Carl Nielsen

Danish composer

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Lived 1865–1931, aged 66

MusiciansSinger / Musician

Wikipedia
48 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1865–1931
Aged 66
Known for
Dust for all the Money
1963

Summary

Updated 2026-06-13

Denmark's most prominent composer spent sixteen years playing second violin in the national orchestra while writing symphonies that wouldn't crack the international repertoire until decades after his death.

Biography

About

Born to poor but musical parents on Funen in 1865, Nielsen played in a military band before entering the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1884. He premiered his Suite for Strings at 23, then took a second violin chair in the Royal Danish Orchestra in 1889, playing under Johan Svendsen for sixteen years while composing on the side. The works from 1897 to 1904 — his "psychological" period — reflected a turbulent marriage to sculptor Anne Marie Brodersen. He taught at the Academy from 1916 until his death, writing six symphonies, a Wind Quintet, and concertos that broke from Brahms and Grieg into…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Carl Nielsen

Carl Nielsen

saidundated

Music is life and, like it, inextinguishable.

— Motto at the top of the score of his Symphony 4: Inextinguishable

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Gallery

Photos

8 images · refresh overdue

Press play

Listen & Watch

Spotify

Deep cuts

Albums

Low confidence

Intimate Voices
2006
Symphony No. 2 "The Four Temperaments" / Symphony No. 4 "Inextinguishable"
2006
BBC Music, Volume 14, Number 11: Sibelius: Symphony no. 1 / Nielsen: Symphony no. 1
2006
Aladdin Suite / Pan and Syrinx / Saga Dream / Maskarade Overture / Helios Overture
2005
Copenhagen Concert 11-11-05
2005
Sange
2005
Violin Concerto / Aladdin Suite / Romance for Violin op. 2
2005
Violin Sonatas / Prelude and Theme With Variations
2004
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring / Nielsen: Symphony no. 5, op. 50
2004
Symphonies 2 (The Four Temperaments) & 5
2003