1953 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and compositions of the year 1953 in Scandinavian music.

Events

• 1–15 June – The 1st Bergen International Festival is held in Bergen, Norway.^[1]
• 31 October – Nordmanns-Forbundet, a friendship association in the United States, holds a "Music of Norway" concert at Carnegie Hall, featuring music by Edvard Grieg and Sparre Olsen, with Percy Grainger as piano soloist.^[2]
• unknown dates
  • Swedish tenor Jussi Björling records roles from the operas Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, both with Stockholm Opera.^[3]
  • The Wihuri Sibelius Prize, founded by Antti Wihuri, is awarded for the first time, to Jean Sibelius, after whom it is named.^[4]

New works

• Kurt Atterberg – Sinfonia per archi^[5]
• Erland von Koch
  • Musica intima^[6]
  • Musica malinconica^[7]
• Dag Wirén – String Quartet no. 4^[8]

Popular music

• Åke Gerhard & Leon Landgren – "Mjölnarens Iréne"^[9]

Film music

• Toivo Kärki – Rantasalmen sulttaani^[10]
• Sven Gyldmark
  • Farlig Ungdom^[11]
  • Far til Fire^[12]

Musical films

• Lumikki ja 7 jätkää (Snow White and the 7 Loggers), with music by George de Godzinsky^[13]

Births

• 28 February – Osmo Vänskä, Finnish clarinettist, conductor and composer^[14]
• 22 April – Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer^{[citation needed]}
• 4 May – Jakob Frímann Magnússon, Icelandic composer, filmmaker and politician^[15]
• 10 June – Svein Nymo, Norwegian violinist and composer (died 2014)^[16]
• 30 June – Ståle Wikshåland, Norwegian musicologist (died 2017)^[17]
• 14 July – Åke Parmerud, Swedish composer and artist ^{[citation needed]}

Deaths

• 2 February – Bergliot Ibsen, Norwegian mezzo-soprano (born 1869)^[18]
• 9 December – Issay Dobrowen, Norwegian pianist, composer and conductor (born 1891)^[19]

See also

• 1953 in Denmark
• 1953 in Iceland
• 1953 in Norwegian music
• 1953 in Sweden

References

1. Svendsen, Trond Olav (2 February 2017). "Festspillene I Bergen". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
2. News of Norway, volume 10. The Representative. 1953. p. 124.
3. "Björling's known recordings and their CD and DVD issues". borlange.se. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
4. "History". Wihuri prize. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
5. "Sinfonia per Archi ossia Quintetto". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
6. "Musica intima". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
7. "Musica malinconica (Melancholic music)". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
8. "String Quartet no. 4". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
9. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress. 1954. p. 606.
10. Qvist, Per Olov; von Bagh, Peter (2000). Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 249.
11. "Farlig Ungdom". MUBI. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
12. "Far til Fire". Danish Film Institute. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
13. Per Olav Qvist; Peter von Bagh (2000). Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 260. ISBN 9780313303777.
14. Roderick L Sharpe; Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman (2008). Maestros in America. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 9798216339779.
15. "Jakob Frímann Magnússon". Althingi. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
16. Bjørdal, Sondre (9 December 2014). "– Han var en gnistrende kraft" (in Norwegian). Vårt Land. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
17. Bjerkestrand, Nils E. "Ståle Wikshåland". In Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
18. Haavet, Inger Elisabeth. "Bergliot Ibsen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
19. "Issay Dobrowen". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2017.