Udbye, Martin Andreas

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Udbye, Martin Andreas

Udbye, Martin Andreas, distinguished Norwegian organist and composer; b. Trondheim, June 18, 1820; d. there, Jan. 10,1889. He studied organ with Carl Becker and composition with Hauptmann at the Leipzig Cons. (1851-52); pursued further studies in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Vienna, and London (1858-59). From 1844 to 1869 he served as organist at the Hospitalskirken in Trondheim, and after 1869 was organist at the church of Our Lady there. He was regarded as one of the finest Norwegian composers of his era; he wrote the first Norwegian opera, Fredkulla (The Peacemaker; 1858). His other works include the operettas Hr. Perrichons reise (1861), Hjemve (Homesickness; 1862; Christiania, April 8,1864), and Junkeren og flubergrosen (The Squire and the Rose of Fluberg; 1867; Christiania, Jan. 7,1872), the orch. sketch Lumpasivag-abundus (1861), Fantasy for Violin and Orch. (1866), the cantatas Sonatorrek (The Loss of a Son; 1872) and Islaendinger i Norge (1873), choral pieces, three string quartets (1851-55), 20 piano trios, and 100 organ preludes.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire