Nielsen, C :: Koncert [Concerto]

Koncert [Concerto]

Nielsen, C

Carl Nielsen was the fifth of 12 children in a poor peasant family in Sortelung, Denmark. His father was a house painter and amateur musician. Carl first discovered music by experimenting with the sounds and pitches he heard when striking logs in a pile of firewood behind his home. He managed to learn the violin and piano as a child. He also learned how to play brass instruments, which led to a job as a bugler. He later studied violin and music theory at the Copenhagen Music Conservatory, but never took formal lessons in composition. Nonetheless, he began to compose. At first, he did not gain enough recognition for his works to support him. During the concert which saw the premiere of his first symphony on March 14, 1894, Nielsen played in the second violin section. However, the same symphony was a great success when played in Berlin in 1896, and from then his fame grew.