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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Morten Lauridsen
Person · male · United States · Colfax · born 1943 · recording since 1996
American composer
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Also known as Morten Johannes Lauridsen · モートン・ローリゼン
Timeline
12 events▣ Album 10◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1940s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Mid-Winter Songs / Madrigali / Les Chansons des Roses
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
· Album
Album: O nata lux / Madrigali / Les Chansons des Roses / Mid-Winter Songs / O magnum mysterium (Elora Festival Singers feat. conductor: Noel Edison)
Album
source: musicbrainz
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography1,053 words · 7 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1362980516
Biography
Morten Johannes Lauridsen III (born February 27, 1943) is an American composer and teacher. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007), he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994 to 2001, and is professor emeritus of composition at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he taught for fifty-two years until his retirement in 2019.
Biography
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Lauridsen worked as a Forest Service firefighter and lookout on an isolated tower near Mount St. Helens. He attended Whitman College for 2 years, before traveling south to study composition at the University of Southern California with Ingolf Dahl, Halsey Stevens, Robert Linn, and Harold Owen. He began teaching at USC in 1967.
In 2006, Lauridsen was named an "American Choral Master" by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2007, he received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony, "for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical power, beauty, and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide."
His works have been recorded on more than 200 CDs, five of which have received Grammy Award nominations, including O Magnum Mysterium by the Tiffany Consort, A Company of Voices by Conspirare, Sound The Bells by The Bay Brass, and two all-Lauridsen discs entitled Lux Aeterna by the Los Angeles Master Chorale led by Paul Salamunovich and Nocturnes with the Polyphony choir and the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Layton.
A recipient of numerous grants, prizes, and commissions, Lauridsen chaired the composition department at the USC Thornton School of Music from 1990 to 2002 and founded the school's advanced studies program in film scoring. He has held residencies as guest composer/lecturer at over 100 universities and has received honorary doctorates from Oklahoma State University, Westminster Choir College, King's College, University of Aberdeen, and Whitman College. In 2014 he was invited to be honorary artistic president of Interkultur/World Choir Games. In 2016 he was awarded the ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award. In late February 2020, via an update on his Facebook page, Lauridsen revealed he had retired from the Thornton School of Music in the spring of 2019, after having taught classes there for over 50 years.
Lauridsen divides his time between Los Angeles and his home in the San Juan Archipelago off the northern coast of Washington State.
Compositions
His eight vocal cycles and two collections—Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke), Mid-Winter Songs (Graves), A Winter Come (Moss), Madrigali: Six "FireSongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems, Nocturnes (Rilke, Neruda, and Agee), Cuatro Canciones (Lorca), Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, A Backyard Universe, Five Songs on American Poems (Moss, Witt, Gioia, and Agee) and Lux Aeterna—his series of sacred a cappella motets (O magnum mysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, Ubi caritas et amor, and Ave Dulcissima Maria) and numerous instrumental works are featured regularly in concert by artists and ensembles throughout the world. O Magnum Mysterium, Dirait-on (from Les Chansons des Roses), O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna), and Sure On This Shining Night (from Nocturnes) are best-selling choral octavos.
His musical approaches to the texts he sets are diverse, ranging from direct to abstract in response to characteristics (subject matter, language, style, structure, historical era, etc.). His Latin sacred settings, such as the Lux Aeterna and motets, often reference Gregorian chant, as well as Medieval and Renaissance techniques while blending them with contemporary sounds. Other works such as the Madrigali and Cuatro Canciones are highly chromatic or atonal. His music has an overall lyricism and is tightly constructed around melodic and harmonic motifs.
Referring to Lauridsen's religious music, the musicologist and conductor Nick Strimple said he is "the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, [...] Lauridsen's probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered." From 1993, Lauridsen's music rapidly increased in international popularity, and by the end of the century he had eclipsed Randall Thompson as the most frequently performed American choral composer.
Recordings
Over 200 recordings of works by Morten Lauridsen have been released, including five that have received Grammy nominations.
CDs:
Sheet music sales and performances
Morten Lauridsen is currently one of America's most performed composers, with hundreds of performances each year throughout the world in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Vatican, Sydney Opera House, and Westminster Abbey. Over one million copies of his scores have been sold and his Dirait-on, O Magnum Mysterium, and O Nata Lux have become best-selling octavos.
