Nabokov, Nicolas [Nikolay]

Norena, Eidé [Hansen-Eidé (neé Hansen), Kaja Andrea Karoline]

(b Horton, nr Oslo, 26 April 1884; d Lausanne, 19 Nov 1968). Norwegian soprano. She studied with Ellen Gulbranson in Oslo, where she made her début as Cupid (Gluck’s Orfeo) in 1907. She sang at the Nationale Theater in Oslo (1908–18) and then at the Swedish Royal Opera, Stockholm; in 1924 she was engaged to sing Gilda at La Scala. She first appeared at Covent Garden in 1924 and was a regular visitor to London where her Desdemona (1937) was especially distinguished. At the Paris Opéra (1925–37), her roles included the Queen of Shemakha (The Golden Cockerel), Marguerite de Valois (Les Huguenots), Mathilde (Guillaume Tell) and Ophelia (Hamlet). Norena sang at the Metropolitan (1933–8), making her début as Mimì, and also in Vichy and Monte Carlo, where her Marguerite de Valois and Juliette were much admired. In Amsterdam she sang the three heroines of Les contes d’Hoffmann. Her lovely voice, sincere feeling and restrained, impeccable style are preserved on recordings of her Violetta, Desdemona, Marguerite de Valois and Juliette. (GV; L. Riemans; R. Vegeto)

HAROLD ROSENTHAL/ALAN BLYTH

Nørgård, Per

(b Gentofte, 1932). Danish composer and theorist. From the age of 17 Nørgård studied privately with Vagn Holmboe, later entering the Royal Danish Conservatory, Copenhagen, where he completed his studies with Holmboe and Høffding. He subsequently studied privately with Boulanger in 1957. He became active as a teacher in his own right in the late 1950s, with appointments at the Odense Conservatory in 1958 and at the Royal Danish Conservatory in 1960. In 1965 he left Copenhagen for the Århus Conservatory, where he established an important class in composition which attracted many of the leading Danish composers of the younger generation (including Abrahamsen, Rasmussen and Sørensen). He retired from the conservatory in 1994.

Nørgård came to prominence as a composer relatively early. His first acknowledged works, which he completed at the age of 19, are in a contrapuntal, freely chromatic tonality closely related to Holmboe's work of the period. By the time he composed Symphony no.1 ‘Sinfonia Austera’ (1954), the influence of Holmboe had been partly supplanted by that of Sibelius, whose later symphonies proved crucial to Nørgård's compositional development. In the mid-1950s Nørgård corresponded with Sibelius, dedicating his Sånger från Aftonland (1956) to the Finnish master. It was the sense of ‘endless unfolding’ in Sibelius's later music which was especially important to Nørgård, and this feeling is equally apparent in Nørgård's own symphony, where it complements the techniques of continuous metamorphosis that he had learnt from Holmboe. This symphony, along with Konstellationer (1958) for string orchestra, performed at the 1959 ISCM Festival, which also uses the metamorphosis technique, established Nørgård as the leading Danish composer of his generation. Around this time Nørgård described his main psychological stimulus as ‘the universe of the Nordic frame of mind’ – a concept he later admitted was rather nebulous, but which may be felt in the sonority as much as the form of the works of this period. Like Holmboe's Sinfonia Boreale (Symphony no.6), which he acknowledged as an important influence, Nørgård's works up to 1960 showed a distinct preference for a hard, clean, austere orchestration, even to the point of a certain roughness of texture and spacing. In any case his sonorities deliberately lack the warmth of those of mid-century French or Italian composers, favouring high and low registral extremes.

In 1960, together with his contemporaries Norhølm and Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Nørgård attended the Cologne ISCM Festival, where he heard first performances of such pieces as Stockhausen's Kontakte and Kagel's Anagramma, in addition to pieces by Boulez and Berio. All three Danes were profoundly affected by what they heard, and their period of ‘Nordic isolation’ came to an abrupt end. Although Nørgård did not embark upon a period of total serialism, his music did suddenly branch out into a far more discontinuous and disjunct style, involving elements of strict organization in all parameters, some degree of aleatoricism and controlled improvisation, together with an interest in collage from other musics. The use of collage is at its most extreme in the opera Labyrinten (‘The Labyrinth’, 1963), and the ballet Den unge mand skal giftes (‘The Young Man to be Married’, 1964–8), works whose turbulent surface could not have been further from the objective contrapuntalism of the decade before. Nørgård's constructivist explorations culminated with the composition of Fragment VI (1959–61) for six orchestral groups, which won the Gaudeamus Prize in 1962. Though the work had clearly impressed a jury which included such figures as Stockhausen, Boulez and Krenek, Nørgård was disaffected with it, realizing that none of the precise calculation he had devised during its composition was perceptible to the listener, and promptly withdrew the piece from his official catalogue. He has since remained intensely sceptical of constructive compositional devices which bear no direct relationship to audible reality.

