Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
Johan Svendsen
Person · male · Norway · Oslo · born 1840 · died 1911 · recording since 1987
Norwegian composer and conductor (1840–1911)
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Also known as Johann Severin Svendsen · Johann Svendsen · Svendsen · Svendsen, Johan · Ю. Свенсен · 约翰·斯文森
Timeline
19 events▣ Album 12✦ Award 4◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1840s
1870s
1880s
1890s
1900s
1910s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: The Two Symphonies
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
· Album
Album: Zorahayda / Karneval i Paris / Norsk kunstnerkarneval / Romeo og Julie
Album
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography705 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1370797591
Biography
Johan Severin Svendsen (30 September 1840 – 14 June 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Svendsen's output includes two symphonies, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and the Romance for violin, as well as a number of Norwegian Rhapsodies for orchestra. At one time Svendsen was an intimate friend of the German composer Richard Wagner and Icelandic composer Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson.
Life
Svendsen's father was a music teacher and military bandmaster, who taught him both the violin and clarinet. He began playing in orchestras at age nine when he learned violin, and began composing by age eleven. At fifteen he enlisted in the military band at Akershus Fortress, playing clarinet, flute, trombone, and percussion among other instruments. By the time he finished school, he was working as an orchestral musician, and occasionally made short concert tours as a violinist. In Lübeck, on one of his tours, he came to the attention of a wealthy merchant who made it possible for him to study from 1863 to 1867 at the Leipzig Conservatory. He began his studies with Ferdinand David, but problems with his hand forced him to switch to composition, which he studied with Carl Reinecke. He completed his studies in Leipzig in 1867, receiving first prize in composition. During this period, Svendsen had a son out of wedlock, Johann Richard Rudolph (1867–1933).
Gradually his attention turned to conducting. After spending time in Paris (1868–70) and Leipzig (1870–72), he returned to Christiania. One of his students in Christiania was pianist Bertha Tapper. In the summer of 1871, he went to New York City to marry Sarah (Sally, later changed to Bergljot) Levett Schmidt, whom he had met in Paris. He was conductor of the Musical Society Concerts in Christiania (1872–77), then spent three years in Germany, Italy, England and France. He returned to teach and conduct in Kristiania (1880–1883). In 1883, he was appointed principal conductor of the Royal Theater Orchestra in Copenhagen, where he lived until his death.
In 1884, he and his wife separated, and she moved to Paris. Their relationship had been chaotic for several years. A famous anecdote would have it that in 1883, in a fit of anger, she had thrown the only copy of his Symphony No. 3 in the fire. This incident was used by Henrik Ibsen in Hedda Gabler. If anything was caught up in the fire at all, it is rather unlikely it was anything near a complete symphony. However, some sketches, most likely for a symphony, were found by conductor Bjarte Engeset in 2007. They were elaborated and orchestrated by Bjørn Morten Christophersen and premiered by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Engeset in 2011.
Following a divorce from Sarah (10 December 1901), he married (23 December 1901) Juliette Haase, with whom he had been living and had three children. His younger son from this marriage was the famous Danish actor Eyvind Johan-Svendsen (1896–1946).
In stark contrast to his more famous contemporary and close friend, Edvard Grieg, Svendsen was famous for his skill of orchestration rather than that of harmonic value. While Grieg composed mostly for small instrumentation, Svendsen composed primarily for orchestras and large ensembles. His most famous work is his Romance for violin and orchestra, Op. 26. He was very popular in Denmark and Norway during his lifetime, both as a composer and a conductor, winning many national awards and honors. However this popularity did not translate into acceptance into the international repertory of classical music. He died in Copenhagen, aged 70.
Svendsen's first published work, the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 1, achieved great popular success. He quickly followed with the String Octet, Op. 3 and String Quintet, Op. 5, both of which added to his early fame. All of Svendsen's chamber music was written while he was at the Leipzig Conservatory, yet these works are not considered student works. By general consensus, Svendsen was regarded as one of the most talented students then at the Conservatory. His works won prizes and received public performances to much acclaim.
