Biography
Albert Rubenson
Swedish composer and musician, born on December 20, 1826 in Stockholm, died on March 2, 1901 in Stockholm.
He showed early musical aptitude and was taught violin by the well-known Peter Elvers in the Court Chapel. He continued his studies in Leipzig 1844-1848 with harmony and counterpoint for Moritz Hauptmann, composition for Niels W. Gade and violin for Ferdinand David. Rubenson played violin in the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Theater Orchestra in Leipzig for a time and had both Mendelssohn and Gade as conductors. He then followed Gade to Copenhagen to continue his composition studies, and was given a place in the Copenhagen Music Society's orchestra.
On his return to Stockholm, he continued as a viola player in the Court Chapel in 1850–1851, but also began composing and writing music reviews for the music magazine Ny tidning för musik (published 1853–1857).
Rubenson came to Sweden from Leipzig full of ideas and youthful enthusiasm, but over the years became increasingly conservative, firm and punctual in his role as manager, "in everything as regular as clockwork". His works are fully playable and still waiting to be discovered. The music is fresh forward, freely inventive in the wake of Gades and Schumann, full of surprises and unexpected turns. Although Rubenson has the German school to thank for his craft, which several other Swedish composers had during this time, he likes to color his works with Swedish folk tunes in interesting orchestration.
He eagerly worked there for Robert Schumann's style, and collaborated here with Ludvig Norman and Frans Hedberg, among other things in the magazine Tidning för teater och musik (published in 1859). Works that he wrote during this time were a symphony in C major and the operetta En natt bland fjällen, which was performed at the Royal Opera in 1858.
Rubenson made numerous trips to different countries, but returned to Stockholm definitively in 1872. He then got a job at the Academy of Music's conservatory as an inspector (from 1880 with the title of director), a position Rubenson held until his death.
He showed early musical aptitude and was taught violin by the well-known Peter Elvers in the Court Chapel. He continued his studies in Leipzig 1844-1848 with harmony and counterpoint for Moritz Hauptmann, composition for Niels W. Gade and violin for Ferdinand David. Rubenson played violin in the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Theater Orchestra in Leipzig for a time and had both Mendelssohn and Gade as conductors. He then followed Gade to Copenhagen to continue his composition studies, and was given a place in the Copenhagen Music Society's orchestra.
On his return to Stockholm, he continued as a viola player in the Court Chapel in 1850–1851, but also began composing and writing music reviews for the music magazine Ny tidning för musik (published 1853–1857).
Rubenson came to Sweden from Leipzig full of ideas and youthful enthusiasm, but over the years became increasingly conservative, firm and punctual in his role as manager, "in everything as regular as clockwork". His works are fully playable and still waiting to be discovered. The music is fresh forward, freely inventive in the wake of Gades and Schumann, full of surprises and unexpected turns. Although Rubenson has the German school to thank for his craft, which several other Swedish composers had during this time, he likes to color his works with Swedish folk tunes in interesting orchestration.
He eagerly worked there for Robert Schumann's style, and collaborated here with Ludvig Norman and Frans Hedberg, among other things in the magazine Tidning för teater och musik (published in 1859). Works that he wrote during this time were a symphony in C major and the operetta En natt bland fjällen, which was performed at the Royal Opera in 1858.
Rubenson made numerous trips to different countries, but returned to Stockholm definitively in 1872. He then got a job at the Academy of Music's conservatory as an inspector (from 1880 with the title of director), a position Rubenson held until his death.