# Your Top 10 Favorite Scandinavian Composers



## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

What are your top 10 favorite Scandinavian composers?

My top 10 is:

1. Sibelius, Jean (1865 - 1957) [Finland]
2. Melartin, Erkki (1875 - 1937) [Finland]
3. Peterson-Berger, Wilhelm (1867 - 1942) [Sweden]
4. Stenhammar, Wilhelm (1871 - 1927) [Sweden]
5. Berg, Natanael (1879 - 1957) [Sweden]
6. Aulin, Tor (1866 - 1914) [Sweden]
7. Järnefelt, Armas (1861 - 1958) [Finland]
8. Berwald, Franz (1796 - 1868) [Sweden]
9. Kuula, Toivo (1883 - 1918) [Finland]
10. Olsson, Otto (1879 - 1964) [Sweden]


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

1. Sibelius
2. Atterberg
3. Grieg
4. Alfven
5. Nielsen
6. Stenhammer
7. Rangstrom
8. Melartin
9. Berwald
10. Blomdahl


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

My Top 10 from the Nordic countries

1. Aarre Merikanto [Finland]
2. Arne Nordheim [Norway]
3. Jón Leifs [Iceland]
4. Väinö Raitio [Finland]
5. Erik Bergman [Finland]
6. Fartein Valen [Norway]
7. Karl-Birger Blomdahl [Sweden]
8. Vagn Holmboe [Denmark]
9. Paavo Heininen [Finland]
10. Lars Johan Werle [Sweden]


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## Livly_Station (Jan 8, 2014)

My knowledge of scandinavian composers is very superficial - mostly only a few orchestral works from some of them. That said, this short list of compositions include some of my favorite pieces ever by any composer, so I intend to dig more.

1. Rautavaara
2. Langgaard
3. Per Nørgård
4. Atterberg
5. Hans Abrahamsen
6. Lindberg
7. Buxtehude
8. Grieg
9. Sibelius (only because of his 7th symphony)

If I'm not forgetting anyone, then that's it. I couldn't justify a 10th composer here (C. Nielsen did nothing for me yet, and I haven't learned many others).


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

1 - Sibelius
2 - Saariaho 
3 - Lindberg 
4 - Pettersson 
5 - Rautavaara 
6 - Alfvén 
7 - Melartin 
8 - Nørgård
9 - Grieg
10 - Aho

Atterberg and Stenhammar are just behind.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

No particular order:

Nielsen
Pettersson
Atterberg
Holmboe
Aho
Sibelius
Rautavaara
Langgaard
Melartin
Merikanto


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Nørgård
Abrahamsen
Holmboe
Aho
Stenhammer
Saariaho
Buxtehude (Danish)
Thorvaldsdottir (Iceland, often included as Nordic/Scandanavian)
Lindberg
Salonen

I can only come up with nine.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

1. Grieg
2. Sibelius


Berwald
Nielsen
Atterberg


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Clearly no flute players are participating in this thread, or Joachim Andersen of Denmark would have been named. A legendary principal flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic in the 19th century, he composed a great deal of music for his instrument.






Otherwise, the only favorite of mine absent from this thread thus far that I can think of is Harald Saeverud. Otherwise, Nielsen and Sibelius would be my top choices, but I'd add Lindberg, Salonen, Pettersson, Holmboe, and Rautavaara. That's nine, I'll leave one spot open because surely I'm forgetting someone.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I'm going to exclude Finland and Baltic countries as they're not officially Scandinavian.

*Nielsen
Stenhammar
Atterberg
Holmboe
Langgaard
Nystroem
Wirén
Tveitt
Pettersson
Alfvén*

Honorable mentions: Rosenberg, Riisager, Irgens-Jensen and Svendsen.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Scandinavian is a confusing term, as it is strictly just Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Many include Finland and Iceland, some Estonia. Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) would be the better term.

My top 10 Nordic composers:

1. Sibelius
2. Grieg
3. Nielsen, C
4. Sallinen
5. Leifs
6. Rautavaara
7. Saariaho
8. Aho
9. Alfven
10. Holmboe

which leaves no space for the likes of Lindberg, Madetoja, Melartin, Nystroem, Tveitt, Louis Glass, and many others.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Art Rock said:


> Scandinavian is a confusing term, as it is strictly just Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Many include Finland and Iceland, some Estonia. Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) would be the better term.
> 
> My top 10 Nordic composers:
> 
> ...


If Estonia is included I could add my 10th composer.

Nørgård
Abrahamsen
Holmboe
Aho
Stenhammer
Saariaho
Buxtehude (Danish)
Thorvaldsdottir (Iceland, often included as Nordic/Scandanavian)
Lindberg
Salonen
Tüür


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## jacobbler (Aug 14, 2021)

To be honest, I’m only familiar with three (if I’m including Finland), but I consider all three excellent. 

1. Carl Nielsen 
-just discovered his music within the last few months, and love it! Especially symphonies 1-5, Aladdin Suite, and Masquerade overture. Not as famous as Sibelius, but should be.
2. Jean Sibelius
-also an excellent symphonist (2 and 5 being my favorites) plus an outstanding violin concerto and other orchestral delights. 
3. Edward Grieg
-one of the great piano concertos, plus the Peer Gynt Suites and Lyric Pieces


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Carl Nielsen
Sibelius
Berwald
Grieg
Gade
(Buxtehude would probably be 3rd but he is culturally North German, don't think of him as Nordic) 
I have heard a few pieces each of Holmboe, Sinding, Stenhammar, Petterson, Tveitt etc. but not enough to have an opinion or develop favorites.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

I have only one favourite, Sibelius, but have listened with interest to Nielsen, Segerstam and Johansson. 

I was a fan of Grieg, but no longer. I also know of several Nordic composers whose work I've heard performed at the Proms, but can't readily identify, such as Abrahamsen and Lindberg.

If we're counting Estonian, I'm quite Partial to a bit of Part!


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

I have listened to and enjoyed:

1. Sibeius
2. Grieg
3. Neilsen
4. Gjeilo
5. Alfvén
6. Berwald
7. Saariaho
8. Abrahamsen
9. Buxtehude


I plan, but am yet to listen to:

Lindberg
Arnalds
Ruders


I've listened, but not yet found an appreciation of:

Rautavaara


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I'm wondered if I _could _come up with ten Scandinavian composers who are world class. Let's see ...

Sibelius
Nielsen
Saariaho
Grieg (but not a favourite of mine)

That's it. I'm familiar with most of the others that have been listed and even like some of their pieces ... but I'm not sure any of them belong in a list of top composers for me.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

I can't claim to know 10 Scandinavian or "Northern" (if you want to include Finland and the Baltic countries) composers enough to make a list, but I sure do like Grieg, Sibelius, and Nielsen; and sometimes Rautavaara.


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## JohnP (May 27, 2014)

Too bad I agree with Coach G that Finland is a Nordic rather than a Scandinavian country, else Sibelius would be No. 1.

Nielsen
Grieg
Melartin 
Holmboe
Atterberg
Aho
Tveitt


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Melartin and Aho are Finnish as well.....


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

One not yet mentioned, of whom I'm quite fond: Erland von Koch.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

progmatist said:


> One not yet mentioned, of whom I'm quite fond: Erland von Koch.


Indeed, a good one.


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