Jeppesen, Knud (Christian)

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Jeppesen, Knud (Christian)

Jeppesen, Knud (Christian), eminent Danish musicologist and composer; b. Copenhagen, Aug. 15, 1892; d. Risskov, June 14, 1974. He began his career as an opera conductor, using the name Per Buch, in Elbing and Liegnitz (1912–14). He then studied organ at the Royal Danish Cons, of Music (diploma, 1916) and musicology with Angui Hammerich at the Univ. of Copenhagen (M.A., 1918), and also received instruction from Carl Nielsen and Thomas Laub. He prepared his Ph.D. diss., Die Dissonanzbehandlung bei Palestrina, at the Univ. of Copenhagen; however, the retirement of Hammerich made it necessary for the diss. to be approved by and completed under Guido Adler at the Univ. of Vienna (1922; publ., in an aug. ed., in Copenhagen in 1923 as Palestrinastil med saerligt henblik paa dissonansbe-handlingen; Eng. tr. by M. Hamerik as The Style of Palestrina and the Dissonance, Copenhagen, 1927; 2^nd ed., 1946). Jeppesen served as organist of Copenhagen’s St. Stephen’s (1917–32) and of the Holmens Church (1932–47), and also taught theory at the Royal Danish Cons, of Music (1920–46). He became the first prof. of musicology at the Univ. of Ârhus (1946), where he founded its musicological inst. in 1950, retiring in 1957. He was ed.-in-chief of Acta Musicologica (1931–54) and president of the International Musicological Soc. (1949-52). Jeppesen was an authority on Palestrina and the music of the Italian Renaissance. As a composer, he demonstrated his erudition in his music: precise in its counterpoint, unfailingly lucid in its harmonic structure, and set in impeccable classical forms.

Writings

Kontrapunkt (vokalpolyfoni) (Copenhagen, 1930; German tr., 1935; 5^th ed., 1970; Eng. tr., 1939; new ed., 1992; 3^rd Danish ed., 1962); La frottola (Copenhagen, 1968-70). editions: With V. Borndal, Der Kopenhagener Chansonnier (Copenhagen and Leipzig, 1927; 2^nd ed., rev., 1965); Vaerker af Mogens Pedersen (Copenhagen, 1933); with V. Brondal, Die mehrstimmige italienische Laude um 1500 (Copenhagen and Leipzig, 1935); Die italienische Orgelmusik am Anfang des Cinquecento (Copenhagen, 1943; 2^nd ed., rev. and aug., 1960); La flora, arie &c antiche italiane (Copenhagen, 1949); Antichi balli veneziani per cembalo (Copenhagen, 1962); Italia sacra musica: Musiche corali italiane sconosciute della prima metà del cinquecento (Copenhagen, 1962).

Works

dramatic: Opera: Rosaura, eller Kaer-lighed besejrer alt (1946; Copenhagen, Sept. 20, 1950). ORCH.: Sjaellandsfar, sym. (1938–39); Waldhorn Concerto (1942). VOCAL: Dronning Dagmar messe (1945); Te Deum danicum for Soloists, 2 Choruses, Organ, and Orch. (1945); Tvesang: Grundtvig- Kierkegaard for Chorus and Orch. (1965; Danish Radio, Copenhagen, Jan. 12, 1967); cantatas; motets; songs. OTHER: Chamber music; organ pieces.