Agathe Backer-Grøndahl

Agathe Backer-Grøndahl

Agathe Backer-Grøndahl (1 December 1847 – 4 June 1907) was a Norwegian pianist and composer.

Biography

Agathe Backer was born in Holmestrand in 1847. Her elder sister was Harriet Backer, who became famous as a painter. In 1857 she moved with her family to Oslo, where she studied with Otto Winther-Hjelm, Halfdan Kjerulf and Ludvig Mathias Lindeman. From 1865 she studied in Berlin, where she won fame with her interpretation of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto. Later she studied with Hans von Bülow in Florence, and Franz Liszt in Weimar in 1873.

She married the conductor and singing teacher Olaus Andreas Grøndahl in 1875, and was generally known thereafter as Agathe Backer-Grøndahl.

Backer-Grøndahl composed in total some 400 pieces spanning seventy opus numbers, and was a prominent character on the Norwegian musical scene; she was a close friend of Edvard Grieg. Later in life she became almost completely deaf, and was forced to give up her career as a performing artist.

Agathe Backer-Grøndahl died in Oslo at the age of 59. She is chiefly remembered for her piano pieces and songs.

Her son Fridtjof Backer-Grøndahl (1885-1959) was also a pianist and composer, who promoted his mother's compositions in his concerts.

List of works

Songs

• 3 Songs, Op. 1, 1868–9
• 5 Songs, Op. 2, 1871
• 5 Songs, Op. 3, 1870–73
• 7 Songs, Op. 4, 1869–74
• 4 Songs, Op. 5, 1871–2
• 6 Songs, Op. 6, 1867–71
• Summer Life, 4 Songs, Op. 7
• 5 Songs, Op. 8, 1871–6
• 6 Songs, Op. 9, 1871–9
• 4 Songs, Op. 10, 1871–5
• 5 Songs, Op. 12, 1879
• 5 Songs, Op. 13, 1881
• 6 deutsche Lieder, Op. 14
• 6 Songs, Op. 16
• Songs at Sea, Op. 17, 1884
• 7 Folkeviser og Romanser, Op. 18
• Serenade, Op. 21, 1888
• 5 Songs, Op. 23, 1888
• 6 Songs, Op. 26, 1890
• 6 Songs, Op. 27 1890
• Chant de Noces: Bryllupsmorgen, Op. 28, 1890
• 10 Songs, Op. 29, 1892
• 10 Songs, Op. 31, 1894
• Norske folkeviser, arrangements, Op. 34, 1894
• The Night is Calm, Old Folks Waltz, Op. 40, 1897
• 5 Songs, Op. 41, 1897
• The Child's Spring Day, song cycle, Op. 42, 1899
• 8 kjaempeviser, Op. 43, 1896–7
• 20 folke- og skjaemteviser, Op. 43, 1896–7
• 5 Songs, Op. 46, 1897–9
• 2 Sange fra havet, Op. 48
• 3 Sange i moll, Op. 49
• Sommer (Jynge), 8 songs, Op. 50, 1899
• 12 folkeviser og melodier fra fremmede lande, Op. 51, 1902
• The Mother Sings, 8 songs, Op. 52, 1900
• Sydover 6 songs, Op. 54, 1900
• Ahasverus, 6 songs, Op. 56, 1900
• 6 deutsche Liebeslieder aus der Jugend, Op. 60, 1869–1900
• Clover Field, Op. 62, 1901
• 4 Songs, Op. 65, 1901–4
• One more Glimpse, Op. 70, 1907

Piano solo

• 6 concert-etuder, Op. 11 (1881)
• 3 morceaux, Op. 15 (1882)
• 4 skizzer, Op. 19 (1886);
• Suite, 5 movts, Op. 20 (1887)
• 3 études, Op. 22 (1888)
• 6 idylles, Op. 24 (1888)
• 3 klaverstykker, Op. 25 (1890)
• Norske folkeviser og folkedanse, Op. 30 (1891)
• 3 études de concert, Op. 32 (Copenhagen, 1895)
• Norske folkeviser og folkedanse, Op. 33 (1894)
• 3 klaverstykker, Op. 35 (1894)
• Fantasistykker, Op. 36 (1895)
• Serenade, Op. 37 (1896)
• 3 ungarske studier, Op. 38 (1896)
• Fantasistykker, Op. 39 (1896)
• In the Blue Mountain, fairytale suite, 6 pieces, Op. 44 (1897)
• Fantasistykker, Op. 45 (1897)
• Etudes de concert, Op. 47 (Copenhagen, 1901)
• 3 klaverstykker, Op. 53 (1900)
• Smaa fantasistykker, Op. 55 (1902)
• Etudes de concert, Op. 57 (Copenhagen, 1903)
• Concert-études, Op. 58 (Copenhagen, 1903)
• 6 klaverstykker, Op. 59 (1903)
• Prélude, Op.61, No. 1, Grand menuet, Op.61, No. 2 (Copenhagen, 1904)
• Lettere fantasistykker, Op. 63 (Copenhagen, 1904)
• Danse burlesque, Op.64, No. 1, Valse caprice, Op.64, No. 2 (1905)
• Barnlige Billeder [Children Pictures], 6 fantasias, Op. 66 (1905)
• 2 klaverstykker, Op. 68 (1907)
• 3 klaverstykker, Op. 69 (1907)

Discography

• Kirsten Flagstad-Songs (1994)
• Kirsten Flagstad Early Recordings 1914-1941 (1995)
• The Danish Nightingale (1995)
• Polish Frijsh-The Complete Recordings (1995)
• Women Composers (1996)
• Women's Voices: 5 Centuries of Song (1997)
• Norsk Romances (2000)
• Bravourisimo/Wiener Boheme Quartett (2000)
• Agathe Backer Grøndahl (2000)
• Agathe Backer Grøndahl: Piano Music (2001)
• Norwegian Classical Favorites (2004)
• Women's Work: Solo Piano Music (2006)
• Noel (2006)

External links

• The Lied and Art Songs Texts Page created and mantained from Emily Ezust
• Grinde, Nils: "Grondahl, Agathe Backer (Ursula)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 28 March 2007), [1]
• Leonarda Records: [2]
• Free scores by Agathe Backer Grøndahl at the International Music Score Library Project
• Fantasistykker
• Article on Agathe Backer Grøndahl by Camilla Hambro in the Kapralova Society Journal, vol. 7 no. 1
• Free scores by Agathe Backer-Grøndahl in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847–1907): "A perfectly plain woman? (by Camilla Hambro. The Kapralova Society Journal. 2009) [3]