Niels Wilhelm Gade

Denmark's greatest composer of the Romantic era, Niels Gade (1817-1890) expanded the musical boundaries of Scandinavia. His Efterklange af Ossian, Op. 1, won a Copenhagen Musical Society prize. He sent his Symphony No. 1, Op. 5, to Mendelssohn, who accepted Gade as assistant conductor and teacher in Leipzig. Back in Copenhagen, Gade played organ, founded an orchestra and choir, and taught; his students included Grieg and Nielsen. Gade's music is Mendelssohnian, but it also reflects his interest in Danish folk music and folklore. As well as eight symphonies and other orchestral pieces, he wrote chamber music, piano and organ music, and choral cantatas.