Svendsen, Johan

Komisk overture (tapt)

Comical Overture (lost)

JSV VARIA

This work is mentioned in an article in Musikalisches Wochenblatt the 31th of March 1871: 'Biographisches. Johan Svendsen (Mit Portrait)'. Author was H.v. Ende (Georg Henry von Ende?): 'Hier errangen Svendsen’s neueste Schöpfungen ihre ersten Erfolge, und hier enstanden neben mehreren Gelegenheitscompositionen (z. B. einer komischen Ouverture über das Kneiplied 'So leben wir' etc.) grössere, bleibende Arbeiten, wie das Quartett und das Octett für Streichinstrumente'. [Here Svendsen‘s latest compositions had their first successes and here, besides several compositions for special occasions (for example a comical overture based on the drinking song 'So leben wir' etc.), more extensive and important works emerged, like the octet for strings.] The melody to the aforementioned text is the same as in the 18th century march named Der Dessauer Marsch. This article was also printed in several different countries in the following months. The use of words in the article in Musikalisches Wochenblatt does not connect the overture with to the student society 'Euphonia', like Finn Benestad does in F. Benestad & D. Schjelderup-Ebbe: Johan Svendsen, mennesket og kunstneren, Aschehoug, Oslo, 1990: 'Som primus motor i studentflokken var Svendsen med på å stifte elevforeningen “Euphonia” og ble dens første formann. En gang laget han en komisk ouverture over drikkevisen “So leben wir”, som vakte stor begeistring blant medlemmene'.(Benestad p. 46). [As primus motor among the students Svendsen took part in founding the student society ‘Euphonia' and became it’s first chairman. Once he composed a comical overture based on the drinking song ‘So leben wir’, rousing great acclaim among the members.]  In a letter to Kristian Anastas Winterhjelm Svendsen also mentioned an overture from the Leipzig period.

Primary texts

Letters:

27 Apr. 1895, Christiania

from Johan Svendsen to Kristian Anastas Winterhjelm, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo Brevs. 196:151 . NBdigital