Recordings of Morten Lauridsen's compositions are featured regularly on radio broadcasts throughout the United States, and he is a frequent interview guest on radio and television programs, including a KCET Life and Times program, the national broadcast of "A Portrait of Morten Lauridsen" on First Art, and a nationally broadcast Christmas Day feature on NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. He has been profiled in several extended articles, including in the Los Angeles Times "Calendar", Seattle Times, Choral Journal, Choir and Organ, Chorus America's Voice, Fanfare Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. He has received over four hundred commission requests, including from Harvard University, the American Choral Director's Association, and the Pacific Chorale, and is a frequent guest lecturer and Artist/Composer-in-Residence.
His principal publishers are Peermusic (New York/Hamburg) and Peer's affiliate, Faber Music (London).
Teaching life
In addition to these positions, Lauridsen has served as artistic advisor on the boards of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Dale Warland Singers, I Cantori (New York), USC Scoring for Films/TV Program, National Children's Chorus, Creative Kids Education Foundation, Volti (San Francisco Chamber Singers), New York City Master Chorale, Jacaranda, and Angeles Chorale.
Documentary
The 2012 documentary film Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen portrays the composer at his Waldron Island retreat and in rehearsals in California and Scotland. Commentaries about the composer by poet Dana Gioia, conductor Paul Salamunovich, composer/conductor Paul Mealor, composer Alex Shapiro, and conductor Robert Geary, along with performances by the San Francisco Choral Society, University of Aberdeen Choral Society and Orchestra, Con Anima Chamber Choir, and Volti, are featured. Works include O Magnum Mysterium, Lux Aeterna, Madrigali, Dirait-on, and Nocturnes, with soundtracks by Polyphony and the Britten Sinfonia (conducted by Stephen Layton), The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists (conducted by Matthew Culloton), and the Dale Warland Singers (conducted by Dale Warland).
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 | 16 | 74.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 12 | 88.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 29 | 64th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (11 release groups · 10 studio albums)
Albums · 10
Mid-Winter Songs / Madrigali / Les Chansons des Roses
1996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 50:39
1Mid-Winter Songs: I. Lament for Pasiphaë4:272Mid-Winter Songs: II. Like Snow1:253Mid-Winter Songs: III. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep3:324Mid-Winter Songs: IV. Mid-Winter Waking1:335Mid-Winter Songs: V. Intercession in Late October5:316Madrigali: I. Ov'è, Lass', Il Bel Viso3:067Madrigali: II. Quando Son Più Lontan4:188Madrigali: III. Amor, Io Sento L'alma1:549Madrigali: IV. Io Piango2:4910Madrigali: V. Luci Serene e Chiare2:3911Madrigali: VI. Se Per Havervi, Olime3:3112Les Chansons des Roses: I. En une seule fleur2:2213Les Chansons des Roses: II. Contre qui, rose3:2214Les Chansons des Roses: III. De ton rêve trop plein1:5115Les Chansons des Roses: IV. La rose complète3:5916Les Chansons des Roses: V. Dirait-on4:201998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:16:22
1Lux Aeterna: I. Introitus6:322Lux Aeterna: II. In te, Domine, speravi3:503Lux Aeterna: III. O nata lux4:494Lux Aeterna: IV. Veni, Sancte Spiritus2:205Lux Aeterna: V. Agnus Dei - Lux aeterna10:056Les Chansons Des Roses: I. En une seule fleur2:307Les Chansons Des Roses: II. Contre qui, rose3:308Les Chansons Des Roses: III. De ton rêve trop plein2:039Les Chansons Des Roses: IV. La rose complète4:0610Les Chansons Des Roses: V. Dirait-on4:2111Ave Maria7:2512Mid-Winter Songs: I. Lament for Pasiphae5:1713Mid-Winter Songs: II. Like Snow1:4014Mid-Winter Songs: III. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep3:5015Mid-Winter Songs: IV. Mid-Winter Waking1:4516Mid-Winter Songs: V. Intercession in Late October6:4117O magnum mysterium5:38O Magnum Mysterium and Other Choral Cycles
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:17:04
