Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1901

Death

:

1977

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Symphony

 

Eivind Groven was a Norwegian composer and musician who was born on October 8, 1901, in Lårdal, Telemark, Norway. He was the son of a farmer and grew up in a musical family. His father played the fiddle, and his mother sang folk songs. Groven showed an early interest in music and began playing the harmonica at the age of six. He later learned to play the accordion, piano, and organ. Groven's musical education began at the age of 16 when he started taking lessons in music theory and composition. He studied with several teachers, including the composer and conductor Johan Halvorsen. In 1921, Groven moved to Oslo to study at the Oslo Conservatory of Music. He studied composition with the composer and conductor Catharinus Elling and the composer and musicologist Arne Nordheim. Groven's early compositions were influenced by Norwegian folk music and the music of Edvard Grieg. He wrote his first symphony, "The Mountain Maid," in 1924, which was based on a folk tale from his home region of Telemark. The symphony was well-received and established Groven as a promising young composer. In the 1930s, Groven began to experiment with microtonal music, which uses intervals smaller than the traditional Western twelve-tone scale. He developed a new instrument called the "Hardanger fiddle organ," which combined the sound of the traditional Hardanger fiddle with the organ. Groven's microtonal compositions were groundbreaking and earned him international recognition. One of Groven's most famous works is his "Symphony in C minor," which he composed in 1936. The symphony is a fusion of Norwegian folk music and classical music and features the Hardanger fiddle organ. The symphony was premiered in Oslo in 1937 and was well-received by both audiences and critics. During World War II, Groven was active in the Norwegian resistance movement and composed music for propaganda films. After the war, he continued to compose and perform, and his music was played by orchestras around the world. In addition to his compositions, Groven was also a respected musicologist and wrote several books on Norwegian folk music. He was awarded numerous honors during his lifetime, including the King's Medal of Merit in gold and the Order of St. Olav. Eivind Groven died on March 8, 1977, in Oslo, Norway. His legacy as a composer and musician continues to inspire new generations of Norwegian musicians.

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