Musicians - Geirr Tveitt

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	Musicians - Geirr Tveitt

Geirr Tveitt (October 19, 1908–February 1, 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist.

Life

Tveitt was born in Bergen, where his father worked as a teacher. He studied in Leipzig, under Grabner, Weinreich and Wenniger, and in Paris under Villa-Lobos, and returned to live in Oslo and Norheimsund. Tveitt was a dedicated collector of the folk music along the Hardanger Fjord in western Norway, much of which he arranged/adapted for piano as well as orchestra. After World War II, Tveitt toured Europe as a concert pianist.

Disaster was not a stranger to Tveitt. His hand-built studio overlooking the Hardangerfjord was destroyed by snow in 1960. His house burned to the ground in 1970, incinerating most of his notes and scores (only a fifth remained). It gave him such a traumatic impact that he didn't want to compose anymore. He died a reduced man in Norheimsund, 72 years old.

His music tends to be full of beautiful melodies and folk material, making them very accessible among 20th century classical music.

Music

An unusual feature of his musical output is that much of it is not in classical major and minor tonalities, but expressed in terms of modes, such as lydian and dorian. For example, his piece Prillar is in G lydian.

Some of his music was saved from the fire, and some has been reconstructed from available material such as radio recordings. Prillar was an unusual case in that Tveitt tore up and threw away the score himself in the 1930s. After his death, it was found by his son among Tveitt's mother's effects and reassembled.

Most of his remaining music is published by Norwegian Music Information Centre.

Two record companies, Naxos and BIS, have recorded his music extensively.

Some of his remaining music

Prillar in G lydian (1931)
Suites No. 1, 2, 4, 5 of A Hundred Hardanger Tunes, Op. 151 (many of these are arrangements from the 50 Hardanger Tunes for piano, Op. 150)
Piano Concerto Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 (Nos. 2 & 6 have been burnt in the fire)
Variations on a Hardanger Folksong, for two pianos and orchestra
Nykken, symphonic poem
Jeppe, opera
Violin Concerto No. 1 (for hardanger fiddle)
Violin Concerto No. 2 (for hardanger fiddle), Three Fiords
Baldur, ballet drama (later abridged version for orchestra alone retitled the Sun God Symphony.)
Halldor Meland
Telemarkin

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