1Les Chansons des roses: I. En une seule fleur2:442Les Chansons des roses: II. Contre qui, rose4:073Les Chansons des roses: III. De ton rêve trop plein2:164Les Chansons des roses: IV. La rose complète4:075Les Chansons des roses: V. Dirait-on5:066Lux Aeterna: I. Introitus7:387Lux Aeterna: II. In te, Domine, speravi4:258Lux Aeterna: III. O Nata Lux4:279Lux Aeterna: IV. Veni, Sancte Spiritus2:3110Lux Aeterna: V. Agnus Dei10:5911Madrigali: I. Ov'è, lass', il bel viso?3:3612Madrigali: II. Quando son più lontan4:5413Madrigali: III. Amor, io sento l'alma2:0414Madrigali: IV. Io piango3:2915Madrigali: V. Luci serene e chiare3:3316Madrigali: VI. Se per havervi, oime4:1417O magnum mysterium6:542005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:06:38
1Lux aeterna: I. Introitus6:362Lux aeterna: II. In te, Domine, speravi4:143Lux aeterna: III. O nata lux3:394Lux aeterna: IV. Veni, Sancte Spiritus2:205Lux aeterna: V. Agnus Dei - Lux Aeterna9:456Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 1. Ov'è, lass', il bel viso?2:477Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 2. Quando son più lontan4:188Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 3. Amor, io sento l'alma1:529Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 4. Io piango3:2910Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 5. Luci serene e chiare2:4811Madrigali, six 'fire songs' on Italian Renaissance poems: No. 6. Se per havervi, oime4:2212Ave Maria6:4413Ubi caritas et amor7:0214O magnum mysterium6:422007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:04:45
1Mid-Winter Songs: I. Lament for Pasiphaë5:152Mid-Winter Songs: II. Like Snow1:313Mid-Winter Songs: III. She tells her love while half asleep4:194Mid-Winter Songs: IV. Mid-Winter Waking1:375Mid-Winter Songs: V. Intercession in Late October6:286Les chansons des roses: I. En une seule fleur2:217Les chansons des roses: II. Contre qui, rose3:198Les chansons des roses: III. De ton rêve trop plein2:159Les chansons des roses: IV. La rose complète4:4410Les chansons des roses: V. Dirait-on4:3511I will lift up mine eyes3:1512O come, let us sing unto the Lord3:2213Ave, dulcissima Maria7:0414Nocturnes: I. Sa nuit d'été3:3115Nocturnes: II. Soneto de la noche5:5616Nocturnes: III. Sure on this shining night5:132007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:08:54
1Lux aeterna: O nata lux5:062Madrigali: I. Ov'è, lass', il bel viso3:063Madrigali: II. Quando son più lontan5:374Madrigali: III. Amor, lo sento l'alma2:035Madrigali: IV. Io piango, che 'l dolore3:206Madrigali: V. Luci serene e chiare3:157Madrigali: VI. Se per havervi, oimè, donato il core4:228Les Chanson des Roses: I. En une seule fleur2:589Les Chanson des Roses: II. Contre qui, rose2:4710Les Chanson des Roses: III. De ton rêve trop plein2:0911Les Chanson des Roses: IV. La rose complète / V. Dirat-on9:1112Mid-Winter Songs: I. Lament for Pasiphaë5:2113Mid-Winter Songs: II. Like Snow1:3714Mid-Winter Songs: III. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep4:2715Mid-Winter Songs: IV. Mid-Winter Waking1:5316Mid-Winter Songs: V. Intercession in Late October5:5017O magnum mysterium5:522010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:16:19
1Nocturnes: Sa nuit d’été3:172Nocturnes: Soneto de la noche5:473Nocturnes: Sure on This Shining Night4:404Nocturnes: Epilogue: Voici le soir2:075Cuatro canciones: Noche1:096Cuatro canciones: Despedida3:377Madrigali: Six 'Firesongs' on Italian Renaissance Poems: Ov'è, lass’, il bel viso?3:178Madrigali: Six 'Firesongs' on Italian Renaissance Poems: Amor, io sento l’alma2:069Madrigali: Six 'Firesongs' on Italian Renaissance Poems: Se per havervi, oime3:5810A Winter Come: When Frost Moves Fast1:1111A Winter Come: A Child Lay Down2:0912A Winter Come: And What of Love3:3113Chanson éloignée5:2214Be Still, My Soul, Be Still9:2515Lux Aeterna: Agnus Dei4:1416Canticle – O Vos Omnes5:3617O Magnum Mysterium6:2218Les Chansons des roses: Contre qui, rose3:2719Les Chansons des roses: Dirait-on5:04Mid-Winter Songs / Three Psalms / Madrigali
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 21 tracks · 1:16:13
