Halvorsen, Johan (EN)

Halvorsen Johan, *15 March 1864 Drammen, †4 December 1935 Oslo, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor. He began studying the violin at the age of nine. From 1881 to 1883 he studied with G. Bøhn in Christiania (now Oslo), and in 1883–84 with J. Lindberg at the Stockholm Conservatory (Musikkonservatoriet), while also studying music theory with C. Nordquist. He continued his studies in Leipzig in 1886–87 with A. Brodsky (violin), then in Berlin with A. Becker (theory), and later with L. Auer in St. Petersburg and C. Thomson in Liège (violin). He debuted as a violinist in 1882 at a concert in Drammen. He worked as a concertmaster in various orchestras, and in the 1888/89 season he was soloist and violin teacher at the Philharmonic Society in Aberdeen, Scotland, later teaching at the conservatory in Helsinki. He then worked in Bergen, where from 1892 to 1898 he conducted at the theatre and led the symphony concerts of the Harmonien society (now the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra). From 1899 to 1929 he was conductor of the National Theatre in Christiania, and in 1920/21 conductor of the Filharmonisk Forening. Halvorsen undertook numerous concert tours, some together with E. Grieg. He performed as both violinist and conductor in Scandinavia and Germany, as well as in Paris and London. He founded three string quartets, in Helsinki, Bergen, and Christiania, with which he toured. At Grieg’s request, Halvorsen transcribed Norwegian folk dances for violin solo (this transcription formed the basis of Grieg’s Slåtter, Op. 72). Halvorsen also wrote an autobiography titled Hvad jeg husker av mit liv (“What I remember from my life”), preserved as a manuscript in the University Library in Oslo. In 1924 he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm. 

Halvorsen was one of the leading figures in Norwegian musical life at the turn of the 20th century. He significantly contributed to the development of concert life in Norway. While working at the theatre in Christiania, he introduced at least 27 operas into the repertoire and conducted 222 symphony concerts with the theatre orchestra. As a composer, he continued the national-romantic tradition (represented by Grieg and J. Svendsen), drawing inspiration from Norwegian folk music. His works are characterized by vivid rhythm and highly skilled, colourful orchestration.

Literature: J. Eriksen Johan Halvorsen. En biografi, “Norsk Musiktidskrift” 1970 no. 2