Documents
Letters by Johan Svendsen held by the State Archives in Leipzig, company archives of the Music Publishing House C.F.Peters (Leipzig).
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 31 | 91th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 13 | 84th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 19 | 93.4th |
| Recording span (years) | -76 | 5.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (13 release groups · 12 studio albums)
Albums · 12
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:09:26
1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: I. Molto allegro9:102Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: II. Andante11:063Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: III. Allegro scherzando5:234Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IV. Finale. Maestoso8:425Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, op. 15: I. Allegro9:016Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, op. 15: II. Andante sostenuto5:597Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, op. 15: III. Intermezzo. Allegro giusto5:168Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, op. 15: IV. Finale. Andante - Allegro con fuoco9:269Allt under himmelens fäste2:5310Du gamla, du friska... (Swedish National Anthem)2:301988 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:07:59
1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: I. Molto allegro9:412Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: II. Andante11:413Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: III. Allegretto scherzando4:504Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IVa. Finale: Maestoso1:505Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IVb. Allegro assai con fuoco7:176Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: I. Allegro9:277Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: II. Andante sostenuto7:588Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: III. Intermezzo: Allegro giusto4:529Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: IVa. Finale: Andante -2:1110Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: IVb. Allegro con fuoco8:12Zorahayda / Karneval i Paris / Norsk kunstnerkarneval / Romeo og Julie
1996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:08:27
1Norsk kunstnerkarneval, op. 147:152Zorahayda (Legend), op. 1113:383Karneval i Paris (Episode), op. 912:364Romeo og Julie (Fantasy), op. 1813:365Festpolonese, op. 1212:256Andante funèbre, op. 60 nr. 28:57String Quartet in A minor, op. 1 / Octet in A major, op. 3
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:07:58
1String Quartet in A minor, op. 1: I. Allegro7:202String Quartet in A minor, op. 1: II. Andantino6:423String Quartet in A minor, op. 1: III. Allegro scherzando4:244String Quartet in A minor, op. 1: IV. Finale. Allegro assai con fuoco7:405Octet in A major, op. 3: I. Allegro risoluto ben marcato11:326Octet in A major, op. 3: II. Allegro scherzoso7:577Octet in A major, op. 3: III. Andante sostenuto11:268Octet in A major, op. 3: IV. Moderato - Allegro assai con fuoco10:571998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:10:43
1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Molto allegro9:472Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Andante11:503Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Allegretto scherzando5:114Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Finale: Maestoso - Allegro assai con fuoco9:245Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Allegro9:496Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Andante sostenuto8:007Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Intermezzo: Allegro giusto5:278Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Finale: Andante - Allegro con fuoco11:151998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:11:11
1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: I. Molto allegro9:532Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: II. Andante12:113Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: III. Allegretto scherzando5:024Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IV. Finale: Maestoso - Allegro assai con fuoco9:485Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: I. Allegro9:546Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: II. Andante sostenuto8:067Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: III. Intermezzo: Allegro giusto5:098Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: IV. Finale: Andante - Allegro con fuoco11:08Symphonies nos. 1 & 2 / Polonaise no. 2
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:15:24
1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: I. Molto allegro9:292Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: II. Andante11:143Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: III. Allegretto scherzando5:534Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IV. Finale. Maestoso - Allegro assai con fuoco9:015Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: I. Allegro9:326Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: II. Andante sostenuto8:187Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: III. Intermezzo. Allegro giusto5:068Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: IV. Finale. Andante - Allegro con fuoco11:089Polonaise no. 2 in D major, op. 285:43Norwegian Rhapsodies / Romeo and Juliet / Zorahayda
2009 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:04:53
