Klaus Egge

Klaus Egge (July 19, 1906 in Gransherad in Telemark – March 7, 1979 in Oslo) was a Norwegian composer and music critic. His music, often called a stream of will, is characterized by polyphony and a strong rhythmical energy.

Music

Egge's musical development can be separated into three periods: the first period, where folk music is a central source of inspiration - his first piano sonata, a staple of the Norwegian repertoire, dates from this period; the second period, where he develops a more universal tonal language. This period is peaked by his development of a kind of metamophic technique, where a musical motif undergoes repeated transformations; and the third period, which sees Egge explore the twelve-tone technique.

His major works include five symphonies, three piano concertos, one violin concerto, one cello concerto and numerous chamber works.

Klaus Egge is buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund in Oslo.

References

• Young Composers (released under the GNU Free Documentation License)
• Kennedy, Michael (2006), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 985 pages, ISBN 0-19-861459-4

Awards
Preceded by Alf Rolfsen	Recipient of the Norsk kulturråds ærespris 1972	Succeeded by Hans Heiberg