August Söderman


Johan August Söderman was a Swedish composer. He was born and died in Stockholm, and has traditionally been seen as the pre-eminent Swedish composer of the Romantic generation, known especially for his lieder and choral works, based on folk material, and for his theatre music, such as the incidental music to Ludvig Josephson's Marsk Stigs döttrar, 1866, or his Svenskt festspel.

Biography

The son of a musical father and he was a pupil of the Royal Swedish Academy in Stockholm, he studied piano, but mastered the oboe and violin as well. In 1856–57 he studied counterpoint at the Leipzig Conservatory with Ernst Richter; there, in a musical culture that bore the imprint of Mendelssohn, he became familiar with the music of Robert Schumann and also with that of Richard Wagner. On his return to Stockholm he worked as a theatre conductor, and at the Royal Swedish Opera as choirmaster and eventually assistant conductor.
He wrote several operettas and incidental music for about 80 plays, such as a Swedish translation of Schiller's Die Jungfrau von Orleans. His influence can be detected in the music of later Swedish Romantic composers, Hugo Alfvén and Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.
Söderman died aged 43. His music is virtually unknown outside Sweden.

List of works

Orchestral music

Works for choir and orchestra (selected)

Söderman composed a large amount of vocal works for different choruses or solo voice. Selected works are listed below. For a full list, see the Swedish-language article.An die Freude, for male choir and orchestra, 1859Tempelsalen , 1863Die Wallfahrt nach Kevlaar for baritone, choir and orchestra, 1859–66Signefills färd for soloists, choir, and orchestra, 1869Das Heidelberger Fess for bass, male choir and piano, 1869Hjertesorg for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra, 1870, orchestrated by Ludvig Norman

Chamber music

Music for piano

  • Fantasier à la Almqvist, 1868
  • Cherkassy dance, 1871