Jørgen Jersild (17 September 1913 – 6 February 2004) was a Danish composer and music educator. He was a pupil of Poul Schierbeck and

Albert Roussel Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel (; 5 April 1869 – 23 August 1937) was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period. His ...

.bio
/ref> Jersild worked from 1953 to 1975 as a professor of

ear training In music, ear training is the study and practice in which musicians learn various aural skills to detect and identify pitch (music), pitches, interval (music), intervals, melody (music), melody, chord (music), chords, rhythms, solfeges, and other ...

The 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 Copenhagen.

Life

Jersild learned how to play the piano at a young age and, when he was twelve, he

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

for the school orchestra and wrote some small compositions. He became a student of Rudolph Simonsen and later Poul Schierbeck, who taught him theory and composition, and Alexander Stoffregen, who gave him lessons on the piano. After a short stay in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1936 where he was taught for three months by

, he returned home and studied musicology at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

. In 1940 he majored in

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

, but in 1939 he was employed as a program secretary with the DR, a national radio station in Denmark. In 1943 he became a teacher at

in Copenhagen, during which his music was reviewed by the

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...

. From 1953 to 1975, he was professor and taught ear training, instrumentation and composition. During those years he published a number of theoretical and practical musical works. By 1930 he was engaged in the folkemusikskole movement, which encouraged the teaching of music and schools and the preservation of folk music. Together with Finn Savery, Finn Høffding and Jørgen Bentzon, he worked to spread musical knowledge and skills to children and adults, both in primary and secondary schools of music. In the years 1949–1953, he was chairman of the Danish Music Education Association.

Music

His output as a composer was not large, but included a large number of very well built choruses including ''3 Madrigali'' (1957), Trois piéces en concert for clavier (1945), wind quintet ''Playing in the woods'' (1947) and the musical adventure play ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1951), based on the book by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

. From 1967 to 1977, he wrote four works which featured the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

. They were inspired by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and were written for the harp player

Osian Ellis Osian Gwynn Ellis (8 February 1928 – 5 January 2021) was a Welsh harpist, composer and teacher. He was principal harpist of the London Symphony Orchestra, a founding member of the Melos Ensemble and a Professor of harp at the Royal Academ ...

. In addition, he wrote music for theater, radio, theater, film and even the winning song of the

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster DR since 1957, which determines for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced ...

in 1965, ''

For din skyld Denmark was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 with the song "", composed by Jørgen Jersild, with lyrics by Poul Henningsen, and performed by Birgit Brüel. The Danish participating broadcaster, (DR), internally selected its ent ...

'' (For Your Sake), with text of

Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Wor ...

and sung by

Birgit Brüel Birgit Brüel (6 October 1927 – 23 February 1996) was a Danish singer and actress who participated in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest. Brüel's professional career began in 1950 when she joined the Max Brüel Quartet as a jazz singer, and be ...

in the

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an origina ...

. His music has been regarded as "French" or at least French-inspired - which can be translated as cultured and elegant. It is written in a clear and elegant modal style rooted in

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

. From interview in 1999: When asked, Jersild acknowledged that he was French-influenced he replies: "''It may be true - all my starting points were French. It can be observed in the rate structure. If you hear Trois piéces en concert(1945), it is not hard to hear that it is inspired by

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Le Tombeau de Couperin ''Le Tombeau de Couperin'' (''The Tomb of Couperin'') is a suite (music), suite for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, composed between 1914 and 1917. The piece is in six movements, based on those of a traditional Baroque music, Baroque suite. Each ...

. But it is still a bit more harmonious than Ravel. But I do not think it continued to be French. I think it's much more Danish now, but it may well be I am wrong.'' ' When asked about his position on

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

and

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

music, Jersild stated: "'' ... I think it's kind of putting things upside down to begin with theory and then make music. The music must beam of itself. And so it is perhaps sometimes a later generation given to work out technical, theoretical ideas. I find atonal music hard to follow, because I think that the results do not suggest that it is a good approach.'' " Upon receiving the, Nielsen Memorial Scholarship in 1999,

Karl Aage Rasmussen Karl Aage Rasmussen (born 13 December 1947) is a Danish composer and writer. He was born in Kolding. Composition Quotation and particularly collage played an important role in his music from the early 1970s, but increasingly he used pre-existing ...

