1931 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and compositions of the year 1931 in Scandinavian music.

Events

• 13 January – Jussi Björling makes an early starring appearance as Jonatan in Carl Nielsen's opera Saul og David . ^[1]
• 24 April – Carl Nielsen's last major work, Commotio , is privately premièred at Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen. ^[2]
• unknown date – Robert Kajanus takes a Finnish orchestra to London, where Jean Sibelius's First and Second Symphonies are recorded by EMI, to be issued by the "Sibelius Society". ^[3]

New works

• Hugo Alfvén – Swedish Rhapsody No. 3 (Dalarapsodien), for orchestra, op. 47
• Kurt Atterberg – Suite No. 8, for orchestra (Suite pastorale in modo antico), op. 34 ^[4]
• Vagn Holmboe ^[5]
  • Allegro affettuoso, for piano ^[5]
  • Allegro sostenuto, for violin and piano ^[5]
  • Chamber Music No. 1, for chamber orchestra ^[5]
  • Choral Pieces, for children's chorus ^[5]
  • Concerto for chamber orchestra ^[5]
  • Concerto, for solo piano ^[5]
  • Duets, for two recorders ^[5]
  • Provinsen [The Provinces], for soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, choir, flute, oboe, violin, and cello ^[5]
  • Requiem, for children's voices, children's chorus, and chamber orchestra ^[5]
• Edvin Kallstenius – Dalarapsodi (1st Swedish rhapsody) ^[6]
• Sigvaldi Kaldalóns – "Á föstudaginn langa" (hymn) ^[7]
• Yrjö Kilpinen – Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 81, unpublished ^[8]
• Uuno Klami
  • Hommage à Haendel, for orchestra ^[9]
  • Scenes from a Puppet Theatre, for orchestra ^[10]
  • Rag-Time and Blues, for two violins, clarinet, trumpet, and piano ^[11]
  • Cheremis Fantasia, for cello and orchestra ^[11]
• Lars-Erik Larsson – Duo, for violin and viola, op. 6 ^[12]
• Jón Leifs
  • Íslendingaljóð [Poems of Icelanders], for male choir, op. 15a ^[13]
  • Íslenskir söngdansar [Icelandic Dance-Songs], for voices with ad lib instrumental accompaniment, op. 17a ^[13]
  • Ný rímnadanslög [New Icelandic Dances], for piano, op. 14b ^[14]
  • Preludes (Three), for organ, op. 16 ^[15]
  • Sjávarvísur [Ocean Verses], for male choir, op. 15b ^[16]
• Carl Nielsen
  • Allegretto, in C major, for two recorders ^[17]
  • Commotio, for organ, op. 50 ^[2]
  • "Kvadet om Nordens harpe", for TTBB choir ^[18]
• Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
  • Danslek ur Ran [Dance Game from Ran], for choir a capella or choir and piano
  • Jämtlandssången [Song of Jämtland], for unison choir and piano ^[19]
• Harald Sæverud – Variazioni piccole (50), for orchestra, op. 8 ^[20]
• Yngve Sköld – Alla Leggenda ^[21]

Popular music

• Carl Nielsen – "Det som lysner over vangen", for voice and piano ^[22]
• Jules Sylvain – "Beate-Christine" ^[23]

Film music

• Kai Normann Andersen – Hotel Paradis ^[24]
• Eric Bengtson – Röda dagen ^[25]
• Einar Fagstad – Skepparkärlek ^[26]
• Helge Lindberg – Kärlek och landstorm ^[27]
• Ragnar Nordin – Flickan från Värmland ^[28]
• Jules Sylvain – Dantes mysterier ^[29]

Births

• 26 January – Kaare Ørnung, Norwegian pianist, music teacher (died 2013) ^[30]
• 20 February – Margareta Hallin, Swedish actress, opera singer and composer (died 2001) ^[31]
• 4 March – Sonya Hedenbratt, Swedish jazz singer (died 2001) ^[32]
• 9 March – Thore Skogman, Swedish popular singer (died 2007) ^[33]
• 20 June – Arne Nordheim, Norwegian composer (died 2010) ^[34]
• 31 August – Brita Koivunen, Finnish schlager singer (died 2014) ^[35]
• 16 September – Jan Johansson, Swedish jazz pianist (died 1968) ^[36]
• 16 September – Ferry Graf, Austrian singer who held Finnish citizenship (died 2017)^{[ citation needed ]}