Nørgård's music underwent a further change in the mid- to late 1960s, with his increased preoccupation with the acoustical properties of sounds and their perception. Two large orchestral pieces from this time, Luna (1967) and Iris (1966–7), explore dense orchestral textures in a manner analogous to Ligeti's music from the same period, but with a far greater degree of consonance in the harmony, which often derives from the natural harmonics of the overtone series. The first movement of Voyage into the Golden Screen (1968–9) consists solely of two such overtone series, tuned a quarter-tone apart. This results in complex ‘beats’ between the closely adjacent frequencies, and its rich, slowly evolving texture, curiously similar to the music of Scelsi (whose music Nørgård did not know at that time) make it an important forerunner of the European Spectral music of the 1970s and 80s.

The second movement of Voyage explores another form of gradual evolution derived from Nørgård's so-called ‘infinity series’, which he had discovered as early as 1959 and which was to prove crucial to his output in the 1970s (see Kullberg, ‘Beyond Infinity’, in Beyer, ed., 1996). The infinity series is organized such that it contains a number of replicas of itself, both in original and inverted forms. These replicas occur on different levels and (if the series is projected using equal note values) at different speeds. For example, taking every fourth note of the series gives the original series at a quarter speed, while taking the odd-numbered notes in the series gives the inversion of the series at half speed. Since it is evident that each of these forms will equally contain further similar magnifications of the series themselves, the series can be adjudged infinitely complex in its layering potential. In Nørgård's Second Symphony (1970), an extrapolation of the second movement of Voyage onto a duration of nearly half an hour, the entire pitch content is derived from the infinity series, with different layers of the orchestra assigned different magnifications of the series. For example, for much of the piece the horns play the original series at quarter speed, whilst the strings have much slower expansions, creating slow-moving drones. As in Voyage, the slowest speed is marked by the piano and bells, which play every 256th note, forming a very slow version of the original series in transposition. All of these layers operate in relation to (and in pitch unison with) the original series, which is played on the flutes in quavers.

For his Third Symphony, completed in 1975, Nørgård devised analogously infinite systems for harmony (based on the overtone series and its inversion, the undertone series) and for rhythm (based on the proportions of the golden section as unfolded in the Fibonacci series) to form a total musical system concerning every aspect of a work, from large-scale form to the smallest details. Nørgård himself calls this type of composing ‘hierarchical’, to signify its perpetual evolution in complementary, related layers, each of which represents augmented or diminished versions of each other in time. The results are surprisingly consonant, due to the emphasis on the overtone series, and at times sound close to conventional tonality. As if to acknowledge this, Nørgård includes in the coda to the symphony a complete quotation of Schubert's song Du bist die Ruh' as one strand in a typically multi-layered hierarchical texture. Nørgård stands very far removed, however, from the neo-romantic trends which sprang up in central Europe around this time: his aim is in no way nostalgic, even though he acknowledges as compositional tools the fullest range of harmonic and melodic types, from the most consonant and conjunct to the most dissonant and abrupt.

Nørgård's hierarchical period lasted until the end of the 1970s, with the opera Siddharta (1974–9), towards the end of which, for dramatic reasons, the harmony and order of this technique are dramatically destroyed. The music of the following decade was dominated by a return to greater overt disorder of texture and form, and a focus on climates of great emotional and psychological instability. In part this may be attributed to Nørgård's encounter with the writings and paintings of the Swiss schizophrenic artist Adolf Wölfli, who was active in the first part of the century. Nørgård's fascination with this creative outsider produced a complete change in his style, in which an almost expressionist fondness for emotional extremes became the dominant feature, with ordered systems such as had characterized his previous music relegated to the background. His Fourth Symphony bears a subtitle from Wölfli, ‘Indian Rose Garden and Chinese Witch's Lake’; its sharply polarized two-movement form typifies the twin extremes of the title, although elements from each movement penetrate the other. In addition to numerous smaller Wölfli-inspired pieces throughout the 1980s, Nørgård also composed a chamber opera, The Divine Circus (1982), which explores the artist's painful life-history in metaphorical form.

Although Nørgård has never returned to the extreme order of his infinite systems as an end in itself, he has in more recent compositions displayed a renewed concern for construction and patterning both in pitch and rhythm. His most prominent recent technical innovation is an elaborate set of melodic patterns he terms ‘tone lakes’, similar to the infinity row but working in several directions simultaneously. Elements from such a pattern form an important feature in the revolving bell-like permutations of Tintinnabulary (String Quartet no.6, 1986) and also feature as a central element in his most experimental work to date, the Fifth Symphony (1986–90). This ambitious single-movement work is perhaps the most daring Nørgård has yet attempted, a highly unpredictable and episodic set of apparently disconnected fragments which repeatedly run off either extreme of the orchestra's range into inaudibility. When these fragments finally cohere it is into one of the densest and most terrifying orchestral tuttis in his output, making passing reference to the turbulent conclusion of his First Symphony before vanishing suddenly into a final silence.

