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432 IV. EDUCATION AND MENTAL CULTURE IN SWEDEN.
life in Uppsala, besides which he belongs to the few in our country who have
tried their hands at oratorios.
An interest for the national ideas was chiefly roused by the »Gothic school» (see
page 404) and particularly by means of the Swedish national airs (Folkvisor) published
by E. G. Geijer (1783/1847) and A. A. Afzelius (1785/1871). The ditties sung
at the end of the 18th century were either of a German character, as with 0.
Ahlström (1756/1835), or else of a French one, as in most of the Bellman air»
(p. 401). A more Swedish stamp they assume, partly already with J. E.
Nordblom (1788/1848), still more with Geijer, the great historian and poet, and further
with Adolf Lindblad (1801/78), called »the Swedish Schubert». This tendency
culminates in A. Söderman (1832/76), a type of Swedish temperament, much
corresponding to what Grieg is concerning Norwegian disposition. Particularly in
the department of the ballad, Söderman has, by the aid of the orchestra, achieved
master-pieces such as Tannhäuser, The Ruin of the Mill, The Kevlaar
Pilgrimage, The Black Knight, and
Heart-grief. He also composed excellent
musical contributions for dramas: The
Ulfåsa Wedding, The Maid of Orleans, etc.
and, in The First Achievements of the
Devil, gave us our best operetta; but
in spite of several plannings, he never
could make up his mind to compose a
great opera (just as little as Grieg ever
did). — Famous and of great popularity
is SOderman’s composition for male chorus:
The Peasant Wedding.
Among the remaining romanza
composers must be mentioned as the chief
ones: J. A. Josephson (1818/80) and,
of låte, E. Sjögren (born 1853).
Ro-manzas were also written by all the
composers mentioned below a. o., and
this our most national branch is
flourishing still, even if it does not present the
same skill in melody ns it used to.
Within the operatic department vernacular production has been rather rich in
minor operettas but poor in great operas of thorough merit. The musical drama,
The Partisans of la Fronde by A. Lindblad, and the opera Estrella de Soria by
F. Berwald (1796/1868), formed the programme at the inauguration of the new
Operahouse, which was opened September 19, 1898. The style of these as well as
of other earlier works attaches itself to Mozart, Weber, or Spohr, in the musical
dramas also to that of the French Opéra comique. I. Hallström (1826/1901) made
the influence of Meyerbeer and at the same time a somewhat livelier productiveness
prevail, besides which he tried to introduce a national tone. »The Mountain-taken»
(Den Bergtagna) is our first great national opera in the sense that both the subject,
the libretto, and the national character arc Swedish. A tendency towards nationality
is also to be traced among his followers, at the same time as Meyerbeer is partly
succeeded by Richard Wagner as a model. This is, for instance, evident in Harald
tho Viking and The treasure of King Valdemar (Valdemarsskatten) by A. Hallén
(born 1846), in Tirfing and »Gillet (banquet) på Solhaug» by W. Stenhammar
(born 1871), and in »Sveagaldrar» and »Ran» by V. Peterson-Berger (born 1867).
Instrumental music is in our country not particularly rich in composers;
however, the number of them has been gradually increasing from Roman and
J. Agrell (1701/67) up to our days. The names represented at the Swedish
August Söderman.
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