the beginning of 20th century (Andreas Olaus Grøndahl in Oslo, and in Bergen Ingolf Schjøtt). The popularity of choral societies and choral festivals lead to the first competitions or rallies (from 1850s). In 1878 the Choral Society held its first student participation outside Scandinavia bringing Norwegian music and texts to Paris, this being a way to "export" and show Norwegian culture.

The nationalist motivation is exposed in the music of Grieg. Transitioning to the twentieth century, despite the tradition that keeps coral Norwegian eventually changes; especially after WW1, when the romantic ideals are abandoned. The new generation of composers (Egge, Nysted, Sommerfeldt, ...) . These composers are still influenced by Grieg, and found inspiration in not only national elements and in general, to the present day world order trends are always influencing the new composers.

Finally, more recent eras of economic prosperity among the Norwegians brought a second boom of choral music spread, inside and outside the capital. Volda, for example, a town east of only 6000 people in western Norway has about 20 active choirs.

Secuencia de hechos (tomado del Cap1 de Beryl Foster & Grinde, Niels Cap5.&8, Anne Jorunn Kydland) Antecedentes: - 1569: Den danske psalme bog (Hans thomssøn) - 1604-1805: Latin Schools, singing obligation (Sangoppvarting) 2/2 SXVIII Eco- social development: "Norskhetsbegerstring" 1799: Det dramatiske Selskab (Music is not any more only into churches and there comes the epoch of the music societies) 1814: Norway passes from Denmark to Sweden "Strong national feelings": "National-romantic" breakthrough (40-60) 1820: Kristiania becomes capital of Norway 1810-1838: Det musikalske Lyceum 1811: UiO (The first university in Norway)

1814-1840: Det musikalske Selskab (Christian Bloom) 1821: L M Ibsen involved in Musical/singing education 1826: First choral rally in Sweden (1827 Germany, 1860 London, 1867 Paris...) 1827: Strömberg Theatre 1828: Kristiania public Theatre (Reissiger capellmeister) 1832: School of singing (Christian Bloom) 1838: Det philarmoniske Selskab (Oslo philharmonic orchestra) 1840: Musical societies became less active, but "men's choral movements" became popular instead. Bergen: Det philarmoniske Selskab (Harmonien) (The Philharmonic Society) 1840s: 1st organizaed male-voice choirs 1842: Reissiger: The choral institute Frimurens Sangforening (freemasons: Conradi, Reissiger) Sang institud (Reissiger) 1843: -Sangforening til Mandsselskabssangens Uddannelse (Choral society for the development of singing in men's clubs), (Alfred Eduard Schütze), (Schütze: 41 albums) -The first open choral society in Norway (Conradi) (N. Grinde says that he formed a choir of students and artisans) (Is the same?) -Student quartet of J.D: Behrens arrested (and became popular) -Music conservatory in Leipzig is founded (Where Kjerulf, Conradi, Grieg and others studied) 1845: -The Norwegian Students' Choral society (H. Kjerulf, Beherens & L. M. Lindeman) - Khristiania Haanverker Sangforening (Christiania Craftsmen's Ch. Society) (Conradi) - Handelsstandens Sangforening (Business men's Ch. Society) (Conradi) -Kjerulf's own Quartet 1845-69: Behrens' "Collections of Part Songs for Male Voices" 500 songs -45/46: Undvalingt Samling at norske, svenske, og danske flerstemmige Mandssange udgiven ved en Del Studenter. -46: Udvalgt Samling af tyske firstemmige mandssange. 1846: The Philharmonic Company (in Christiania) 1847: Behrens reorganized the Business men's Chorus 1848: Behrens reorganized the Christiania Craftsmen's Chorus 1848-53: Behrens takes the place of Conradi conducting his choirs, allowing him to travel out of Oslo and organized new choral societies and orchestras: Drøbak, Tønsberg, Skien, Kongsberg. 1848: Lindeman's: "Norwegian Mountain Melodies Harmonized and Arranged" (deserves a grant to go on this line of research) 1849: Behrens put together three Choral Societies. 1849: "National romanticism renaissance" begins to flourish: "Evenings events" (involving painters, poets and musicians) Behrens replaces Kjerulf in conducting the Norwegian Student's choir when he leaves Oslo to study in Copenhagen. 1850: Bergen: "Den nationale scene" (Ole Bull) (Own orchestra) Marcus Throne (politic leader): 700 people into a choral society ("The Thranites' choral society") Lindeman's "Norwegian Folk Ballads Set for Four Male Voices" (50-85 Lindeman make several expeditions to collect folkmusic) 1851: 1st rally in Norway (But N. Grinde talks about a first song festival that took place in 1850, organized by Conradi) 1853: Lindeman's "Older and Newer Norwegian Mountain Melodies Collected and Arranged for Piano. (Several volumes after, till 1907) - (53-55) Conradi director of the Norwegian Theatre 1856: First publication of Songbook only for students - Conradi studies in Leipzig 1857: Kjerulf & Conradi make subscriptions for large works with the Kristiania Orchestra 1st professional orchestra en Kristiania (Conradi, Kjerulf) 1858: Behrens' Book of Lutheran Hymnody 1860's: Workers musical/choral societies; Conradi forms the Laborer's Chorus 1863: First Sangerfest (Bergen?) But since 1840's ?? 1864: Christiania Workers' society (Eiler Sundt/…Eric Hoff?) (First a choir and then a Choral Society) 1868: "Harmonia" first collection of male-voice songs 12/1870: "Christiania Workers Community Women's Choral society" (Know as Oslo Ladies' Choir) 1875: Behrens founds "Johanites" (Choir) 1877: Lindeman's "Chorale Book", after the controversy with O. A. Lindeman's 1876: Beheren's: "Melody Book for Norwegian Song Books" 1878: Worksforce at Kværner (own choir) Conradi's "A Brief Historical Overview of the Development and Present States of Music in Norway" (First history of Norwegian music) Student's Choral Society travels to PARIS 1882: Christiania mechanics (choral society) 1883: L. M. Lindeman opens a school for organists (forerunner of the later Oslo Academy of Music) 1884: 6th Choral Festival in Trondheim (approximately 200-man choir in Norway at the time when there were only 2,000,000 inhabitants) 1895: 1st women student's choral society (before other Nordic countries) 1905: Student's Choral Society traveled to USA 1912: Saint Olav Choir (in USA)

MAIN BIBLIOGRAPHY GRINDE, Nils: - A history of Norwegian Music. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1991) (Especially p. 86 – 209) - Contemporary Norwegian Music 1920-1980. (Oslo, Universiteteforlaget, 1981)

FOSTER, Beryl - Edward Grieg: The Choral Music. (England: Ashgate, 1999) (p. 1 – 33) - Literally Grieg: complete texts to all Edvard Grieg's songs and choral Music with literal English translations (England, St. Albans: RJW Enterprises, 2011)

LYSDAHL, Anne Jorunn Kydland - Song in the service of politics and the building of Norway. (This is from a conference made in Antwerpen on 23.08.2011; Not yet published, personally shared). -"Light up every home: The Social and Cultural meaning of Song in Norway in the 1800s". I.A.H. Bulletin. Publikation der Internationalen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Hymnologie. Graz, no. 30 (2004), (9–27)