As he moved towards his eighth decade Nørgård's style remained in a state of evolution and change, prompted by his ceaselessly enquiring mind and his firm belief that composing must be an essentially exploratory activity. Meanwhile the overriding constant in his output remains his devotion to the Sibelian ideal of continuously unfolding melodic lines in simultaneous evolution and, along with that – despite his fondness for abrupt change and highly volatile forms – an easily identifiable lyrical gift which makes his style one of the most personal in contemporary music.

WORKS

WRITINGS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JULIAN ANDERSON

Nørgård, Per

WORKS

dramatic

choral

solo vocal

orchestral

chamber and solo instrumental

tape

Nørgård, Per: Works

dramatic

Ops: Labyrinten [The Labyrinth] (B. Nørgård), 1963, Copenhagen, Royal Theatre, 2 Sept 1967; Gilgamesh (Nørgård), 1971–2, Århus, 4 May 1973; Siddharta (Nørgård and O. Sarvig), 1974–9, rev. 1983, Stockholm, 18 March 1983; Det guddommelige Tivoli [The Divine Circus] (Nørgård, after A. Wölfli), 1982; Nuit des hommes (Apollinaire), S, T, perc + kbd, str qt, tape, 1995–6

Ballets: Den unge mand skal giftes [The Young Man to be Married] (after I. Ionescu), 1964, broadcast 2 April 1965, staged Copenhagen, Royal Theatre, 15 Oct 1967, red. version, 1968; Tango chikane (F. Flindt), 1967, Copenhagen, Royal Theatre, 15 Oct 1967, version for red. orch, 1969

Incid music: Blomsterduft [Scent of Flowers], tape, 1963 [for play by J. Saunders]; Det er ikke til at baere [It Is Unbearable], fl, tpt, gui + elec gui, pf, vn, db, 1963; Pastorale, 2 cl, trbn, va, 1963; Stumspil, fl, tpt, vn, db, pf, 1966 [from incid music Act without Words]: Musaic, 3 trbn, 5 cornet, elecs, 1969; Act without Words (S. Beckett), 1966; Såret [The Wound], harmonica, accdn, hammond org, 1 elec gui, 1966 [for radio play by T. Hughes]; Nattergalen [The Nightingale] (TV puppet play, J. Vestergaard, after H.C. Andersen), 1969; Snedronningen [The Snow Queen] (TV puppet play, Vestergaard, after Andersen), 1970; Hedda Gabler (H. Ibsen), 1993, BBC TV, Nov 1993

Film scores: Oslo (J. Roos), 1963; Den røde kappe [The Red Cloak] (G. Axel), 1966; Kongens Enghave (L. Brydesen, C. Ørsted), 1967; Bork havn [Bork Harbour], 1968; Store Baelt [The Great Belt] (Brydesen, Ørsted), 1968; Manden der taenkte ting (J. Ravn, H. Stangerup), 1969; Babettes Gaestebud [Babette's Feast] (Axel), 1987; Amled, Prinsen af Jylland [Hamlet, Prince of Denmark] (Axel), 1993

Nørgård, Per: Works

choral

accompanied mixed chorus

Triptychon (Pss, Requiem Mass), SATB, org, 1957, rev. SATB, orch, 1960; Det skete i de dage (B. Nørgård), mixed chorus, children's chorus, actors, recs, tpt, perc, str, 1960; Landskabsbillede (T. Bjørnvig), SATB, insts, 1961, rev. 1992; Dommen [The Judgement], Mez, T, 2 Bar, B, mixed chorus, female chorus, children's chorus, wind, perc, pf, str, tape, 1962, rev. 1965; Den unge mand skal giftes [The Young Man to be Married], concert suite, SATB, orch, 1964–5 [from op]

Babel, soloists, chorus, insts, dancers and mime ad lib., 1965, rev. as Nye Babel, 1968; Oluf Strangesøn (folksong text), SATB, 3 perc, 1971, rev. 1992; Sym. no.3 (Lat. texts, R.M. Rilke, F. Rückert, W. Scott), Mez/C, double chorus, orch. 1972–5; Libra (R. Steiner, Pss), T, double chorus, gui, other insts ad lib., 1973 [see alsosolo vocal]; Singe die Gärten mein Herz, die du nicht kennst (Rilke: Sonette an Orpheus), 8vv, (fl, cl, hn, pf, 2 perc, vc)/pf, 1974

Vinterkantate [Winter Cantata] (O. Sarvig), S, mixed chorus, org, 1976, rev. 1990; Den afbrudte sang (Orfeus og Euridike) [The Interrupted Song] (U. Ryum, P. Nørgård), chorus, perc, hp, other insts ad lib., 1977; Tider og højtider [Times and High Times] (Lalander), SATB, variable insts, 1978; Tidligt forårs danse [Dances of Early Spring] (Rilke), SATB, ob, 4 perc, dancers ad lib., 1979–80; Halleluja – vor Gud er forrykt [Hallelujah – Our God is Mad], SATB, 3 perc ad lib., 1979–82, rev. 1992; Foråressang [Spring Song], mixed chorus, perc ad lib., 1980

