Nabokov, Nicolas [Nikolay]

Naumann, Siegfried

(b Malmö, 27 Nov 1919). Swedish composer, conductor and teacher. After initial studies in the violin, theory and composition with his father, he studied the violin with E. Wolf and instrumentation with H. Myrtelius, also attending the Stockholm Musikhögskolan (1942–5) as a pupil of Melchers, Mann and Broström. He was conductor of the Örnsköldsvik Music Society (1945–9) and then studied composition with Pizzetti at the Accademia di S Cecilia (1949–53), with Malipiero and with Orff; his later conducting studies were at the Salzburg Mozarteum and with Furtwängler and Scherchen. In 1950 he made his professional conducting début at Fylkingen and he made his first broadcast in that year. He then appeared with the Stockholm PO (1951), the Oslo PO (1958), and the Finnish RO (1962); in 1954–5 he was the conductor of the Gävleborg SO. In 1962 he founded the ensemble Musica Nova, with which he has made recordings and undertaken tours of Scandinavia, England and Germany. A cultured and sensitive conductor, with a wide repertory, he has made an important contribution to the furtherance of new music in Scandinavia. Between 1963 and 1983 he taught conducting at the Stockholm Musikhögskolan from 1976 as professor. In 1976 he also began teaching at Malmö Conservatory.

As a composer he began by working in a traditional style, and then – after a silence of eight years, during which he studied in Darmstadt and Paris – he initiated a new phase with Ruoli op.1 (1959), where aleatory episodes are introduced. The intense and richly ornamented Il cantico del sole brought him international renown when it was performed at the 1966 ISCM Festival. His music shows a strong feeling for sonority and pregnant rhythm, and utilizes the individual musician’s capacities to listen and respond (notably in the orchestral pieces Estate and Suoni esposti). He has been able to combine the techniques of new music with a vital and organic musicianship.

WORKS

(selective list)

Orch: Trasformazioni, op.5, 1962; Spettacolo I, op.18, 1967; Estate (Sommar), op.21, 4 orch groups, 1969; Teatro strumentale, op.22, 19 solo insts, str, 1971; Suoni esposti (Ljudposter), op.23, 4 orch groups, 1970; Region-musik no.1, op.25, wind, kbds, perc, 1971; Materialstudier i improvisation, op.30, 1974; Ungdom, op.31, 4 inst groups, 1975; Fanfarer, op.25, wind orch, 1974–6; Ljudtrappa, op.38, wind, perc, 1982; Strutture, op.45, 1986; Marcia a Montecelio 1–2, opp.44a–b, wind, 1986, rev. 1987

Vocal: Musica sacra no.4 (Bible), Bar, chorus, 2 orchs, 1951; 7 sonetti di Petrarca, op.2, T, hp, vib, 4 vc, 1959; Phaedri: 4 fabulae (Aesop), op.3, solo vv, chorus, 8 insts, 1960; Il cantico del sole (St Francis), op.8, solo vv, chorus, orch, 1963; Missa in onore della Madonna di Loreto, op.11, chorus, org, perc, 1965; Spettacolo II, op.19, solo vv, chorus, orch, 1967; 2 cori su testi latini, op.24, chorus, db, Hammond org, perc, 1970; Il cieco del ponte a Moriano, op.26, T, chorus, insts, 1972; Pastorale, op.28, chorus, 1973; 3 canti da cabaret, op.29, S, pf, 1973; Vita vinum est (Petronius), op.32, SATB, 1976; Clarisonus, teatro strumentale, op.34, cl, 4 alto parlanti, 1978; Flores sententiarum (Lat. proverbs), op.36, S, A, T, B, SATB, orch, 1980; Och lärkan slår och Skånes somrar ila (Naumann), op.41, SATB, orch, 1985; Mixturae (vocalise), op.42, S, org, 3 perc, 1985; Orden av Anders Österling (A. Österling), op.43, male chorus, 2pf, 2 perc, 1986; Arie di battaglia (vocalise), op.52, S, T, recit, 2 wind orch, 2 db, hp, synth/pf, 2 perf, acrobats, 1989; Il pianto della Madonna (J. da Todi), op.53, S, T, Bar, SATB, orch, 1990; 5 Skånetexter (H. Gullberg, G. Jönsson, V. Ekelund, Österling), op.56, A, orch, 1992; Cadenze (vocalise), op.58, A, vn, vc, pf, chbr, ens, 1993; [7] Dagens doft (Il prufomo del giorno) (J. Östergren), op.59, SATB, 1993; Messa da requiem, op.61, S, A, T, Bar, B, SATB, orch, 1995; 3 sånger i transpiranto (L. Hagwald), op.63, SATB, db, perc, 1996

Inst: Ruoli, op.1, 4 cl, 1959; Improvviso sopra, op.4, kbd, perc, 1961; Risposte I, op.6, fl, perc, 1963; Risposte II, op.7, pf, Hammond org, elec gui, trbn acc., 1963; Strutture per Giovanni, op.9, org, 1963, arr. military band, 1980; Cadenze, op.10, 9 insts, 1963; Solitude, op.17, hp, 2 perc, 1966; Massa vibrante, op.20, perc, 1969; Bombarda, op.27, org, perc, 1973; Organum, op.33, org, glock ad lib, 1977–8; Ljudspel (Giuoco di suono), op.39, 3 inst groups, 1984; Ljudlek (Giocando colle mani), op.40, pf, perc ad lib, 1984; Vc solo a Hege, op.50, vc, 1988; Tripla, op.46, vn, vc, pf etc., 1987; In memoria di Giovanni Gabrieli, op.47, 9 hn, org, 1988, arr. 2 org, op.47b, 1997; Vn solo a Jennifer, op.48, vn, 1988; Pianoforte solo a Michal, op.49, pf, perc, 1988; Strutture, op.51, 2 vn, 1988; 3 movimenti, op.54, str qt, 1990–91; Risposte III, op.60, fl/perc, hp, str, 1994; Spel (Musica), op.62, 9 cl, 1995; Fanfara di nozzi, tpt, 1996; Sax Qt, op.64, 1997

Principal publisher: Suecia

WRITINGS

‘Arbetsbok’, Nutida musik, vi/8 (1962–3), 4–12

‘Neutral instrumentgrupp ideal i musikallrum’, Tonfallet (1971), no.2, p.1

Opus 37: studier för unga dirigenter och andra interpreter (Stockholm, 1991)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

K. Linder: ‘Sex unga tonsättare’, Nutida musik, vi/8 (1962–3), 13–21, esp. 15, 18

O. Höjer: ‘Samtal kring en mässa’, Nutida musik, x/2 (1966–7), 8–11

G. Bergendal: ‘Siegfried Naumann, dirigent, tonsättare’, Konsertnytt, iv/6 (1968–9), 21

E. Lundvist: ‘Att spela Siegfried Naumanns Organum’, Nutida musik, xxii/1 (1978–9), 52–5

I. Laaban: ‘Siegfried Naumann: en spektrumlinjernas spelman’, Årsskrift, Kungliga musikaliska akademien (1991), 29–32

H.-G. Peterson: ‘Studien i orgelns klang och struktur’, Nutida musik, xli/1 (1998), 34–45 [on Organum]

ROLF HAGLUND