Johan Svendsen

Johan Svendsen was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist who lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was influenced by the Romantic and nationalist movements in music and incorporated elements of Norwegian folk music into his works. He was also a friend and colleague of Edvard Grieg, Richard Wagner and Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson. He composed two symphonies, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and the Romance for violin, as well as a number of Norwegian Rhapsodies for orchestra. He also wrote chamber music, songs, and incidental music for plays. He was a prolific conductor and led the Musical Society Concerts in Christiania, the Royal Theater Orchestra in Copenhagen, and various orchestras in Germany, Italy, England and France. He was regarded as one of the leading Nordic composers and conductors of his time and received many honors and awards for his achievements. He died of heart failure in 1911 at the age of 70.