Solen er hvid [The Sun Is White] (I. Christensen), chorus, gamelan, orch, 1980–81, rev. 1991; Drømmesange [Dream Songs], SATB/SA, perc ad lib., 1981; Hvem ved [Who Knows] (Christensen), SATB, insts ad lib., 1981; Jordens vej [The Way of the Earth] (O. Sarvig), chorus, org, 1981; Slå dørene op [Open the Doors] (Christensen), mixed chorus, children's chorus, insts ad lib., 1981; Solen er rund [The Sun Is Round] (Christensen), SATB, insts ad lib., 1981; Noget andet [Something Else], SATB, sax qt, tpt, trbn, gui, hp, synth, 4 gamelan, perc, vc, db, 1982; Korsalme [Choral Hymn] (O. Sarvig), SATB, insts ad lib., 1982

Eclipse, T, chorus, orch, 1981 [from op Siddharta]; Den fjerde dag [The Fourth Day]: in memoriam Thomas Ring (A. Sunesson, Bible: Genesis, Lat. texts), mixed chorus, chbr orch, 1984; Den foruroligende Aelling [The Alarming Duckling] (P. Borum, Wölfli, T. Kjellgreen), 12vv, tape, 1985, rev. 1992; Stjernen og stjernen [The Star and the Star] (I. Michael), vv, insts, 1987; Mens regnen falder [While the Rain Is Falling] (V. Lunbye), mixed chorus, 6 perc, 1990; Freedom (Whitman), SSATB, 2 perc ad lib., 1992 [after work for T, gui, 1977]; I Hear the Rain, mixed chorus, perc, 1992; Orfeus' dansevise [Orpheus's Dance Song] (P. Nørgård), SATB, 5 perc ad lib., 1992 [from Den afbrudte sang [The Interrupted Song], 1977]; Til bogen [To the Book] (P. Riis), SATB, str qt, 1993; Huldregaverne [The Wood Spirit’s Gifts] (B.S. Ingemann), nar, chorus, chbr ens, 1999; Morning Myth (P. Tafdrup), 7 strophes for SATB, 2000

unaccompanied mixed chorus

SATB unless otherwise stated

2 sange for blandet kor [2 songs for Mixed Choir] (H. Rasmussen), 1952, rev. 1992; Aftonland [Evening Land] (P. Lagerqvist), 1954; Fuglen hr. Jon [The Bird Mr Jon] (folksong text), 1961, rev. 1992; Du skal plante et trae [You Shall Plant a Tree] (P. Hein), 1967; 6 danske korsange (Hein, O. Sarvig, N. Peterson and others), SSA/SSATB, 1967–91; Gaudet mater, 1971; Maya danser (for sin ufødte søn) [Maya Dances (for her Unborne Son)] (B. Nørgård), 1974–80, rev. 1992; Frostsalme [Frost Psalm] (O. Sarvig), 16vv, 1975–6; Mit løv, mit lille trae [My Leaf, My Little Tree] (J.V. Jensen), 1975, rev. 1992; Kredsløb (O. Sarvig), 1977; Wie ein Kind (Wölfli, R.M. Rilke), 1979–80, movt 2 rev. as Jorden er som et barn [The Earth Is Like a Child], 1992

Abendlied (Wölfli), 1980; Ordet (N.F.S. Grundtvig), 1982; HILDI(n)G ROSENBERG, chorus, recitation ad lib., 1982; 3 motetter til Agnus Dei, 1982; Afbrudt hojsang, skrig – og drikkervise [Interrupted Hymn, Scream and Drinking Song] (Bible: Song of Solomon, K. Antz), 1983; Tusind takker til Tage [A Thousand Thanks to Tage] (P. Nørgård), 1983; Marche macabre (J.G. Brandt), 1984; Støv (Brandt), canon, 1984, rev. 1992; Julens glaede [The Delight of Christmas] (J. Møllehave), hymn, 1985; 3 hymniske ansatser (G. Ekelöf, T. Larsen, R.M. Rilke), 1986

