Carl Nielsen was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist. He was born on 9 June 1865 Sortelung and died on 3 October 1931 Copenhagen. He showed his musical talent as a child and became a military trumpeter at the age of 14. Although his symphonies, concertos and choral music are now internationally acclaimed, Nielsen`s career and personal life were marked by many difficulties often reflected in his music. The strain of his dual careers and constant separation form his wife had a negative effect on to his marriage. The separation process began in 1916 and finalized in 1919. The period between 1916 – 1922 was one of the creative times for Nielsen. The crisis in his personal life and the events of World War I strongly influenced his Fourth and Fifth symphonies.

Outside Denmark, Nielsen is most closely associated with his six symphonies, written between 1892-1925. The works have a lot of common. They are all just over 30 minutes long, brass instruments are a key component of the orchestration and they all exhibit unusual changes in tonality, which heighten the dramatic tension.

Symphony No.5 composed in Humlebaek during the winter and spring of 1921. He dedicated the new symphony to his friends Vera and Carl Johan Michaelsen. The piece was first performed in Copenhagen on 24 January 1922 with the composer who was conducting. It is one of the two of Nielsen`s six symphonies which has no subtitle.

The Fifth Symphony sounded unusual and harsh which broke the traditional view of harmony. It also has a non -customary structure, comprising two movements instead of the common three or four which is the only time Nielsen used this structure. It draws on the theme of contrast and opposition. The piece described as having elements of war, a battle between the forces of order and chaos. A snare drummer is interrupting the orchestra in its own tempo independently as if it wants to disturb the music.

In the first movement begins slowly and calmly and brings the drama to life in a battle between the orchestra and a snare drummer, who silenced in the final bars. Also, there is an “evil” motif intervenes in this movement. The side drum becomes more and more angry and aggressive, but the nature theme grows on, peaceful and unaffected in the brass. Finally, the evil gives way and it flees. A solo clarinet ends this movement an expression of vegetative (idle, thoughtless) Nature.

The second movement is more active. It consists of an explosion, a fast fugue, a sow fugue and a brief coda. The music continues with great conflicts between instruments until the broad and calm theme in the slow fugue.

In a statement to his student Ludvig Dolleris, Nielsen described the symphony as “the division of dark and light, the battle between evil and good”. (Schonwandt and Dausgaard, 2006)

References

Your Bibliography: Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Carl Nielsen | Danish composer. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Nielsen [Accessed 21 Jul. 2019].

Your Bibliography: Schonwandt, M. and Dausgaard, T. (2006). Carl Nielsen The Masterworks. 1st ed. Copenhagen: Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, p.24.

Your Bibliography: Bourne, J. (2013). OpenAthens / Sign in. [online] Www-oxfordreference-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org. Available at: https://www-oxfordreference-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780199578108.001.0001/acref-9780199578108-e-6463 [Accessed 26 Jul. 2019].