Egge, Klaus

Egge, Klaus, prominent Norwegian composer; b. Gransherad, Telemark, July 19, 1906; d. Oslo, March 7, 1979. He was a student of Larsen (piano), Sandvold (organ), and Valen (composition) in Oslo, and later of Gmeindl (composition) at the Berlin Hochschule fur Music (1937–38). From 1945 to 1972 he was president of the Soc. of Norwegian Composers. In 1949 he was awarded a government life pension. His works were conditioned by Scandinavian modalities, within a framework of euphonious and resonantly modernistic harmonies. He liked to sign his scores with the notes E-g-g-e, a motto which also occasionally served as a basic theme.

Works

BALLET Fanitullen (Devil’s Dance; 1950). ORCH.: 3 piano concertos: No. 1 (Oslo, Nov. 14, 1938), No. 2 (Oslo, Dec. 9, 1946), and No. 3 (Bergen, April 25, 1974); 5 syms.: No. 1, Lagnadstonar (Sounds of Destiny; Oslo, Oct. 4, 1945), No. 2, Sinfonia giocosa (Oslo, Dec. 9, 1949), No. 3, Louisville Symphony (Louisville, Ky, March 4, 1959), No. 4, Sinfonia seriate sopra B.A.C.H.-E.G.G.E. (Detroit, March 28, 1968), and No. 5, Sinfonia dolce quasi passacaglia (Oslo, Sept. 27, 1969); Tarn over Oslo, overture (1950); Violin Concerto (Oslo, Nov. 5, 1953); Cello Concerto (Oslo, Sept. 9, 1966). CHAMBER : Violin Sonata (1932); String Quartet (1933; rev. 1963); 2 piano sonatas: No. 1, Draumkvede (Dream Vision; 1933) and No. 2, Patetica (1955); 3 Fantasies for Piano (1939); 2 wind quintets (1939, 1976); Piano Trio (1941); Duo concertante for Violin and Viola (1950); Harp Sonatina (1974). VOCAL: Sveinung Vreim for Soli, Chorus, and Orch. (Oslo, Dec. 1, 1941); Elskhugskvaede (Love Song) for Voice and Strings (1942); Draumar i stjernesno (Starsnow Dreams), 3 songs for Soprano and Orch. (1943); Fjell-Norig (Mountainous Norway) for Voice and Orch. (Oslo, Oct. 1, 1945); Noreg-songer (The Norway Song) for Chorus and Orch. (Oslo, May 2, 1952); choruses; other songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire