Knudåge Riisager (6 March 1897 – 26 December 1974) was a Danish composer. His work was part of the music event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

Early life and education

Knudåge Riisager was born in Kunda, in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in what is today

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of Danish parents. His father Emil Riisager was an engineer, and the family returned to Denmark in 1900 when Knudåge was three years old. He graduated from

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

where he received violin lessons from Peder Møller, and studied music theory under

Otto Malling Otto Valdemar Malling (1 June 1848 – 5 October 1915) was a Denmark, Danish composer, from 1900 the cathedral organist in Copenhagen and from 1889 professor, then from 1899 Director of the The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Royal Danish Aca ...

and Peder Gram. For many years he worked in a government job, and also as a composer. In 1923 he went to

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 ...

to study with

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 ...

and

Paul Le Flem Marie-Paul Achille Auguste Le Flem (18 March 1881 – 31 July 1984) was a French composer and music critic. Biography Born in Radon, Orne, of Breton parentage, son of Célestin Louis Joseph Marie Le Flem and wife Gabrielle Marie Dorenlo, and liv ...

, where he experienced at first hand French

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 ...

and the music of

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

and ''

Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name has its origins in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' Comœdia'' (see Bibliography). Their mu ...

''. Later he also studied in

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with Hermann Grabner.

Career

Knudåge Riisager's international fame is largely due to his extensive work in ballet music, which was primarily a result of collaboration with

Harald Lander Harald Alfred Bernhardt Stevnsborg Lander (25 February 1905 – 14 September 1971) was a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Lander was born in Copenhagen. He started as a dancer, studying under ballet ...

. The first work he composed for the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

was music for the ballet ''Benzin'' by Storm P. staged by

Elna Ørnberg Elna Eleonora Fobian Ørnberg, also Elna Jørgen-Jensen, (20 March 1890 – 18 March 1969) was a Danish ballet dancer and instructor who as a principal dancer, soloist starred in Bournonville's productions at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1907. Af ...

in 1930. Knudåge Riisager was also an industrious writer: his bibliography includes nearly 400 titles spread over six decades. In 1956–67 he was director of 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 ...

. His compositions are stored in the Music and Theatre Department at the

Royal Danish Library Royal Danish Library () is a merger of the two previous national libraries in Denmark: the State and University Library in Aarhus and the Royal Library in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, wit ...

. He was a commander of the 1st degree in the

Dannebrogordenen The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

, died in

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 ...

, and is buried at Tibirkegård.

Music

According to his entry in '' Grove'', "Riisager became the most prominent representative of the French-orientated trend in Danish music of the interwar years". His trumpet concertino (1933) is considered a leading example of Danish neoclassical music.

Notable works

;Opera *''Susanne'', Op. 49 (1948) ;Ballet music *''Benzin'', Op. 17 (1930) *''Cocktails-Party'', Op. 19 (1930) (ikke opført) *''Darduse'', Op. 32 (1935–36) *''Tolv med Posten'', Op. 37 (1942) *''Slaraffenland'', Op. 33 (1936–40) *''Qarrtsiluni'', Op. 36 (1938–42) *''Fugl Fønix'' (1944/45) *''Etudes'' (1947) *''Månerenen'', Op. 57 (1956) *''Fruen fra havet'', Op. 59 (1959) *''Galla-Variationer'' (1966) *''Ballet Royal'' (1967) *''Svinedrengen'' (1968) ;Film music *''Niels Ebbesen'' (1945) ;Revymusik *''Paa Hodet'', første PH-revy, musik til finalen (1929) ;Orchestral music *''Erasmus Montanus'', Op. 1 (1920) *''Suite dionysiaque'', Op. 6 *Symphony No. 1, Op. 8 (1925) *''Variationer over et tema af Mezangeau'', Op. 12 (1926) *Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 (1927) *''Fastelavn'', Op. 20 (1929/30) *Concerto for orchestra, Op. 24 (1931) *Concertino for trumpet and strings, Op. 29 (1933) *Symphony No. 3, Op. 30 (1935) *Symphony No. 4, Op. 38 (Sinfonia gaia) (1939–40) *Symphony No. 5, Op. 52 (Sinfonia serena) (1949–50) * Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1950-1951} Little Overture for Strings Chamber music *Violin Sonata No. 1 *Violin Sonata No. 2 (1923)

References

External links