Christian August Sinding (11 January 1856 – 3 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his successor.[1]
In November 1898 he married actress Augusta Gade, née Smith-Petersen (1858–1936). She was the daughter of Morten Smith-Petersen and Cathrine von der Lippe. She had previously been married to physician and art patron Fredrik Georg Gade.[2][5]
Sinding's publishers required from him piano and chamber music, which had broader sales than the symphonic works he preferred. His own instrument was the violin. The large number of short, lyrical piano pieces and songs that Sinding wrote has led to many seeing him as the heir to his fellow countryman, Edvard Grieg, not so much in musical style but as a Norwegian composer with an international reputation. Sinding is best remembered today for one of his piano works, Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896). Among his other works are four symphonies,[9] three violin concertos, a piano concerto,[10]chamber music, songs and choral works to Norwegian texts, and an opera, Der Heilige Berg (The Holy Mountain, 1914).[11]
Sinding had suffered from severe senile dementia since the late 1930s. Eight weeks before his death in 1941, Sinding joined the Norwegian Nazi party, Nasjonal Samling - however, his membership card was unsigned. The Nazis had strong motivation to recruit Sinding, as he was tremendously popular before the war in both Norway and Germany. Following the liberation of Norway at the end of World War II, it was official practice for the national broadcasting system to boycott people seen as Nazi sympathisers. As a consequence, Sinding's post-war reputation in Norway became relatively obscure. The circumstances surrounding the composer's membership continue to raise controversy. Sinding had made several remarks against the Nazi occupation. He had fought for the rights of Jewish musicians during the early 1930s and was a close friend of Nordahl Grieg.[13][14]
^Symphony No. 1 in D minor, op. 21 (1890, revised 1895); the more Wagnerian Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 83 (1904); Symphony no.3 in F major op.121 (1919); the Rhapsody for Orchestra “Vinter og Vår” (1936) in seven movements, which had occupied him at times since 1921, is sometimes counted as a fourth symphony.
^Piano Concerto in D flat major, op. 6 (1890, revised 1901), dedicated to Norwegian pianist Erika Nissen.