La peur as it were (P. Eluard, J. Cage), 2 SATB, 1989, withdrawn; Regn nat [Rain Night] (M. Strunge), 1989, rev. 1992; 4 motetter (Pss xxvii, lxxxiii), 1991; Forårsmorgen [Spring Morning] (T. Larsen), 1992 [arr. from Morgenmusik II, 1961]; Golgatha (B. Nørgård), 1992 [rev. of movt from Dommen, 1962]; Landskab [Landscape] (T. Larsen), 1992 [rev. of song from 9 danske sange, 1v, pf, 1955–8]; Overstået angst [Fear Overcome] (H. Rasmussen), 1992 [rev. of no.5 of 9 danske sange, 1v, pf, 1955–8]; En stjerne er sat [A Star Is Set] (Bible, B. Nørgård), 1992 [arr. from Det skete i de dage, 1960]; Og der skal ikke mere gives tid [And time shall be no more] (L. Lundqvist, A. Wölfli and others), 1993; 3 systrar [3 Sisters] (S. Von Schoultz), SSATBB, 1993; Vänskap [Friendship] (Amerindian), 1996

male chorus

2 pastoraler (T. Larsen), T, TTBB, pf/orch, 1957; Grøn sang [Green Song] (E. Knudsen), male chorus, 1959, rev. SATB, 1992; Noget om kloge og gale [Something about the Clever and the Mad] (H. Rasmussen), TTB, 1959; Sinfonia profana (P. Nørgård), TTBB, cl, 1959; Lykkestreif [Piece of Good Luck] (T. Bjørnvig), TTBB, 1960, arr. SATB, 1992; Strandvalmue [Horn Poppy] (T. Larsen), TTBB, 1960, arr. SAATBB, 1986; En livlsang ven [A Lifelong Friend] (P. Riis), TTBB, 1991; Inre och yttre landskap [Inner and Outer Landscape] (T. Tranströmer), 1995

children's chorus

Tivoli (B. Nørgård), childrens's chorus, perc, other insts (3 rec, 3 vn, vc) ad lib., 1959; En Ammehistorie (E. Werner), children's chorus, insts (3 rec, 3 vn, pf) ad lib., 1959; Morgenmusik I [Morning Music I] (N. Peterson), children's chorus, 3 wind insts ad lib., 1961; Morgenmusik II [Morning Music II] (U. Harder, O. Abildgård, T. Larsen), spkr, children's vv, insts ad lib., 1961; Jeg ved, hvor en lind hun står [I Know Where a Lime Stands] (F. Jaeger), SSA, 1992 [from film score Den røde kappe, 1966]; Men tredie gang [But the Third Time], 1997

Nørgård, Per: Works

solo vocal

with piano

Det åbne [The Open] (P. la Cour), S/T, pf, 1952–5; 9 danske sange (H. Rasmussen, T. Larsen, J.V. Jensen, J.V. Jensen, J. Jørgensen, J.A. Schade), 1955–8; 10 danske sange (P. Hein, O. Sarvig, I. Michael, J.V. Jensen and others), 1955–87; Af Tue Bentsons viser [From Tue Bentson's Ballads] (V. Struckenberg), Bar, pf, 1960; Nocturner (Chin. texts in Dan. trans.), S, pf, 1961, orchd 1962; L'amour, la poésie (P. Eluard), A, B, pf, 1967, rev. S, T, vib + mar, 1979 as Kaerligheden, poesien [Love, Poetry]; 2 salmer fra Babettes Gaestebud [2 Hymns from ‘Babette's Feast’], 1987 [from film score]; Songs (H. Groes), B-Bar, acc/mezzo, pf, 1991–2

with other instrument(s)

2 recitativer (P. Lagerqvist), A, vc, 1955–6; Sånger från Aftonland [Songs from Evening Land] (Lagerqvist), A, fl, vn, va, vc, hp, 1956; 3 kaerlighedssange [3 Love Songs] (A. Rimbaud, R.M. Rilke), A, orch, 1963–5; Prisme (J. Sonne), song cycle, Mez, T, B, fl, trbn, 2 perc, elec gui, vn, db, 1964; 3 chansons (Eluard), A, a fl, 1967 [arr. of movts 3–5 of L'amour, la poésie]; Sub rosa (F. Rückert), Mez, T, elec gui, 1971; Wenn die Rose sich selbst schmückt, schmückt sie auch den Garten (Rückert), S, a fl, db, perc, 1971

Libra (R. Steiner), T, gui, 1973 [see alsochoral]; Nova genitura (Lat. hymns), S, rec, lute, hpd, va da gamba, 1975; Fons laetitiae (Lat. hymns), S/T, hp/lute, 1975; Freedom (W. Whitman), T, gui, 1977; Mystery (anon.), S, fl, 1978; Seadrift (Whitman), S, fl/red, pf/hpd, gui, vn, vc/va da gamba, perc, 1978; Daggry [Daybreak] (H. Nordbrandt), S, a fl, gui, 1981; Day and Night (T. Hughes, W. Shakespeare), low v, vc ad lib., pf, 1982

