Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 190827 December 1986) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

composer, conductor, radio producer, and educator. He wrote three of the most popular works (each a

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite ...

) in Swedish

art music Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJacques Siron, ...

: ''

A Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' (; 1937–1938), the '' Pastoral Suite'' (; 1938), and '' God in Disguise'' (; 1940). Other notable works by Larsson include three symphonies, a sinfonietta, and numerous concertante works.

Biography

Larsson was born in Åkarp in 1908, the son of a factory worker and a nurse. He studied with Ellberg at the Stockholm Conservatory (1925–1929) and with

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sm ...

and Fritz Reuter in

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and

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(1929–1930), then worked for Swedish Radio and taught at the Stockholm Conservatory (1947–1959) and

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, where he held the position as

Director musices Director musices, Latin for music director, was a title held by music directors especially at European universities or cathedrals; sometimes also at cathedral schools. The title is still used at universities in Sweden. In Finland it is an honorary ...

(1961–1966). His style as a composer is eclectic, ranging from the late Romantic to techniques derived from

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

's twelve-note system, but original in method. He was the first Swede to write serial music (1932). Yet other works of that period are post- Sibelian or neo-classical, and his output generally is characterized by variety of style. He wrote for the theatre, cinema and broadcasting, in addition to the more traditional forms of symphony, concerto, chamber and vocal music. He died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

complications in

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

in 1986, aged 78.

Works

Larsson wrote three of the most popular works in Swedish art music: *''

'' (), Op. 18 (1937–1938), four vignettes to ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some cri ...

'' by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

*'' Pastoral Suite'' (), for orchestra, Op. 19 (1938) *'' God in Disguise'' (), a non-religious

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

(officially "lyrical suite") for narrator, soprano, baritone, mixed choir, and orchestra, Op. 24 (1940) Larsson's most important symphonic works are his three symphonies for full orchestra: * Symphony No. 1 in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Cha ...

, Op. 2 (1927–1928) * Symphony No. 2 in

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed f ...

, Op. 17 (1937) * Symphony No. 3 in

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Chang ...

, Op. 34 (1944–1945) Larsson also wrote a Sinfonietta for string orchestra and a popular '' Little Serenade''. He wrote a series of ''

Twelve Concertinos Twelve or 12 may refer to: * 12 (number) * December, the twelfth and final month of the year Years * 12 BC * AD 12 * 1912 * 2012 Film * ''Twelve'' (2010 film), based on the 2002 novel * ''12'' (2007 film), by Russian director and actor Nikita ...

'' for solo instruments: flute, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano. Larsson's Saxophone Concerto, written for Sigurd Raschèr in 1934, is one of the first major works for saxophone to utilize ideas of non-standard tonality. The Violin Concerto, Op. 42 (1952) is another important work, as is the opera ''

Prinsessan av Cypern ''The Princess of Cyprus'' (in Swedish: ), Op. 9, is an opera in four acts written from 1931 to 1936 by the Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson; the Swedish-language libretto is by Finnish author and playwright Zacharias Topelius. The op ...

''.

Sources

HNH Page on LarssonClassical Composers page
*

External links

Larsson Music School
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, Lars-Erik 1908 births 1986 deaths 20th-century classical composers Litteris et Artibus recipients Swedish opera composers Male opera composers People from Burlöv Municipality Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni Royal College of Music, Stockholm faculty Swedish classical composers Swedish male classical composers 20th-century Swedish musicians Pupils of Alban Berg Uppsala University faculty 20th-century Swedish male musicians