Rikard Nordraak View Sheet Music for this Artist
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Rikard Nordraak
Rikard Nordraak (June 12, 1842–March 20, 1866) was a Norwegian composer, born in Christiania (Oslo). He is best known for having composed the Norwegian national anthem.
Nordraak's musical gifts became evident at an early age, but as for many other artists at that time, a different career was already planned. He was going to pursue a career within business, and when he was fifteen he was sent to business school in Copenhagen. Nonetheless his musical interests prevailed and instead of studying business he ended up studying music, and in 1859 he went to Berlin for advanced studies. After six months he had to return home and he continued studies in Oslo, and his first compositions came during the winter of 1859-60. In 1861 he went back to Berlin to continue he studies, and he stayed there for two more years.
The compositions that he himself marked opus 1, were published in 1863, and contained six songs with texts by the poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, amongst others. At this time Nordraak also composed Ja, vi elsker, which in 1864 became the Norwegian national anthem.
He later wrote music for Bjørnson's play Maria Stuart of Scotland, and he published his opus 2, Five Norwegian Poems, consisting of songs to poems by Bjørnson and Jonas Lie. This was the last of his compositions that would be published during his lifetime. In May 1865 he returned to Berlin to continue his education, but he was stricken with tuberculosis in October and died the following March, only 23 years old. Part of his life-story was dramatised in the musical Song of Norway.
Rikard Nordraak Sheet Music
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