Christian August Sinding (1856-1941) made his breakthrough as a composer in Kristiania (Oslo) in 1885 and in Leipzig in 1889, and with Edvard Grieg and Johan Svendsen he made up the triumvirate of great composers from the golden age of Norwegian music. His works include three symphonies, a rhapsody, a piano concerto, three violin concertos, a long series of chamber music compositions, piano pieces, lieder, cantatas and an opera. He had a long and always productive life, but remained loyal to the stylistic ideals of his youth. Sinding, Grieg and Svendsen came to symbolise Norwegian music for the rest of Europe from the1890s into the1920s, but unlike his two compatriots, Sinding made no extensive use of Norwegian folk music. He was looked upon as a northern revitaliser of the late-romantic European style. He was influenced by both Wagner and Liszt, but the cosmopolitan symphonic style he de veloped was characterised also by originality and wit. Sinding was publicly honoured on a number of occasions, but after the years of triumph at home and abroad the interest in his music waned. Styles changed and Sinding was forgotten; with the revival of interest in the Romanticism, however, Sinding's music has again begun to attract attention. Throughout his life, Sinding preferred to write symphonic music, and complained constantly that the small works his publishers demanded of him took up too much of his time. In all, he wrote three symphonies. «For Christian Sinding, Ferruccio had a personal devotion of touching intensity. They had become acquainted at Leipzig in I888. To most people Sinding at first sight appeared insignificant and unattractive. He was a painfully shy and nervous young man with a large domed forehead and a little pointed beard. When he first met Ferruccio he had no idea that he was a pianist. One day Sinding brought him the manuscript of a pianoforte quintet which he had just written; Ferruccio sat down and played it through at sight. Sinding was completely taken by surprise and thereupon insisted that Ferruccio should play the pianoforte part at its first public performance. It was played at Leipzig on January 19, 1889, the string players being Brodsky, Becker, Novacek, and Klengel. The audience received it with enthusiasm, but the critics were hostile; one of them, who occupied a conspicuous seat on the platform, ostentatiously ate sandwiches throughout the work. Sinding's later musical career led him into paths very remote from Ferruccio's, but friendship remained unimpaired. Many years afterwards Sinding, Delius, and Busoni met in Paris; they were then all three married and accompanied by their wives. Busoni, who was in a cheerful mood, burst out suddenly with one of his characteristic observations: 'Here we are, three composers and their wives; and every one of the ladies is thinking that her husband is the greatest of all!' Delius was a little uncomfortable; it was 'the sort ofthing one didn't say,' he felt. But for all that explosion of laughter with which Busoni, as usual, followed up his remark, it was probably true enough; certainly few composers have ever had such devoted wives as those three friends. And two more of the players at that Leipzig concert entered into Ferruccio's later life; Novacek was to become one of his constant intimates until his early death, and Brodsky remained a faithful friend too, although he and Ferruccio had but few opportunities of meeting.» [Dent, p. 81]

CHRISTIAN AUGUST SINDING (1856 - 1941) Compositore e pianista norvegese. Studiò dapprima a Oslo, poi, dal 1874 al 1870, al Conservatorio di Lipsia, dove fu allievo, tra gli altri, di Reinecke*. Dal 1880 al 1882 si perfezionò a Berlino, Monaco e Dresda. Poi tornò a Oslo. Riconosciuto ben presto come uno dei maggiori compositori norvegesi, godette a partire dal 1890 di una pensione annua governativa. Nel 1920-21 insegnò all'Eastman School di Rochester (New York). Pur profondamente influenzata da Liszt e da Wagner, la sua abbondante produzione presenta tuttavia caratteri nazionali. Compose ben 250 Lieder, 4 sinfonie, un concerto per pianoforte (in do diesis minore op. 6), 3 concerti per violino, 2 opere ("Der heilige Berg", rappresentata nel 1914 e "Titandros", non rappresentata, un quintetto con pianoforte, 3 Quartetti per archi, 3 Trii con pianoforte, numerose composizioni per pianoforte, tra cui il celeberrimo "Mormorio di primavera" tratto dai 6 Pezzi op. 32.

