Conrad Baden

Conrad Baden (31 August 1908 - 11 June 1989) was a Norwegian organist, composer, music educator, and music critic.

Baden graduated with a diploma from Oslo’s Music Conservatory in 1931. He continued his studies in composition at the Conservatory in Leipzig with Günter Raphael and Kurt Thomas. From 1934 to 1936 he studied counterpoint with Per Steenberg, and from 1940 to 1942 he studied instrumentation and composition with Bjarne Brustad. 1950 saw Baden travelling to Paris to study with Jean Rivier and Arthur Honegger. In 1965, Baden studied with Hanns Jelinek in Vienna.

Baden’s earliest works were penned in a national-romantic style, while his church music works display a close bond to the prevalent Palestrina style of the period. His works from 1950 onwards, were heavily influenced by French Neo-classicism, and in the 60s Baden would also employ twelve-tone techniques, with an increasing use of dissonance. Spring 1965 saw Baden travelling to Vienna to meet Hanns Jelinek, a student of Schönberg and Berg – a visit that led to a stylistic liberation for the Norwegian composer. The following year, this liberation came into fruition in his sole twelve-tone work Hymnus per alto, flauto, oboe e viola with a text from the Latin hymn Vexilla Regis.

Baden composed works in a number of forms, bar opera and electronic music. As a composer, he was highly active. In addition to his vocation as a professional organist through 47 years, he composed a mass for soloists, choirs and orchestra, 200 songs for soloists and choirs, suites and sonatas for piano and other instruments, motets and 11 cantatas. In Baden’s compositional output, his church music occupies an equal role to that of his orchestral works – he would write five concertos and smaller orchestral works as well as six symphonies. In addition to his career in composition and as an organist, he taught counterpoint, harmony and composition at the Music Conservatory in Oslo.As a music critic, Baden’s reviews were featured in newspapers Drammens Tidende, Vårt Land and Morgenbladet.

Baden was on the advisory council of The Norwegian Society of Composers (1963–69) founder and chairman of the Drammen Organist Society (1947–52), and chairman of the music section of the Norwegian Theatre and Music-Critics Society (1973–76).

Selected works

Orchestral works

• 6 symfonier (nr. 1 1952, nr. 2 1957, nr. 3 Sinfonia piccolo, 1959, nr. 4 1970, nr. 5 1976, nr. 6, Sinfonia Espressiva 1980)
• Divertimento 1951
• Eventyrsuite 1960
• Fantasia Brevis 1965
• Concerto per orchestra 1968
• Intrada sinfonica 1969

Concertos

• Konsert for bratsj og orkester 1973
• Konsert for cello og orkester 1986

Works for choir, soloists and orchestra

• Messe 1949
• Noregs dag 1966
• Mennesket 1971

Cantatas

• Frimurerkantate 1952
• Kantate for Tangen kirkes 100-årsjubileum 1953
• Kantate for Skien bys 100-årsjubileum 1957
• Pasjonskantate 1964
• Kantate til Strømsø kirkes 300-årsjubileum 1966
• Kantate ved Drøbak kirkes 200-årsjubileum 1974

Chamber music

• 3 strykekvartetter (nr. 1 1941, nr. 2 1943, nr. 3 1961)
• Sonate for fiolin og klaver 1941
• Klavertrio 1947
• Trio for fløyte, obo og klarinett 1957
• Blåsekvintett 1963
• Divertimento for fløye, obo og klarinett 1964
• Hymnus for alt, fløyte, obo og bratsj 1966
• Klarinettkvintett 1971

Discography

• Hans Christian Bræin, Oslofjord Kammerfilharmoni, Norwegian Concertinos for Clarinet and Strings (2011)
• Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Intrada Sinfonica – Conrad Baden Orchestral Works (2008)
• Stein Røe, Frygdesong (2002)
• Terje Bjørn Lerstad, Tore Dingstad, Lyrical Punk Clarinet (2002)
• Quattro Stagioni, Cantio (1994)
• Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bjarne Brustad, Conrad Baden, Hallvard Johnsen, Øivin Fjeldstad, Baden: Sinfonia expressiva (1988)
• Nidaros Domkor, Festival alleluja – Davissalmer gjennom tidene (1986)
• Daniel Strøm, Ola Valland, Trygve Bjerkrheim, Kong David i ord og toner (1984)