Hakon Børresen
Illustration — Hakon Børresen Axel Ejnar Hakon Børresen (2 June 1876 – 6 October 1954) was one of the foremost Danish composers of the 20th century.
Hakon Børresen
Viggo Johansen · bruun-rasmussen.dk · Public domain
- Born
- 1876 · Copenhagen.
- Died
- 1954 · Copenhagen.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Occupation
- composer · choreographer · missionary
- Fields
- opera · symphony
- Honours
- Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog · Decoration of the Cross of Honour of the Dannebrog
- Languages
- Danish
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q563337 · wikipedia · Hakon Børresen
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Life
Life
Børresen was born and died in Copenhagen, and was descended from a merchant family. As a child, he was given violin, cello and piano lessons. When Børresen made clear to his father that he wished to become a composer, the latter arranged for him to study at the Royal Danish Conservatory in 1895. There he studied composition with Johan Svendsen. After further private studies, his First Symphony was privately premiered in 1901. It made his name as an up-and-coming composer. There followed travels in Germany, France and Belgium, where he made many useful connections. From 1902 on he divided his time between Copenhagen and Skagen where he maintained a second home. Børresen was an important organizer of several Danish music festivals and served as the president of Danish Composers Union between 1924 and 1949. At the time of his death, he was widely regarded as one of Denmark's most important musicians. His opera The Royal Guest is widely regarded as the best early 20th-century Danish opera, and his chamber music works received considerable critical praise. His work was part of the music event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Documentary record
Hakon Børresen lived from 2 June 1876 to 6 October 1954 and was a composer. Hakon Børresen was born on 2 June 1876; the birthplace is Copenhagen, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Hakon Børresen died on 6 October 1954; the place of death is Copenhagen, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Tonal language
Tonal language
Børresen's style and musical language are primarily that of the late Romantic. His music shows little or no influence from more modern tendencies. Instead, his music takes as its inspiration Danish cultural ideas and folk melodies. His style reflects the influence of his teacher Svendsen, as well as that of Tchaikovsky.
Orchestra
Orchestra
• Symphony No. 1 C minor, Op. 3 (1901) • Symphony No. 2 A major, Op. 7 "The Ocean" (1904) • Symphony No. 3 C major, Op. 21 (1925/26) • Violin Concerto in G major, Op. 11 (1904) • "The Normans", A Concert Overture, Op. 16 (1912, rev. 1935) • Serenade in C major for Horn, Strings and Percussion (1944) • "Nordic Folkmelodies" for String Orchestra (1949)
Vocal
Vocal
• Various art songs (Lieder) and choral works
Stage
Stage
• "The Royal Guest", Opera (1919) • "Kaddara", Opera (1921) • "Tycho Brahe's Dream", A Ballet (1924)
Chamber
Chamber
• String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, Op. 20 (1913) • String Quartet No. 2 in C minor (1939) • String Sextet in G major, Op. 5 (1901) • Sonata for Violin & Piano in A minor, Op. 9 (1907) • Romance for Violoncello and Piano in D major, Op. 4 (1902)
Piano
Piano
• Several occasional pieces
Krøyer's colleague Michael Ancher made a painting of the same scene. See "Other versions".
Peder Severin Krøyer · bruun-rasmussen.dk
Grave of the composer Hakon Børresen (1876-1954) at Holmens Kirkegård in Østerbro in Copenhagen. The grave has been decorated with fir branches at Christmas.
Leif Jørgensen
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hakon Børresen, revision 1370795808 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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