Plutonian Ode (A. Ginsberg), S/Bar, vc, 1982–4; Marche macabre (J.G. Brandt), 1v, gui, 1983; Kropsdrøm [Body Dream], S, fl, perc + synth, tape, 1984; Gondellied (Nietzsche), Bar, vc, 1985; Entwicklungen (Rilke), A, fl, gui, vc, perc, 1986; Ildnatten [Fire Night] (H. Mølbjerg), S, Bar, perc, tape, 1986; L'enfant et l'aube (A. Rimbaud), S, T, fl, cl, perc, pf, vc, 1987–8; Indvielsessang [Consecration Song] (V. Lundbye), S, org, 1988; Laengsel og Opfyldelse [Longing and Fulfilment] (H. Groes), B, accdn, 1991; 2 årstidssange [2 Season Songs] (H. Nordbrandt), S, org, 1992; Noget om laerkesang og om laerken selv [Something about the Lark Song and the Lark Itself], T, cl, vn, vc, pf, 1998

Nørgård, Per: Works

orchestral

Solo inst, orch: Rapsodi in D, pf, orch, 1952; Recall, accdn, orch, 1968, rev. 1977; For a Change, perc, orch, 1982; Between, vc, orch, 1984–5; Remembering Child, va, chbr orch, 1985–9, rev. 1987; Helle Nacht, vn, orch, 1986–7; King, Queen and Ace, hp, 13 insts, 1988–9; Conc. in due tempi, pf, orch, 1994–5; Bach to the Future, 2 perc, orch, 1996–7

Str: Adagio di Preludio, 1950–51, movts 1 and 3 withdrawn; Metamorfosi, 1953; Konstellationer [Constellations], 1958; Forspil ved havet [Prelude at the Sea], str, pf, 1983–4; Pastorale, 1988 [from film score Babettes Gaestebud]; Fugitive Summer, 1992 [orig. entitled Gossamer]; Tributes (3 works for str orch): Out of this World: Parting (Hommage à Witold Lutoslawki), 1994; 4 Observations: From an Infinite Rapport (Hommage à Béla Bartók), 16 str/str orch, 1995; Voyage into the Broken Screen (Hommage à Sibelius), 1995

Other orch: Sym. no.1 ‘Sinfonia Austera’, 1954; Lyse danse [Bright Dances], chbr orch, 1959; Fragment VI, 6 orch groups, 1959–61, rev. 1962, withdrawn; Komposition, 1966; Iris, 1966–7, rev. 1968; Luna, 1967; Voyage into the Golden Screen, chbr orch, 1968–9; Sym. no.2, 1970, rev. 1971; Drømmespil [Dream Play], chbr orch, 1975, rev. 1980; Twilight, 1976–7, rev. 1979; Towards Freedom?, 1977; Sym. no.4 ‘Indischer Roosen-Garten und Chineesischeer Hexen-See’, 1981; Burn, 1981 [orig. entitled Illumination]; Sym. no.5, 1986–90, rev. 1991; Spaces in Time, pf, orch, 1991; Amled Suite, 1993 [from film score Amled – Prinsen af Jylland]; Aspects of Leaving, chbr orch. 1997; Sym. no.6 (At the End of the Day), 1997–9; Terrains Vagues (1999–2000)

Brass/wind band: Doing, brass band, 1968 [variations on Beatles' song ‘You Can't Do That’]; Modlys [Backlight], wind, pf, perc, 1970

Nørgård, Per: Works

chamber and solo instrumental

5 or more insts: Qnt ‘Hommage à Marc Chagall’, fl, vn, va, vc, pf, 1952–3; Nattergalen [The Nightingale], fl, gui + elec gui, pf + cel, perc, mar, vn, va, vc, 1969 [from incid music]; Whirl's World, wind qnt, 1970; Lila, fl, 2 cl, cel, 2 hp, pf, xyl, vib, 3 vn, va, vc, 1972; Nu daekker sne den hele jord [Now Snow Covers the Whole Earth], 8 tuba, 1976; Prelude and Ant Fugue (with a Crab Canon), fl, cl, perc, gui, mand, vn, db, 1982; Braending [Burning], 2 fl, 2 cl, 2 hn, 2 tpt, accdn, pf, vib, 2 vn, 2 vc, 1983; Prelude to Breaking, fl, cl, pf, perc, 2 vn, va, vc, opt. Mez (text: G. Ekelöf), 1986; Og livets sommer sover dybt [And Deeply Sleeps the Summer of Life], 8 vc, 1988; Syn, 2 tpt, hn, 2 trbn, 1988, rev. 3 tpt, hn, 2 trbn, 1989; Night-Symphonies, Day Breaks, 1991–2; Novemberpraeludium [November prelude] (S.S. Blicher), spkr, cl, vn, vc, hpd, 1993; Scintillation, 1993, fl + pic, cl + b cl, hn, pf, vn, va, vc, 1993; Vintermusik, fl, cl, vc, perc, gui, org, 1998; A Nervous Fanfare, a sax, 2 tpt, 2 trbn, perc, 1999

