Bengt Hambraeus
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Bengt Hambraeus (29 January 1928 – 21 September 2000) was a Swedish-Canadian organist, composer and musicologist.


Biography

Hambreaus was born in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. He studied organ with
Alf Linder Alf Linder (28 July 1907 – 21 December 1983) was a Swedish organist, renowned for his frequent radio broadcasts and his teaching at the Stockholm Conservatory. Life Linder was born in Hammerö, near Karlstad on 28 July 1907. He studied organ wit ...
and musicology with Carl-Allan Moberg, earning his doctorate in 1956 on a thesis about medieval musical notation. From 1957 to 1972 he worked at the music department of the
Swedish Radio Sveriges Radio AB (; "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is dec ...
, eventually holding executive and producer posts, and during this time became a very high-profile emissary of new music in Sweden, encouraging discussion of new musical forms, a renewal of organ music with new tonal/technical concepts and the integration of
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
,
improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
, live electronics and stereo/spatial effects into traditional concert performing. He was also a prolific composer. In 1972 he became professor of composition at
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
, Montreal, and he remained in Canada until his death in Glen Roy, Ontario, in 2000. Among his notable pupils are composer Peter Allen and pianist Richard Hunt. He was elected into the
Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...
in 1967 and received the Swedish Royal Medal
Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...
in 1986. Hambraeus wrote music for a large number of instruments, but he is perhaps best known for his organ works. Together with
Mauricio Kagel Mauricio Raúl Kagel (; 24 December 1931 – 18 September 2008) was an Argentine-German composer and academic teacher. Life and career Early life and education Mauricio Raúl Kagel was born on 24 December 1931 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into an ...
and
György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...
he was among the first to use high modernist compositional methods to compose organ music.
Limelight Records Limelight Records was a jazz record label and subsidiary of Mercury Records started in 1962. The catalogue included music by Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Milt Jackson, Gerry Mulligan, and Oscar Peterson. Originally headed by Quincy Jon ...
released his ''Constellations and Interferences'' on LP.


Selected works

* 1958 ''Constellations I'' * 1959 "constellations II for organ sounds" (Lp Cat No. Philips 838 750 AY) * 1961-62 ''Interferenzen'' (interferences for the organ) Lp Cat No. Philips 838 750 AY * 1966-67 ''Tre Pezzi per Organo'' * 1969 ''Nebulosa'' * 1974 ''Ricercare per organo'' * 1981 ''Livre d'orgue (4 volumes)'' * 1992 ''Missa pro organo: in memoriam Olivier Messiaen'' * 1998 ''Quintette pour clarinette et quatuor à cordes, le tombeau de Max Reger * 1999 ''Riflessioni per organo grande''


References


External links


Bengt Hambraeus
at Canadian Music Centre
Bengt Hambraeus
at Swedish Music Information Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hambraeus, Bengt 1928 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Swedish classical composers Litteris et Artibus recipients Academic staff of McGill University Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Musicians from Stockholm Swedish male classical composers 20th-century Swedish male musicians 20th-century Swedish musicians