CHRISTIAN AUGUST SINDING (1856-1941) Christian Sinding vit le jour en 1856 à Kongsberg, en Norvège où son père était ingénieur. Douée d'une nature profondément artistique, sa mère encouragea leurs trois fils à poursuivre des voies artistiques. Otto Sinding devint peintre et écrivain tandis que Stephan fut un sculpteur de quelque renom. Christian n'avait que quatre ans quand leur père mourut. Leur mère décida alors que la meilleure chose à faire était de s'établir à Kristiania où elle avait de la famille. Ce fut dans la capitale de la Norvège donc que Christian prit ses premières leçons de musique. Nous savons qu'à son entrée au Conservatoire de Leipzig, il indiqua avoir appris le violon avec Gudbrand Bohn, le piano avec Betzy Fischer ainsi que l'orgue et l'harmonie auprès de Ludvig Mathias Lindemann. Il s'agissait à l'époque des plus éminents musiciens de Kristiania si bien qu'il apparait évident que dès son plus jeune âge, Christian se destinait à une carrière musicale. L'intérêt profond qu'il éprouvait pour la musique le conduisit à délaisser sa formation scolaire. Après avoir travaillé un temps dans la manufacture de pianos des Frères Hals, il étudia entre 1874-77 et 1878-79 au Conservatoire de Leipzig où il eut entre autres Carl Reinecke* comme enseignant en composition. Entre 1882 et 1885 il poursuivit ses études à Munich et ce fut dans cette ville qu'il acheva ce qui doit être considéré comme sa première œuvre de valeur, le Quintette avec piano en mi mineur, opus 5. Ce fut à Munich qu'il écrivit également ses premières mélodies; il semble bien que les mélodies Opp. 1, 4,11 et 15 remontent à cette période. Il fit également ses premiers pas dans la direction de l'opéra. Entre 1886 et 1889 il approfondit ses connaissances durant un autre séjour à Leipzig. Il établit alors des contacts primordiaux avec Adolf Brodsky* et Ferruccio Busoni. Le Quatuor Brodsky et Busoni executèrent le Quintette avec piano opus 5 durant un concert au Gewandhaus en janvier 1889 qui ne laissa pas la presse indifférente. La critique se partageait ceux pour et contre Sinding. On peut citer par exemple la réaction brutale et négative d'Eduard Berusdorff dans "Signale fur die musikalische Welt" tandis que Adolf Ruthardt le défendait avec ardeur dans "Musikalisches Wochenblatt". La publicité générée par ces opinions contradictoires fit progresser la carrière de Sinding de manière significative. Après ces événements, le Quintette fut joué partout, ouvrant la voie pour l'exécution d'autres œuvres de Sinding comme le Concerto pour piano, en ré bémol majeur opus 6, la Sonate pour violon en ut majeur opus 12 et la Symphonie en ré mineur opus 21, des œuvres qui furent achevées en 1892. Durant toute sa vie, Sinding essaya de vivre uniquement de son activité de compositeur, sans revenu supplémentaire tiré de l'enseignement, de l'orgue ou du journalisme. D'autres compositeurs norvégiens n'avaient guère le choix. Ce souci constant eut pour résultat de voir des œuvres naître de qualités différentes, des compositions qui parfois n'auraient jamais vu le jour. Ce fut particulièrement vrai des œuvres pour piano qui eurent à en souffrir étant donné que de nombreuses furent conçues en réponse à des commandes de ses éditeurs soucieux de publier toujours plus. Aussi ingrat que puisse avoir été son travail il lui assura pourtant associé à plusieurs bourses un revenu décent. A partir de 1910, il reçut un salaire de compositeur et ultérieurement, en 1921, une rente honoraire du Gouvernement norvégien. En 1924, la Norvège lui offrit la maison "Grotten". Elle devint sa première résidence permanente, car jusqu'alors, il avait toujours vécu avec sa femme dans des hôtels ou en pension, préférant une existence qui favorisât sa carrière artistique.

For Christian Sinding, Ferruccio had a personal devotion of touching intensity. They had become acquainted at Leipzig in 1888. To most people Sinding at first sight appeared insignificant and unattractive. He was a painfully shy and nervous young man with a large domed forehead and a little pointed beard. When he first met Ferruccio he had no idea that he was a pianist. One day Sinding brought him the manuscript of a pianoforte quintet which he had just written; Ferruccio sat down and played it through at sight. Sinding was completely taken by surprise and thereupon insisted that Ferruccio should play the pianoforte part at its first public performance. It was played at Leipzig on January 19, 1889, the string players being Brodsky, Becker, Novacek, and Klengel. The audience received it with enthusiasm, but the critics were hostile; one of them, who occupied a conspicuous seat on the platform, ostentatiously ate sandwiches throughout the work. Sinding's later musical career led him into paths very remote from Ferruccio's, but friendship remained unimpaired. [DENT, p. 81]