Carl August Nielsen (1865-1925)

Carl Nielsen was born in rural Sortelung, Denmark in 1865. As the child of a village musician he learned piano, violin and trumpet. His talent led to subsidised study at the Copenhagen Conservatory followed by an appointment as violinist in the Danish Royal Theatre Orchestra. From 1914-26 he became conductor of the Musikforeningen Orchestra. From 1916 onwards he taught at the Royal Danish Conservatory and was eventually appointed Director. He is considered the most famous Danish composer in history and one of the most important symphonic composers of the 20th century.

Nielsen was able to develop his individual style, free from the influence of lots of formal compositional training. His earliest works are influenced by the styles of Beethoven and Brahms but Nielsen soon developed his own distinct style. His music is often passionate and aggressive. A recurring theme is the expression of struggle. He wrote six symphonies, three concertos, two operas, quartets and a wind quintet.

On 10th April 1891 Nielsen married the Danish sculptress Anne Marie Brodersen. They had met just a month before in Paris. They remained married until Nielsen's death, despite a long period of marital strife including a lengthy separation and mutual accusations of infidelity.

In 1925 Nielsen suffered a heart attack. Between this time and his death in 1931 he continued composing and also wrote his childhood memoirs and a short book of essays. Nielsen did not record any of his works - the earliest recordings of his symphonies and orchestral works are by Thomas Jensen, Launy Grondahl and Erik Tuxen - three younger conductors who worked with Nielsen.