The Most Famous

COMPOSERS from Norway

This page contains a list of the greatest Norwegian Composers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,451 Composers, 14 of which were born in Norway. This makes Norway the birth place of the 17th most number of Composers behind Estonia, and Hungary.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Norwegian Composers of all time. This list of famous Norwegian Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Norwegian Composers.

1. Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)

With an HPI of 79.78, Edvard Grieg is the most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 97 different languages on wikipedia.

Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( GREEG, Norwegian: [ˈɛ̀dvɑʈ ˈhɑ̀ːɡərʉp ˈɡrɪɡː]; 15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia. Grieg is the most celebrated person from the city of Bergen, with numerous statues that depict his image and many cultural entities named after him: the city's largest concert building (Grieg Hall), its most advanced music school (Grieg Academy) and its professional choir (Edvard Grieg Kor). The Edvard Grieg Museum at Grieg's former home, Troldhaugen, is dedicated to his legacy.

2. Johan Halvorsen (1864 - 1935)

With an HPI of 62.10, Johan Halvorsen is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist.

3. Johan Svendsen (1840 - 1911)

With an HPI of 58.08, Johan Svendsen is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Johan Severin Svendsen (30 September 1840 – 14 June 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark. Svendsen's output includes two symphonies, a violin concerto, a cello concerto, and the Romance for violin, as well as a number of Norwegian Rhapsodies for orchestra. At one time Svendsen was an intimate friend of the German composer Richard Wagner and Icelandic composer Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson.

4. Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941)

With an HPI of 56.63, Christian Sinding is the 4th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Christian August Sinding (11 January 1856 – 3 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his successor.

5. Rikard Nordraak (1842 - 1866)

With an HPI of 55.80, Rikard Nordraak is the 5th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Rikard Nordraak (12 June 1842 – 20 March 1866) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known as the composer of the Norwegian national anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".

6. Harald Sæverud (1897 - 1992)

With an HPI of 51.36, Harald Sæverud is the 6th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Harald Sigurd Johan Sæverud (17 April 1897 – 27 March 1992) was a Norwegian composer. He is most known for his music to Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, Rondo Amoroso, and the Ballad of Revolt (Norwegian: Kjempeviseslåtten). Sæverud wrote nine symphonies and a large number of pieces for solo piano. He was a frequent guest conductor of his own works with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

7. Knut Nystedt (1915 - 2014)

With an HPI of 50.27, Knut Nystedt is the 7th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Knut Nystedt (3 September 1915 – 8 December 2014) was a Norwegian orchestral and choral composer.

8. Halfdan Kjerulf (1815 - 1868)

With an HPI of 49.54, Halfdan Kjerulf is the 8th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Halfdan Kjerulf (17 September 1815 – 11 August 1868) was a Norwegian composer.

9. Fartein Valen (1887 - 1952)

With an HPI of 45.64, Fartein Valen is the 9th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Olav Fartein Valen (25 August 1887 – 14 December 1952) was a Norwegian composer, notable for his work in atonal polyphonic music. He developed a polyphony similar to Bach's counterpoint, but based on motivic working and dissonance rather than harmonic progression.

10. Geirr Tveitt (1908 - 1981)

With an HPI of 45.49, Geirr Tveitt is the 10th most famous Norwegian Composer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s.

People

Pantheon has 15 people classified as Norwegian composers born between 1815 and 1980. Of these 15, 3 (20.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Norwegian composers include Thomas Bergersen, Ola Gjeilo, and Marcus Paus. The most famous deceased Norwegian composers include Edvard Grieg, Johan Halvorsen, and Johan Svendsen. As of April 2024, 1 new Norwegian composers have been added to Pantheon including Arne Nordheim.