Ludvig Norman

Ludvig Norman was a Swedish composer, conductor, and educator of the Romantic era. He is best known for his symphonies and for conducting the premiere of Franz Berwald's Fourth Symphony. Born in Stockholm in 1831, Norman's musical talents were obvious from a very young age. He received his first piano lessons from Vilhelmina Josephson, and later he studied with Theodor Stein, Jan van Boom, and Adolf Fredrick Lindblad. By 1843 he had published his first book of songs, and he had his debut performance as a pianist in 1846. His father also passed away around this time, which left Norman in a very difficult financial situation. With the help of Jenny Lind, the Swedish Prince Oscar II, and others, he was able to study music at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1848 to 1853. There he studied piano with Ignaz Moscheles, counterpoint with Moritz Hauptman, and composition with Julius Rietz. He composed chamber music for violin and piano, and with Robert Schumann's assistance he published two works for piano in 1851. After completing his schooling in Leipzig, Norman returned to Stockholm around 1853 and supported himself by performing recitals, composing, and teaching private lessons. He quickly became known as a skilled performer and a brilliant improviser. Beginning in 1858, Norman became a composition professor at the Conservatory of the Swedish Academy of Music, but he left the position in 1861 to become the conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra. Throughout the 1860s, he also performed as the piano accompanist to the violinist Wilma Neruda, and they were married from 1864 to 1869. After their divorce, Norman returned to the conservatory in Stockholm and taught composition and piano, in addition to his position with the Swedish Opera. His orchestral works from this period of his career are among his most distinguished, and are often described as thoughtfully crafted, but they have also been criticized for being dry, overly academic, and lacking individuality. He conducted the premiere of Franz Berwald's Fourth Symphony in 1878 and was very supportive of the composer in many of his writings. In the early 1880s, he developed and expanded the musical culture of Sweden and established the Royal Orchestra's subscription concert series. Norman continued to teach and conduct until his death in Stockholm in 1885.
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