Arild Edvin Sandvold (June 2, 1895 – August 12, 1984) was a Norwegian organist, composer, and choir conductor. Sandvold spent most of his career as the cathedral organist and

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

Oslo Cathedral Oslo Cathedral () — formerly Our Savior's Church () — is the main church for the Church of Norway Diocese of Oslo, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694 to 1697. The Norwegian royal family and th ...

and as an organ teacher at the Oslo Conservatory of Music, now the Norwegian Academy of Music, for more than 50 years. Sandvold was the director of the St. Cecilia Society choir () from 1928 to 1957. Sandvold studied for several years in Oslo under Hilmar Grønner and Gustav Fredrik Lange, among others, before he traveled to Leipzig, where he studied organ playing under

Karl Straube Montgomery Rufus Karl Siegfried Straube (6 January 1873 – 27 April 1950) was a German church musician, organist, and choral conductor, famous above all for championing the abundant organ music of Max Reger. Career Born in Berlin, Straube stu ...

. In Leipzig Sandvold, heard

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

's organ music and this had a major influence on him. This influence is most clearly reflected in his major organ work ''Introduction and Passacaglia in B Minor''.

Awards and recognitions

In 1949, Sandvold was named a knight 1st class of Norway's

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

. In 1953 he was named a knight 1st class of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

.Mozartaften. 1953. ''Verdens Gang'' (March 26): 3. In 1964 he was appointed a member of 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 ...

, and in 1965 he was made a commander of the Order of St. Olav. Sandvold was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and for many years was a cantor in the Norwegian Order of Freemasons.

Selected works

Selected compositions by Sandvold include: *Opus 4: ''Introduksjon og passacaglia h-moll'' (Introduction and Passacaglia in B Minor) *Opus 5: ''Seks improvisasjoner over norske folketoner'' (Six Improvisations on Norwegian Folk Melodies): **Herre Gud, ditt dyre navn og ære (Lord God, Thy Precious Name and Glory) **Eg veit i himmerik ei borg (I Know a Castle in Heaven) **Gud, la oss i din kunnskap fremmes (God, Let Us Be Sustained by Thy Wisdom) **Høyr kor kyrkjeklokka lokkar (Hear How the Church Bells Beckon) **Overmåde fullt av nåde (Imbued with Grace Abundant) **Hos Gud er idel glede (In God Is Sheer Joy) *Opus 9: ''Orgelsonate f-moll'' (Organ Sonata in F Minor): **Largo maestoso – Allegro – Fuge (Largo maestoso – Allegro – Fugue) **Adagio Dess-dur (Adagio in D-Flat Major, originally an intermezzo in the sonata)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandvold, Arild Norwegian organists Norwegian male organists Norwegian composers Norwegian male composers 1895 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Norwegian organists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians