Hilding Rosenberg


Hilding Constantin Rosenberg was the first Swedish modernist composer, and one of the most influential figures in Swedish 20th-century classical music.

Life and career

Born in Bosjökloster, he was an organist, and as a young man a concert pianist and music teacher. In 1915 he began studying at the Stockholm Conservatory under Ernst Ellberg. Later teachers included Wilhelm Stenhammar and Hermann Scherchen. Stenhammar included several of Rosenberg's early works in concerts he arranged. After the First World War, he toured Europe and became a prominent conductor. With a composer's stipend he went to Berlin, Vienna and Paris which included formative contacts with Schönberg and Hindemith.
In 1932 he was appointed coach and assistant conductor of the Swedish Royal Opera, becoming its chief conductor two years later, although from this point composing began to take a prominent part in his life to conducting.
While his earlier works display the influence of Sibelius, he soon led the way for Swedish composers to move away from the late Romantic style and became considered as somewhat radical. His output covered all genres, from his 14 works for string quartet and eight symphonies as well as Piano Concerto no. 2 to songs. He wrote a considerable body of work for the theatre, including nine operatic works.
He taught composition privately to amongst others Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Ingvar Lidholm, and Daniel Börtz. He opined that "One creates out of what has been before, out of the experiences of others, as well as those of oneself, out of everything one knows, has read, or been acquainted with".
His violin concerto features as part of the sound track of the 1936 film Intermezzo. He also composed music for the 1944 Bergman film Hets.
Rosenberg was Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Music from 1951, received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University in 1951 and was an honorary member of the ISCM.
He died in Stockholm.

Selected compositions

Orchestral music

Symphonies

String quartets

Violin and piano
Other chamber music

Piano sonatas