Qts: Quartetto breve (Str Qt no.1), 1952, rev. 1987; Quartetto brioso (Str Qt no.2), 1953, rev. 1958; 3 miniaturer (Str Qt no.3), 1959; Dreamscape (Str Qt no.4), with tape, 1969; Inscape (Str Qt no.5), 1969; Paradigma, cl, trbn, vc, pf, 1972; Midsommerkilde [Midsummer Source], 4 fl, 1979; Babettes Gaestebud: suite, vn, va, vc, pf, 1986 [from film score]; Tintinnabulary (Str Qt no.6), 1986; Roads to Ixtlan, sax qt, 1992–3; Str Qt no.7, 1992–3; Viltir svanir [Wild Swans], sax qt, 1994; Dansere omkring Jupiter [Dancers around Jupiter], sax qt, 1994–5; Str Qt no.8 (Night Descending), 1996–7

Trio: Trio [no.1], cl, vc, pf, 1952–5; Arcana, elec gui, perc, accdn, 1970; Spell (Trio no.2), cl, vc, pf, 1973; Heyday's Night, rec, vc, hpd, 1980–81, rev. 1982; Lin, cl, vc, pf, 1986; Hommage à Jacques Tati, Playtime and Songtime, 2 pieces, 3 gui, 1986–92; Pastorale, vn, va, vc, 1987 [from film score Babettes Gaestebud]; Lerchesang, fl, vn, vc, 1988; Strenge, vn, va, vc, 1992, rev. 1993; Det er bare noget han bilder sig ind [It's just Something He Imagines] (Gennem Spejlet II [Through the Mirror II]), tpt, trbn, pf, 1992–5; Hedda Gabler: suite, va, hp, pf, 1993 [from incid music]; Den rosenfingrede dagning [The Rosen-Fingered Dawn], a fl, vn/va, gui, 1998

Duo: Sonata, vn, pf, 1951–2; Suite, fl, pf, 1953, rev. 1962, movt 1 rev. 1975 as Pastorale: Diptychon, vn, pf, 1954; Trompetmusik I–II, 2 tpt, 1960; Fragment V, vn, pf, 1961; Cantica, vc, pf, 1977; Mating Dance, fl + a fl, gui, 1977; Proteus, fl, perc, 1980, rev. 1986–97; Sonora, fl + a fl, hp, 1981; Hut ab, 2 cl, 1988; Variationer søger et tema [Variations in Search of a Theme], vc, gui, 1991; Gennem spejlet I [Through the Mirror I], tpt, pf, 1992; Cao shu, cl, pf, 1992–3; Tjampuán, vn, vc, 1992; Arresø-billeder [Pictures of Arresø], ob, pf, 1995–6; Wasser und Rosen von Isaphan oder Schiros, 2 gui, 1997; Klage eller danse [Lamentation or dance], vn, gui, 1998

Perc (1 player unless otherwise stated): Rondo for 6, perc ens, 1964; Waves, 1969; Isternia, cimb/mar, 1979; Ghending, 8 perc, 1980; Medstrøms og modstrøms [With the Current and Against the Current], 4 perc, opt. pf, 1981; Små slag [Small Beats], 6 perc, 1981; Square Round and Zigzag, perc ens, 1981–6; I Ching, 1982; Black and White and in Colours, perc ens, 1983, rev. as Square and Round, 2 dances, perc sextet, 1985–6; Energy Fields Forever, 1985, rev. 1986; En lys time [A Light Hour], perc ens, 1986; Poème, 1986–7; Nemo dynamo, perc, cptr, 1989; Bulan, vib, mar, 1990; Echo-Zone Trilogy, 2 perc, 1991–3; Det veltemperede slagtøj [The Well-Tempered Percussionists], 2 perc, 1994–5

Pf: Concertino no.2, 1950; Preludio espansivo e rondo, 1953; Sonata i een sats [Sonata in 1 Movt], 1953, rev, 1956; Trifoglio (3 intermezzi), 1954, rev. 1956; Sonata no.2, 1957; Skitser [Sketches], 1959; 9 studier, 1959; 4 fragmenter, 1959–61; Grooving, 1967–8; Rejser, 1969; Turn, pf/hpd, 1973; 2 mediterrane meditationer, 1980; Maya, 1983; Achilles og skildpadden [Achilles and the Tortoise], 1983; Without Jealousy (A Tortoise's Tango), 1984; 2 klaverstykker fra Babettes Gaestebud [2 piano pieces from ‘Babette's Feast’], 1987 [from film score]; Remembering, 1989; Light of a Night, 1989 [after Beatles' song ‘Blackbird’]; 3 Magdalena-strofer [3 Magdalen verses], 1994; Stjerne-barcarole [Star barcarole], 1995; Unendlicher Empfang, 2 pf, 1997; Esperanza, 1997–8; Make your choice Mr Schneider, 1998

