Vagn Holmboe

Vagn Gylding Holmboe (December 20 1909, Horsens, Jutland – September 1 1996) was a Danish composer and teacher who wrote in a generally-speaking neo-classic style, influenced by Stravinsky and Bartók. His works from about 1950 to 1970 especially, are characterized by the thorough use of musical metamorphosis of thematic or motivic fragments.

He composed, not counting early works preceding his first works with opus numbers, in all thirteen symphonies (also three chamber symphonies and four symphonies for strings, the latter playable together or separately,) twenty string quartets* (the quartets, symphonies all now recorded, excepting the three for chamber orchestra,) a number of concertos, one opera, the late series of preludes for chamber orchestra, much choral music and other music.

* Also not counting a twenty-first, the Quartetto sereno, one of his last works and completed by his pupil Per Nørgård.

Major works

(M. — Meta number — for Metamorphosis. Might also be said to be named after his wife, Meta May Holmboe... numbering system assembled by Prof. Rapoport. This information from The Compositions of Vagn Holmboe.)

• Symphonies
  • sym. 1, for chamber orchestra, M. 85
  • sym. 2, 1938–9, M. 107
  • sym. 3, Sinfonia rustica, M. 126
  • sym. 4, Sinfonia sacra for chorus and orchestra, M. 132
  • sym. 5, 1944, M. 145
  • sym. 6, 1947, M. 155
  • sym. 7, 1950, M. 167
  • Chamber symphony no. 1, 1951, M. 171
  • sym. 8, Sinfonia boreale, M. 175
  • Sinfonia in memoriam, 1954-5, M. 185
  • Sinfonia I for strings, M. 194
  • Sinfonia II for strings, M. 196
  • Sinfonia III for strings, M. 200
  • Sinfonia IV for strings, M. 215 (Kairos)
  • sym. 9, 1967–9, M. 235
  • Chamber symphony no. 2, 1968, M. 240
  • Chamber symphony no. 3, 1969–70, M. 246
  • sym. 10, 1970–2, M. 250 (premiered by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Sixten Ehrling )
  • sym. 11, 1980–1, M. 304
  • sym. 12, 1988, M. 338
  • sym. 13, 1993–4, M. 362

• Concertos
  • Several (about twenty,) including especially
  • Concerto for trumpet and chamber orchestra (two horns and strings,) 1948, M. 157 (eleventh of a series of 13 concertos with chamber orchestra originally called chamber concerti)
  • Cello concerto, 1974–9, M. 273
  • Recorder concerto, 1974, M. 275
  • Flute concerto no. 1, 1975–6, M. 279
  • Tuba concerto, 1976, M. 280
  • Flute concerto no. 2, 1981–2, M. 307

• String quartets
  • From no. 1, 1948–9, M. 159 to no. 20, 1985, M. 322 (this the last of four works representing the times of the day) (also the completion of quartetto sereno)

• Some other works
  • Notturno for wind quintet, 1940, M. 118
  • Brass quintets - no. 1, 1961–2, M. 212; no. 2, 1978, M.293
  • Requiem for Nietzsche for tenor, baritone, chorus, and orchestra, 1963–4, M. 219
  • Symphonic metamorphoses for orchestra —
    • Epitaph, 1956, M. 189 (premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra)
    • Monolith, 1960, M. 207
    • Epilog, 1961–2, M. 213
    • Tempo variabile (Changeable weather,) 1971-2, M.254

Symphony No. 7 was premiered by the Russian (naturalized American) conductor Nikolai Malko, who premiered also Shostakovich's first two symphonies. There are private tapes of performances conducted by him and by Fritz Mahler. There are also commercial recordings by Owain Arwel Hughes (still available) and John Frandsen (on a 1985 Deutsche Grammophon LP). It is not the most performed or recorded of his works, this honor probably going to some of his choral or brass music, or his wind Notturno from 1940.

External Link

• Brief biography with a review

Books

• Holmboe wrote several books, including Danish Street Cries: a study of their musical structure and a complete edition of tunes with words collected before 1960, translated by Anne Lockhart for Kragen, ISBN 8798063693, published 1988.
• Another is Experiencing Music. An English translation of this by Professor Paul Rapoport of McMaster University, published by Toccata Press in 1991 has ISBN 0907689167 in its paperback release.
• Paul Rapoport, an expert on the composer’s music, has written for Edition Wilhelm Hansen , Copenhagen, a worklist and discography entitled The Compositions of Vagn Holmboe, ISBN 8759808136, published 1996.