Conrad Baden (31 August 1908 – 11 June 1989[1]) was a Norwegian organist, composer, music educator, and music critic.[2]
He had an extensive production of orchestral works, chamber music, vocal works and church music.
He is considered one of the most important Norwegian composers of the 20th century.[3]
Biography
Studies
He received his first music lessons from his organist father who died when Conrad was 17 years old and about to complete business school. He devoted himself to music and studied piano and organ with the local organist Daniel Hanssen. The young talent soon played to services and oratories. 19 years old, Baden was given organist position in Strømsgodset church.[citation needed]
He studied counterpoint with Palestrina expert Per Steenberg and instrumentation and composition with the composer Bjarne Brustad.[1]
Debut
In 1936 he gave his debut concert as an organist at the Oslo Cathedral. He eventually became known as an organist and composer of organ works, motets and hymns. During the 1950s Bden was a strong and radical voice amongst discussions concerning a departure from the late romantic style in favour of Lutheran and neobaroque style.
In 1943 he changed his organist position to his father's old church Strømsø in Drammen. In 1946 he appeared as a professional composer in Oslo with a chamber music program. In 1961 he moved with wife and two sons to Oslo and a position in Ris church until 1975.[4][1] This concluded serving as an organist during 47 years.
Work styles
Neoclassicism of the 1950s
Baden's earliest works were penned in a national-romantic style, while his church music works display a close bond to the prevalent Palestrina style of the period. His works from 1950 onwards, were heavily influenced by French Neo-classicism, and in the 60s Baden would also employ twelve-tone techniques, with an increasing use of dissonance. Spring 1965 saw Baden travelling to Vienna to meet Hanns Jelinek, a student of Schönberg and Berg – a visit that led to a stylistic liberation for the Norwegian composer. The following year, this liberation came into fruition in his sole twelve-tone work Hymnus per alto, flauto, oboe e viola with a text from the Latin hymn Vexilla Regis.[5]
A breakthrough as an orchestral composer came in 1955 with the performance of Symphony No. 1. A unique neoclassical work is the Fairytale Suite for Orchestra (1960), inspired by Norwegian traditional stories.
Composer
Baden composed works in a number of forms, bar opera and electronic music. As a composer, he was highly active. In addition to his vocation as a professional organist through 47 years, he composed a mass for soloists, choirs and orchestra, 200 songs for soloists and choirs, suites and sonatas for piano and other instruments, motets and 11 cantatas. In Baden's compositional output, his church music occupies an equal role to that of his orchestral works – he would write five concertos and smaller orchestral works as well as six symphonies.[6]
In addition to his career in composition and as an organist, he taught counterpoint, harmony and composition at the Music Conservatory in Oslo.
As a music critic, Baden's reviews were featured in newspapers Drammens Tidende, Vårt Land and Morgenbladet.
Selected works
Compositions not published are available in the National Library, Nasjonalbiblioteket
Orchestral works
6 symphonies: nr. 1 1952, nr. 2 1957, nr. 3 Sinfonia piccolo 1959, nr. 4 1970, nr. 5 Sinfonia voluntatis 1976, nr. 6 Sinfonia espressiva 1980
Divertimento 1951
Ouvertura Gioia 1953
Pastorale e fuga 1958
Fairytale Suite 1960
Variazioni 1963
Fantasia breve 1965
Concerto per orchestra 1968
Intrada sinfonica 1969
Pastorale og rondo 1983
Concertos
Concertos for solo and orchestra
Concertino for clarinet and strings 1954
Concerto for viola and orchestra 1973
Concerto for piano and orchestra 1979
Concerto for bassoon and strings 1981
Concerto for cello og orchestra 1986
Works for chorus, soloist and orchestra
Mitt fedreland 1943. Text Ola Setrom
Mass (latin) 1949
Noregs dag 1966. Text Per Sivle
Cantatas
Høyr kor kyrkjeklokka lokkar, choral cantata on a religious folk tune 1963
Skjæraasen songs for solo and piano. Norwegian Composers 1983.
Two biblical songs Kirkelig kulturverksted 1978
Religious folksongs for song and piano/organ. Lu-mi 1973
Three solomotets Gospel St. John, Hamnes DSH02 2012
Three solo songs. Norwegian Composers 1983. Euridice 2008
Herre ha takk/Thank The Holy Spirit for song and organ Lynor 1984
Vaarkjenning for women's choir. Varese 1983
Literature
Aurdal, Gunnar Sigve 2007 Paul Hindemiths påverknad på norske etterkrigskomponistar- Finn Mortensen, Egil Hovland, Conrad Baden. dissertation University of Oslo. www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/27144/Masteroppgave.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Baden, Torkil 1977 Conrad Baden. Norske komponister, red. Kjell Bækkelund. Tiden
Baden, Torkil 1977 Conrad Badens komposisjoner. Dissertation University of Oslo
Baden, Torkil 1979 Fantasia breve per orchestra og Conrad Badens symfoniske stil. Studia Musicologica.Yearbook Oslo University Press
Baden, Torkil 1995 Baden: organist-komponist. Toner i tusen år - en norsk kirkemusikkhistorie. Verbum