1Romeo og Julie (Romeo and Juliet), op. 1812:182Norwegian Rhapsody no. 1, op. 179:143Norwegian Rhapsody no. 2, op. 198:524Norwegian Rhapsody no. 3. op. 219:555Norwegian Rhapsody no. 4, op. 2212:196Zorahayda, op. 1112:15Grieg: String Quartet, Op. 27 - Svendsen: String Octet, Op. 3
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:13:33
1String Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 27: I. Un poco andante - Allegro molto ed agitato11:552String Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 27: II. Romanza (Andantino - Allegro agitato)6:173String Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 27: III. Intermezzo (Allegro molto marcato - Più vivo e scherzando)6:174String Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 27: IV. Finale (Lento - Presto al saltarello)9:335Octet for Strings in A Major, op. 3: I. Allegro risoluto ben marcato11:026Octet for Strings in A Major, op. 3: II. Allegro scherzerozo7:417Octet for Strings in A Major, op. 3: III. Andante sostenuto10:568Octet for Strings in A Major, op. 3: IV. Finale (Moderato - Allegro assai con fuoco)9:522011 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:19:05
1Karneval i Paris, op. 912:012Romeo und Julia, op. 1810:013Fest-Polonaise, op. 1210:414Romanze, op. 267:355Träume3:446Zorahayda, op. 1111:317I Fjol gjætt’e Gjeitinn3:508Sæterjentens Søndag2:419Norwegian Rhapsody no. 1, op. 177:4610Norwegian Rhapsody no. 2, op. 199:152012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:12:08
1Norwegian Rhapsody no. 3, op. 218:502Norwegian Rhapsody no. 4, op. 2211:543Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D major, op. 7: Allegro –6:554Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D major, op. 7: Andante –7:005Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D major, op. 7: Tempo I5:316Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: I. Allegro9:327Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: II. Andante sostenuto7:018Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: III. Intermezzo. Allegro giusto5:529Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: IV. Finale. Andante – Allegro con fuoco – Stretto9:332013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:14:10
1Norsk kunstnerkarneval, op. 146:542Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A major, op. 6: I. Allegro moderato ben risoluto14:033Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A major, op. 6: II. Andante7:194Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A major, op. 6: III. Finale. Allegro giusto7:005To islandske melodier: I. Maestoso2:276To islandske melodier: II. Moderato2:577Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: I. Molto allegro9:098Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: II. Andante9:389Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: III. Allegretto scherzando6:2410Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: IV. Finale. Maestoso – Allegro assai con fuoco8:19
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Symphonic WorksSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 20 tracks · 3:12:00Disc 1 1Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Molto allegro9:48 2Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Andante11:45 3Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Allegretto scherzando4:55 4Symphony no. 1 in D major, op. 4: Finale. Maestoso - Allegro assai con fuoco9:11 5Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Allegro9:42 6Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Andante sostenuto7:48 7Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Intermezzo. Allegro giusto5:04 8Symphony no. 2 in B-flat major, op. 15: Finale. Andante - Allegro con fuoco10:22 Disc 21Norsk Kunstnerkarneval, op. 146:40 2Romeo og Julia, op. 1813:46 3Karneval i Paris, op. 913:02 4Zorahayda, op. 1113:10 5Festpolonese, op. 128:23 6Andante funèbre8:33 Disc 31Sigurd Slembe, op. 811:44 2I fjol gjætt'e gjeitinn, op. 315:41 3Norsk Rapsodi no. 1, op. 1710:30 4Norsk Rapsodi no. 2, op. 199:08 5Norsk Rapsodi no. 3, op. 2110:10 6Norsk Rapsodi no. 4, op. 2212:38 | Compilation | May 2008 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Johan Svendsen head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 31 | 91th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 13 | 84th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 19 | 93.4th |
| Recording span (years) | -76 | 5.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 | Litteris et Artibus | won | |
| 1881 | Knight of the Order of St. Olav | won | |
| 1892 | commander of the Order of the Dannebrog | won | |
| 1908 | Medal of Merit in Gold | won | |
| — | Order of the Dannebrog | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · No restrictions · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrett_av_komponist_og_dirigent_Johan_Svendsen_%281840-1911%29_%2834133117716%29_%28cropped%29.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/41451125-10b0-476f-b5d8-ced1dc0494b6discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/41451125-10b0-476f-b5d8-ced1dc0494b6core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336668genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336668seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Svendsenbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Svendsen
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (31 language versions, career ended)
Image: Nasjonalbiblioteket from Norway · No restrictions · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q336668 · MusicBrainz: 41451125-10b0-476f-b5d8-ced1dc0494b6
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