Deaths

• 20 January – Margrethe Munthe, Norwegian teacher, children's writer, songwriter, and playwright (born 1860) ^[37]
• 3 May – Otto Winter-Hjelm, Norwegian musician, conductor, writer, composer, and music critic (born 1837) ^[38]
• 18 August – Johan Fridolf Hagfors, Finnish music critic and composer (born 1857) ^[39]
• 3 October – Carl Nielsen, composer (born 1865) ^[40]

See also

• 1931 in Denmark
• 1931 in Iceland
• 1931 in Norwegian music
• 1931 in Sweden

References

1. Harald Henrysson (1993). A Jussi Björling phonography. Timber Press. p. 18. ISBN   9789185172108.
2. "Last Years". Carl Nielsen Society. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
3. Pekka Gronow (January 2001). "A hundred years of Finnish recordings". Finnish Music Quarterly. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
4. John H. Yoell (1974). The Nordic Sound: Explorations Into the Music of Denmark, Norway, Sweden. Crescendo Publishing Company. p. 66. ISBN   9780875970905.
5. Rapoport, Paul (1974). Vagn Holmboe: a catalogue of his music, discography, bibliography, essays'. Triad Press.
6. "Dalarapsodi ('Dalecarlia')". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
7. "Á föstudaginn langa (Kaldalóns, Sigvaldi)". IMSLP. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
8. Lisa-Marie Howell. "Yrjö Kilpinen's Kanteletar-lauluja, Opus 100: A Performance Guide". University of Nebraska. p. 33. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
9. "Hommage à Haendel". Music Finland Core. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
10. Music and Nationalism in 20th-century Great Britain and Finland. Von Bockel. 1997. p. 203. ISBN   9783928770996.
11. Helena Tyrväinen (January 2000). "The success story of the man who forged the Sampo". Finnish Music Quarterly. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
12. "Duo, Op. 6". earsense. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
13. Ingólfsson, Árni Heimir (2019). Jón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland. Indiana University Press. p. 348. ISBN   9780253044075.
14. "NÝ RÍMNADANSLÖG Op. 14b, nr. 1&2". Icelandic Music Information Centre. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
15. "PRELUDIAE ORGANO Op. 16". Icelandic Music Information Centre. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
16. "SJÁVARVÍSUR OP. 15B". Icelandic Music Information Centre. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
17. Free scores by Allegretto in C Major at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
18. Free scores by Kvadet om Nordens harpe at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
19. Svensk tidskrift för musikforskning: Swedish journal of musicology. Svenska samfundet för musikforskning. 2000. p. 69.
20. "Harald Saeverud". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
21. "Alla Leggenda". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
22. Jean-Luc Caron (1990). Carl Nielsen: vie et œuvre, 1865-1931 (in French). L'Age d'homme. p. 284. ISBN   9782825100073.
23. "Beate-Christine". Project Runeberg. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
24. Per Brink Abrahamsen (1978). Danske dramatikeres forbund 1978: en fortegnelse over medlenmernes arbejder. Danske Dramatikeres Forbund. p. 97.
25. "Röda dagen". MUBI. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
26. "Skepparkärlek (1931)". MUBI. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
27. Larsson, Mariah; Marklund, Anders (2010). Swedish Film: An Introduction and Reader. Nordic Academic Press. p. 122.
28. "Flickan från Värmland". MUBI. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
29. "Dante's Mysteries". MUBI. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
30. "Kaare Ørnung]". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
31. Francisco Salazar (14 February 2020). "Obituary:Margareta Hallin". Operawire. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
32. "Sonya Elisabeth Hedenbratt". Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
33. "Thore Skogman". STIM Svensk Musik. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
34. Guy Rickards (28 June 2010). "Arne Nordheim Obituary". Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
35. Kari Kallioniemi (21 March 2005). "Koivunen, Brita (1931-2014)". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
36. "Jan Johansson". SBL. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
37. Risa, Gunvor (13 February 2009). "Margrethe Munthe". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
38. Dybsand, Øyvin (16 September 2013). "Otto Winter Hjelm". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
39. Writers in Finland 1809-1916 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura och Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. 1993. ISBN   951-717-714-3.
40. "Last Years". Carl Nielsen Society. Retrieved 4 June 2025.