Christian Christiansen was Danish pianist and organist born in 1884. He was known as a strong supporter of

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

's music and used to perform it while touring in Europe. Nielsen's

Wind Quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the i ...

was allegedly inspired when Nielsen overheard four members of the

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Wind Quintet practicing

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Sinfonia Concertante Sinfonia concertante (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & ...

in the background of a phone call he made to Christiansen in the autumn of 1921. Christiansen also headed

Royal Danish Academy of Music The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music (), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approximately 400 students. It was established in 186 ...

in 1947–1953. Niels Viggo Bentzon was among his pupils. He died in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Christian Danish classical pianists 1884 births 1955 deaths Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Music Danish classical organists Danish male classical organists 20th-century Danish organists 20th-century Danish classical pianists 20th-century Danish male musicians