Description

In the late 1990:s the male choir Frihetsbröderna asked me if I would like to write something to words by the Finnish Swedish-speaking writer Zacharias Topelius (1818-1898). I said yes, although I had no experience of writing choral music and, as I soon found out, it is no easy feat to write vocal music for amateurs either. To put a long story short, it took me almost four years of trials and terrors to create O min luta! (”O, my lute!”). Although both the singers and the listeners liked the work a great deal when it was finally performed, I later simplified some passages that I felt to be too strenuous for singers accustomed to more conventional harmonic progressions. The final version of the score was made in 2017.

This work is dedicated to the memory of Göran Ehrman, a singer in the Frihetsbröderna. He not only stood behind the commission of this song, he also encouraged me to set O min luta!, which he explained was one of his favorite poems. Sadly, Göran passed away before he had an opportunity to hear my setting performed.

© Christian Holmqvist (2017)

Instrumentation

chm

Category

Vocal and Choral Works

Language

Sv

Lyricist

Zachris Topelius

Premiere

The Male Choir Frihetsbröderna, Markus Nordström, Helsinki, December 5, 2005

Revised version: The Male Choir Frihetsbröderna, John Emanuelsson, Helsinki, March 16, 2013

Commisioned by / dedications

Commissioned by the Male Choir Frihetsbröderna. Dedicated to the memory of Göran Ehrman

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Archive number

MF27527

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