Broman, Sten

Broman, Sten, eminent Swedish violinist, conductor, music critic, and composer; b. Uppsala, March 25, 1902; d. Lund, Oct. 29, 1983. He studied violin with Marteau, conducting with Zemlinsky, and composition with Finke at the German Academy of Music in Prague; pursued training in musicology with Wagner at the Univ. of Fribourgh and with Sachs at the Univ. of Berlin; in 1926 he received his licentiate degree from the Univ. of Lund. He was the influential music critic of Sydsven-ksa Dagbladet (1930–67); in 1937 he founded the Skåne Quartet, and later was a member of the Piano Quartet (1948–51); also conducted the Malmö Phil. Soc. (1946–66). From 1930 to 1962 he was president of the Swedish section of the ISCM. As a composer, he followed a median line of Scandinavian Romanticism; beginning around 1960 he adopted serial techniques and later experimented with electronic sound.

Works

DRAMATIC: Malmö Dances, ballet (1952); film music. orch.:Choral Fantasia (1931); Gothic Suite for Strings (1932); 9 syms.: No. 1, Sinfonia ritmica (Malmo, March 20, 1962), No. 2 (Stockholm, Nov. 16, 1963), No. 3 (Malmö, April 27, 1965), No. 4 (1965; Detroit, Nov. 17, 1966), No. 5 for Soprano and Orch. (Stockholm, April 19, 1968), No. 6, with Taped Organ Sounds (Lund, Sweden, Oct. 13, 1970), No. 7, with Electronic Sound (Stockholm, May 5, 1972), No. 8 (Stockholm, April 5, 1975), and No. 9 (Swedish Radio, June 15, 1977); Sententia crevit for Orch. and Concrete Sound Tape (Lund, June 13, 1968); Overture (1979). chamber:Canon for Piano (1929); 4 string quartets (1929, 1933, 1970, 1973); Duo for Violin and Viola (1932); 3 suites for Viola and Piano (1935, 1937, 1942); Sextet for Strings, Percussion, and Piano (1963); Septet for Percussion, Celesta, and Piano (1968); Brass Concerto (Malmö, Nov. 11, 1971). vocal:Musica Cathedralis for Soprano, Bass, 3 Choruses, Orch., 2 Organs, and Tape (Lund, April 4, 1973).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire