Johannes Haarklou (May 13, 1847 – November 26, 1925) was a Norwegian composer, organist, conductor, and music critic.

Biography

Haarklou was born in the village of

Haukedalen Haukedalen is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located in the Haukedalen valley at the northwestern end of the lake Haukedalsvatnet. The village lies in a fairly remote valley surrounded by the Gaula ...

in the parish of

Førde Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Før ...

Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; literally "Parish and the Fjords") was a Counties of Norway, county in western Norway, from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, after it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsda ...

, Norway. He was the son of Ole Nilsson Dvergsdalen (1815-1872) and Orlaug Andersdatter Haarklou (1808-1870). He went to Balestrand lærerskole, then attended the Stord lærerskole where he graduated in 1868. He studied organ and harmony in

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

, then in 1872 studied with

Ludvig Mathias Lindeman Ludvig Mathias Lindeman (28 November 1812 – 11 March 1887) was a Norwegian composer and organist. He is most noted for compiling Norwegian folk music in his work ''Ældre og nyere norske Fjeldmelodier''. Background Ludvig Mathias Lindeman was ...

in Christiania (now

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

). Composer

Fredrikke Waaler Fredrikke Amalie Holtemann Rynning Waaler (7 May 1865 – 2 February 1952) was a Norwegian composer, violinist, and proponent for women's rights. Waaler was born in Eidsvoll to Paul Emil Rynning and Anne Margrethe Holtermann. She married physici ...

studied with Lindeman and also with Haarklou. From 1873 to 1875 he studied with

Carl Reinecke Carl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (23 June 182410 March 1910) was a German composer, conductor, and pianist in the mid-Romantic era. Biography Reinecke was born in what is today the Hamburg district of Altona; technically he was born a Dane, as u ...

at the

Leipzig Conservatory The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig () is a public university in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of Music), it is the oldest music ...

and then at the Berlin Music Academy. In 1876 Haarklou was an organist at Tangen Church at Drammen. In 1877, he conducted his first orchestral work in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

followed later by a concert at the

Gamle Logen Gamle Logen is a concert hall and music venue located at Grev Wedels plass 2 in Oslo, Norway. The hall also hosts artistic performances, conferences, banquets and private parties. History Gamle Logen was originally built in 1836 for the Norwegia ...

in Christiania. In 1880, he became an organist and conductor in Christiania, first at

Sagene Church Sagene Church is located in Oslo, Norway. The church is one of the most rugged and prominent in Oslo. The church was built in gothic revival style and it was consecrated in 1891. It was designed by architect Christian Fürst in neo-Gothic style. T ...

and between 1883 and 1920 in the

Old Aker Church Old Aker Church () is a medieval era church located in Oslo, Norway. An active parish, the church is the oldest existing building in Oslo. The church is surrounded by Old Aker Cemetery. History Old Aker Church was built as a three-naved Romane ...

. In 1889, he conducted at

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 ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. Between 1889 and 1896, he was also a lecturer in harmonics and composition at the Christiania Music Conservatory. He had a reputation as a virtuoso on the organ, especially for his improvisations. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the

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 1911. He died in Oslo during 1925 and was buried in the cemetery at Old Aker Church. In 1927, a memorial stone in his honour was unveiled at Haukedalen.

Works

List of compositions: Orchestral *Four symphonies **B major, opus 13, 1883 (with chorus) **D minor, opus 37, 1893 **C major, opus 110, 1918 **E major, opus 113, 1920–22 *"In Westminster Abbey," suite, opus 59, 1900 Organ *Fantasi triomphale, opus 61 (36), 1900 *Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H., opus 121, ca. 1925 *Organ symphony No. 1 in D minor, opus 106 (53), 1916 *Organ symphony No. 2 in D minor, opus 116 (60), 1924 Concertos *Piano and Orchestra, opus 47 *Violin and Orchestra, opus 50Manuscripts and published scores and parts where available (the violin concerto in ms. score and parts only) of a number of Haarklou works including these concertos are at the Fleischer Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Chamber Music *Violin Sonata in G minor, opus 25, 1891, published 1922 *"Romanze" for Bassoon and Organ op.86 - a charming cold gray piece! Choral *Tord Foleson, opus 23, 1890 *Varde, opus 42, 1896 *Fenrir, opus 64, 1902 *Oratorium "Skabelsen og Mennesket," opus 26, 1880–91 Songs *4 Sange til tekster af Knut Hamsun, opus 80a, 1905–06 Operas *Fra gamle Dage (From Early Days), 1893–94 *Væringerne i Miklagard, 1897–1900 *Emigranten, 1907 *Marisagnet, 1909 *Tyrfing, (ikke oppført), ferdig 1912 While many of his orchestral works were not published, the scores and parts can often be rented fro
MIC

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haarklou, Johannes 1847 births 1925 deaths People from Førde University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni Berlin University of the Arts alumni Norwegian classical composers Norwegian opera composers Norwegian male classical composers