Carl August Nielsen (June 9, 1865, Sortelung – October 3, 1931, Copenhagen) was a conductor, violinist, and the most internationally known composer from Denmark. He is especially admired for his six symphonies. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (359x652, 124 KB) Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), Danish composer.

Nielsen was born in Sortelung, not far from the city of Odense. His father was a housepainter and amateur musician. Carl first discovered music by experimenting with the different sounds and pitches he heard when striking the logs in a pile of firewood behind his home. His family was relatively poor, but he was still able to learn the violin and piano as a child. Odense Palace Odense Railroad Centre Odense is the third largest city in Denmark with 145,554 inhabitants (Odense city January 1, 2004) and the capital of the island of Funen. A violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. A baby grand piano, with the lid up.

Carl Nielsen‘s childhood homeHe also learned how to play brass instruments, which led to a job as a bugler in a military band in Odense. He later studied violin and music theory at the Copenhagen Conservatory, but never took formal lessons in composition. Nonetheless, he began to compose. At first, he did not gain enough recognition for his works to support him. During the concert which saw the premiere of his first symphony on March 14, 1894 (conducted by Johan Svendsen), Nielsen played in the second violin section. However, the same symphony was a great success when played in Berlin in 1896, and from then his fame grew. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1486 KB) Summary Composer of classical music Carl Nielsens Childhood Home, now a museum, in the town Nr. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1486 KB) Summary Composer of classical music Carl Nielsens Childhood Home, now a museum, in the town Nr. Image of a trumpet. Military bugle in Bb The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments; it is essentially a small natural horn with no valves. Military Band marching A military band is a group of soldiers assigned to musical duties. Odense Palace Odense Railroad Centre Odense is the third largest city in Denmark with 145,554 inhabitants (Odense city January 1, 2004) and the capital of the island of Funen. Music theory is a field of study that involves an investigation of the many diverse elements of a music, including the development and methodology for analyzing, hearing, understanding, and composing music. Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan, or , with a as in spa; Danish IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,115,035 (2006), at present made up of 16 municipalities. A symphony is an extended composition usually for orchestra and usually comprising several movements. Johan Svendsen (September 30, 1840–June 14, 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. A violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany.

He continued to play the violin at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen until 1905, by which time he had found a publisher for his compositions. In 1916 he took a post teaching at the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen, and continued to work there until his death. Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan, or , with a as in spa; Danish IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,115,035 (2006), at present made up of 16 municipalities.

On April 10, 1891 Nielsen married the Danish sculptress Anne Marie Brodersen. They had met just a month before in Paris. The couple spent their honeymoon in Italy. They remained married until Nielsen‘s death, despite a long period of marital strife including a lengthy separation and mutual accusations of infidelity.

He suffered a serious heart attack in 1925 and from that time on he was forced to curtail much of his activity, although he continued to compose until his death. Also during this period he wrote a delightful memoir of his childhood called My Childhood on Funen. He also wrote a short book entitled Living Music.