Other kbd: Introduktion og toccata, accdn, 1952, rev. 1964; 5 orgelkoraler, 1954; Preludio festivo, org, 1956; Partita concertante, org, 1958; Le bal somnambule, accdn, 1966; Anatomisk safari [Anatomical Safari], accdn, 1967; Canon, org, 1971; Three Beings, clavichord/hpd/pf, 1979; Frostsalmemusik, org, 1980; Märchenfarben, accdn, perc ad lib., 1980; Vintersalme, org, 1980; 3 søskende, synth, 1985; Nine Friends, accdn, 1985; Trepartita, org, 1988; Gemini Rising, hpd, 1990; Sommerpraeludium, org, 1991; Jeg ved et evigt himmerig [An Eternal Paradise I Know], org, 1992; Notturno (Tongues by Night), org, 1992; Mattinata (Tongues of Light), org, 1992; winds I–III, accdns, 1992; Den signede [The Blessed], org, 1995; Eremitkrebs Tango [Esmeralda], accdn, 1997

Other solo inst: Sonata, vc, 1951, rev. 1953; Solo intimo, vc, 1953–4; Libra, rec, 1973; Genkomster [Returns], gui, 1976; Til minde om … [In memory of …], gui, 1978; Luftkasteller [Castles in the Air], fl, 1980; Solo in scena, vc, 1980; Papalagi, gui, 1981; 3 vignetter, rec, 1981; Lille Dans [Little Dance], hp, 1982; Skala Fanfare Variation, tpt, 1982; In the Mood of Spades, gui, 1985; Majmånemusik [May Moon Music], vn, opt. pf, opt. vc, 1988; Swan Descending, hp, 1989; Clubs among Jokers, gui, 1989; Sensommer-elegi [Late Summer Elegy], vc, 1991; Libro per Nobuko, va, 1992; Hjerterdame-tur, gui, opt. vc, 1995; Luftkasteller: 2 Stykker, carillon, 1995; Serenita, gui, 1996; Morgenstund [Early Morning], gui, 1997–8; What – is the word …, vc, 1998; Fuglefødselsdag [Bird's Birthday], rec, 1998; I Heseringen – og udenfer [Within the Fairy Ring – and out of it], cl, 1999

Nørgård, Per: Works

tape

Titanic (T. Bjørnvig), spkr, tape, 1962; Den fortryllede skov [The Enchanted Wood], 1968, rev. as Det store baelt [The Great Belt]; Kalendermusik, 1970, alternative version Årsfrise; Ildnatten [The Night of Fire], 1983; Expanding Space, 1985; Fra de evigt fjernere stjemen [From the Ever More Distant Stars], 1985; Twittermachine, 1985

Nørgård, Per

WRITINGS

ed. I. Hansen: Per Nørgård artikler 1962–1982 (Copenhagen, 1982)

‘Hastighed og acceleration’ [Speed and acceleration], DMt, lx (1985–6), 179–86

‘Flerdimensionaler agogik’ [Multidimensional agogics], DMt, lxi (1986–7), 19–25

Nørgård, Per

BIBLIOGRAPHY

M. Andersen: ‘Per Nørgårds Konstellationer’, DMt, xxxiv (1959), 138–144

K. Hansen and B.Holten: ‘Rejsen ind i den gyldne skaerm’, DMt, xlvi (1971), 232–6

P. Nielsen: ‘Åbent brev til Per Nørgård’, DMt, xlviii (1973–4), 8–10 [followed by response from Nørgård, 12–44]

J. Christensen: ‘Per Nørgård's Works for Early Music Ensemble’, JVdGSA, xxii (1985), 35–41

J.I. Jensen: Per Nørgård's music: et verdensbillede i forandring [Per Nørgård's music: a changing universe] (Copenhagen, 1986)

J. Brincker: ‘Per Nørgård’, Music & forskning, xiv (1988–9), 145–54

K.A. Rasmussen: Toneangivende danskere: 11 komponistportraetter [Noteworthy Danes: portraits of eleven composers] (Copenhagen, 1991; Eng. trans. 1991)

E. Kullberg: ‘Per Nørgård og den delte opmaerksomhed’ [Per Nørgård and selective attention], Festskrift Søren Sørensen, ed. F.E. Hansen and others (Copenhagen, 1990), 135–56

J.I. Jensen: ‘At the Boundary between Music and Science: from Per Nørgård to Carl Nielsen’, FAM, xlii (1995), 55–61

A. Beyer, ed.: The Music of Per Nørgård: Fourteen Interpretative Essays (Aldershot, 1996)

S. Nielsen: Virkeligheden – fortaeller mig altid flere historier: om Per Nørgårds verdenssyn og musik [Real life – prefaces with ever more stories: Per Nørgård's development and his music] (Odense, 1996)

K.A. Rasmussen: ‘Sammenhaenge – og mellemrum: tankegange hos Per Nørgård’ [Connections and distances: aspects of the thought of Per Nørgård], DMt, lxxi (1996–7), 218–26

M. Anderson: ‘The Many Patterns of Per Nørgård’, Tempo, no.202 (1997), 3–7