1Les Chansons Des Roses: I. En Une Seule Fleur2:372Les Chansons Des Roses: II. Contre Qui, Rose4:033Les Chansons Des Roses: III. De Ton Rêve Trop Plein2:484Les Chansons Des Roses: IV. La Rose Complète3:595Les Chansons Des Roses: V. Dirait-On5:016Three Psalms: I. O Come Let Us Sing Unto the Lord3:057Three Psalms: II. I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes3:368Three Psalms: III. Psalm 294:409Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts: I. To One That Desired to Know My Mistris2:3210Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts: II. Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount2:4811Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts: III. To My Mistris, I Burning in Love3:2612Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts: IV. Mediocrite in Love Rejected2:5113Mid-Winter Songs: I. Lament for Pasiphaë4:4514Mid-Winter Songs: II. Like Snow1:3015Mid-Winter Songs: III. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep4:2516Mid-Winter Songs: IV. Mid-Winter Waking1:3517Mid-Winter Songs: V. Intercession in Late October6:0018Nocturnes: I. Sa Nuit d’Été3:2219Nocturnes: II. Soneto de la Noche5:4620Nocturnes: III. Sure on This Shining Night4:5721Nocturnes: IV. Epilogue: Voici le soir2:27Light Eternal: The Choral Music of Morten Lauridsen
2018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:29:04
1Lux aeterna - I. Introitus7:532Lux aeterna - II. In te, domine, speravi4:573Lux aeterna - III. O nata lux4:114Lux aeterna - IV. Veni, sancte spiritus2:285Lux aeterna - V. Agnus Dei - Lux Aeterna12:216Les Chansons des Roses - I. En une seule fleur2:407Les Chansons des Roses - V. Dirait-on5:168Madrigali - Six "FireSongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems - I. Ov'è, lass', il bel viso?3:419Madrigali - Six "FireSongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems - VI. Se per havervi, oimé3:4910Prayer5:1311Ya Eres Mia6:3112Nocturnes - I. Sa nuit d’été3:2913Nocturnes - II. Soneto de la Noche6:4014Nocturnes - III. Sure on this Shining Night5:0115Nocturnes - IV. Epilogue: Voici le soir2:3716O magnum mysterium6:5217Where Have the Actors Gone5:25Prayer: The Songs of Morten Lauridsen
2024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:01:25
1O magnum mysterium (Version for Voice & Piano)5:352A Winter Come: No. 1, When Frost Moves Fast1:123A Winter Come: No. 2, As Birds Come Nearer2:214A Winter Come: No. 3, The Racing Waterfall0:535A Winter Come: No. 4, A Child Lay Down2:106A Winter Come: No. 5, Who Reads by Starlight0:507A Winter Come: No. 6, And What of Love3:128Ya eres mía5:4494 Canciones: No. 1, Claro de reloj3:05104 Canciones: No. 2, Noche0:57114 Canciones: No. 3, La luna asoma2:49124 Canciones: No. 4, Despedida3:5613Dirait-on (Version for 2 Voices & Piano)4:3914A Backyard Universe: No. 1, Girl2:2115A Backyard Universe: No. 2, Three3:5816A Backyard Universe: No. 3, Boy2:1417Where Have the Actors Gone5:14182 Songs on American Poems: No. 1, Prayer5:10192 Songs on American Poems: No. 2, Sure on This Shining Night5:05
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lux aeternaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 30:241Lux aeterna: I. Introitus7:01 2Lux aeterna: II. In te, Domine, speravi4:15 3Lux aeterna: III. O nata Lux5:09 4Lux aeterna: IV. Veni, Sancte Spiritus2:37 5Lux aeterna: V. Agnus Dei - Lux aeterna11:22 | Live | 4 July 2025 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Morten Lauridsen head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 16 | 74.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 12 | 88.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 29 | 64th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | National Medal of Arts | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lauridsenislandsm.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9197f075-be71-49c0-b93b-4d71d1b8114ddiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/9197f075-be71-49c0-b93b-4d71d1b8114dcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1355103genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1355103seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morten_Lauridsenbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morten_Lauridsen
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Mstillwater · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q1355103 · MusicBrainz: 9197f075-be71-49c0-b93b-4d71d1b8114d
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