The central figure in late Romantic Danish music, Carl Nielsen was born into a poor family of 14 children. During school holidays he supplemented the family income by looking after geese. Music was an early interest, and the boy used to bang out tunes on different lengths of
firewood. His education, although basic, awakened a respect for learning, and throughout his life he studied literature, philosophy, art and languages. After receiving funding from a wealthy benefactor he was able to study the violin, piano, history and composition at Copenhagen Conservatoire from 1884 to 1886, and in 1889 he joined the orchestra of the Royal Chapel as a violinist. He took part in a number of productions of Wagner operas, followed by a trip to Berlin specifically to study Wagner's works.
In 1892 Nielsen completed the first of his six symphonies, a work revealing knowledge of both Brahms and Dvorak and one of the earliest pieces to begin in one key and end in another. His growing reputation as a composer was recognized officially in 1901 when he was awarded a state pension to relieve his precarious financial situation. Nielsen's preoccupation with depicting human emotions - seen in his opera
Saul and David (1902) - is echoed in a more abstract manner in his Second Symphony (1901-2), which illustrates a different temperament in each of its four movements -
Choleric, Phlegmatic, Melancholic and Sanguine.
In 1908 he became Musical Director of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, strengthening his position within Danish musical life. By now at the height of his powers, he completed two major works in 191 1: the
Sinfonia espansiva, a powerful work expressing the warm and sunny aspect of his character, and the
Violin Concerto. The war years saw a period of intense productivity and in 1916 he finished his
Fourth Symphony (the Inextinguishable), a tough and dramatic work that includes a 'battle' between two sets of timpani in the last movement.
1 The deterioration of Nielsen's marriage imposed a strain which combined with feverish musical activities to affect his health. Despite this he composed two more symphonies - his fifth (1922) and sixth, the
Sinfonia semplice (Simple symphony, 1925) - and in 1928 a Clarinet
Concerto, an angry work lightened by flashes of humour that have ensured its lasting popularity. Nielsen died in 1931, revered in his home country almost as a national institution.
Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable"
Violin Concerto
Clarinet Concerto
Symphony No. 5