, another composer, gave a speech that included following: "''Jorgen Jersild's life's work is not comprehensive, and it is perhaps because his music is on the hunt for the particular simplicity and ease with no quick shortcuts to.''"

Compositions by year (incomplete)

* Duets for Alto and Tenor Recorders (1931) * The running (plays of Oehlenschläger - 1931) * Capriccio for piano (1935) * Ruskantate (1940) * Two strophic songs (1944) * Three Songs (1944) * Trois Pieces en concert (piano - 1945) * Pastorale for string orchestra (1945) * Trois pièces en concert for piano - Tambourin, Romanesque, Farandole (1945) * Playing in the woods - Serenade for wind quintet (1946) * Days on a cloud (play by

Kjeld Abell Kjeld Abell (25 August 1901 – 5 March 1961) was a Danish playwright, screenwriter, and theatrical designer. Born in Ribe, Denmark, Abell's first designs were seen in ballets directed by George Balanchine at Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre an ...

- 1947) * Alice in Wonderland - musical tale for children (1950) * Quartetto piccolo for string quartet (1950) * Lune Full Lucinda - Ballet (1954) * Duo concertante - 18 pieces of the 3 - and 4-hændig piano (1956/98) * Three madrigals for mixed choir a cappella (1958) * Music for the film Gertrude by Carl Th. Dreyer (1964) * For your sake (Eurovision winner 1965) * Fantasia e canto affettuoso per Flauto, clarinetto, violoncello e arpa (Libro d'arpa, seconda parte) (1967) * Three Danish love songs for mixed chorus (1968) * Pezzo elegiaco per arpa sola - Libro d'arpa, prima parte (1968) * Three romantic choral songs for choir a cappella (1971, revised 1984, 1989) * Concerto per arpa e orchestra - (Libro d'arpa, parte terza) (1972) * Puzzles from Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) (1975) * 30 polyrhythmic etudes (1975/76) * Fantasia per arpa sola (Libro d'arpa, parte Quarta) (1977) * Für gefühlvolle Spieler - Impromptuer for two harps (1977/82) * Pastoral for string orchestra (1977) * Quartetto per archi (1980) * 2 Impromptus - two strainers (1984) * 15 piano pieces to Juliet (1984/85) * Fantasia per organo (1985) * Three madrigali latini per coro a cappella (1987) * 10 Impromtus for violin & guitar (1987) * Fantasia per piano solo (1987/89) * 21 selected nursery rhyme of

Halfdan Rasmussen Halfdan Wedel Rasmussen (29 January 1915 in Copenhagen – 2 March 2002) was a Danish poet. He was known for his literary nonsense verse for children and his serious adult writings about social issues and human rights. He was awarded with th ...

(1989) * Cadenzas to Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp (April 1991) * Il Cantico delle creature (

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

/ John Jorgensen - 1992) * Jeu polyrythmique, Trois études pour piano (1992) * Cadenzas for Mozart's concerto for flute and harp V 299(1992) * A stick I found - a puzzle by

(mixed choir 1995) * The church bell - 3 and 4-part rate ( Grundtvig - 1995) * Recorder Music I - 7 duets (1997) * Recorder Music II - 7 quartets (1997) * Two Impromptus for piano solo (1997)

Books

* Textbook in solfege (1950) * Basic rhythm exercises (1957) * Textbook of melody reading (1959) * Textbook of rhythm reading (1961) * The functional principles of Romanticism harmonics (1970) * Higher rhythm studies - cross rhythms (1975/98) * Jorgen Jersild: Analytical harmony (1989) * Scales, cadences and 3-tones - practiced templates, fingering, pedal use mm. and 5 pieces for piano (1999)

Honors and awards (incomplete)

* 1952 The Anckerske Scholarship * 1962 Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music * 1995 Årets Korkomponist (Choral composer of the year) * 1999 Nielsen Memorial Scholarship

References