Hilding Rosenberg

Hilding Rosenberg was born on 21 June 1892 in Bosjökloster (Sweden). In 1909 he passed his organ examination and first worked as an organist in Kalmar, concert pianist and music teacher. In 1915 he enrolled at the Stockholm conservatory and studied under Ernst Ellberg (composition, counterpoint), Richard Andersson (piano) as well as privately under Wilhelm Stenhammar. Further studies took him to Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Paris where he completed his qualifications in conducting under Kurt Striegler and Hermann Scherchen.

After his studies he worked as a conductor and more and more as a composer. From 1932 to 1934 Hilding Rosenberg was conductor at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, later he was guest conductor to many renowned orchestras in Europe and the US.

His output as a composer is extensive: Over the period of 60 years Hilding Rosenberg composed 8 symphonies, a huge body of orchestral works, concertos for violin, piano, cello and trumpet, among his chamber works are 12 string quartets, 4 piano sonatas and 2 violin sonatas. He also composed songs and vocal music, 8 operas, a large amount of stage music and film music.

Hilding Rosenberg also taught composition, but never at a conservatory. Among his most notable private students are Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Ingvar Lidholm and Sven-Erik Bäck.

Hilding Rosenberg was awarded several times for his compositions and his achievements as a composer, most notably in 1962 the Medal for the Promotion of Musical Arts awarded from the Swedish Royal Academy of Music and he was appointed honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music in 1956.

Hilding Rosenberg died on 19 May 1985 in Bromma (Sweden).

Berättelsesång

In my possession is the autograph manuscript of the song "Berättelsesång" (tale song) by Hilding Rosenberg. According to the manuscript the song was composed on 22 December 1910, so at the age of 18 and during his time as an organist in Kalmar. The manuscript shows both staves for voice and piano, but curiously no given text. At the end of the manuscript Hilding Rosenberg wrote the following text (roughly translated):

"On request composed for Ameli Svensson, not to be copied or written off. Tale song, the singer may according to her own taste make the song expressive and when the melody doesn't quite fit, double a few notes on your own. Thus, ad lib on certain places.

This song is only an occasional composition, and I wish that it already on the second day of Christmas may be returned to me."