Rubenson, Albert

Rubenson, Albert , admirable Swedish composer; b. Stockholm, Dec. 20, 1826; d. there, March 2, 1901. He received training in violin from Peter Elwers in Stockholm, and then studied with Ferdinand David (violin), Moritz Hauptmann (harmony and counterpoint), and Niels Gade (composition) at the Leipzig Cons. (1844–48). After completing his training with Gade in Copenhagen, he returned to Stockholm in 1850. From 1853 to 1857 he wrote music criticism for the Ny tidning för musik. With Ludvig Norman and Frans Hedberg, he founded and wrote for the Tidning för Theater och Musik in 1859. He then devoted himself mainly to composition until becoming inspector of the Cons. in 1872, where he was given the title of director in 1888. While Rubenson’s works reflect the influence of the German Romanticists, they also project his own individual voice. His most important work is his Sym. in C major (1847; rev. 1851; Stockholm, March 3, 1857). Among his other orch. scores, the Symphonic Intermezzo (1860) and the Trois Pièces symphoniques (1871) are particularly appealing.

Works

DRAMATIC: En natt bland, fjällen (A Night in the Mountains), operetta (1858); Halte Hulda, incidental music to Bjørnson’s play (1865). ORCH.: Sym. in C major (1847; rev. 1851; Stockholm, March 3, 1857); Suite (1850–51); Sorgespels-Ouverture (Overture to a Tragedy; 1858); Julius Caesar, overture after Shakespeare (1859); Drapa (Ode; c. 1860); Festival March (1878). other: String Quartet (c. 1850); Korsfarersang (Crusading Song) for Men’s Chorus; numerous songs, including settings of Heine (1848), Robert Burns, and Bjørnson; many piano pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire