eg once declared, a pathbreaker for the young national music.
At the early age of nineteen he sallied forth with his fiddle and
wherever he appeared in Europe and America he played the folk-music
and national dances of Norway. The favor which he found encouraged his
countrymen. His brilliant career glorified musical Norway; gave it
confidence to assert itself, and serve as the inspiration of a long
list of creative tone artists--Kjerulf, Nordraak, Grieg, Svendsen,
Winter-Hjelm, Sindling, and Behrens--to write out and arrange for
voice and modern instruments the music that had so long been preserved
in the memories of the people.

The best art-made music of Norway has been built upon the folk-songs
and dances of the common people. Halfdan Kjerulf (1815-1868) was the
first serious composer of the new art school. He lived during the
trying period of Norwegian storm and stress, but he wrote something
like a hundred compositions, and in his songs is found "the bud of
national feeling which has burst into full bloom in Grieg."

Richard Nordraak (1842-1866), during his brief career, set to music
several of Bjoernson's plays, and composed some strong pianoforte
pieces and songs. "He was," says Siewers, "a man with a bold fresh way
of looking at things, strong artistic interests, an untiring love of
work, and deep national feeling. He had decided influence upon his
friend Grieg's artistic views, and he is the connecting link between
Kjerulf and Grieg in the chain of Norwegian musical art."

Otto Winter-Hjelm, who, with Grieg, attempted to establish a
conservatory of music at Christiania after their return from Germany
in the sixties, contributed much to the national art of Norway by his
excellent arrangements of hallings and spring dances for piano and
violin. Thomas Thellefsen (1823-1874), a pupil and friend of Chopin,
was distinguished as a national composer as well as a pianist, and
Carl F.E. Neupert (1842-1888), who lived in America six years, did
much by his concert tours and teaching to dignify Norse music.

Johan Severin Svendsen, while a Norwegian by birth and training, has
expatriated himself by his long residence in Denmark. So far as his
compositions have national flavor they are German. Johan Selmer, while
a prolific composer, will probably be best remembered as a conductor.
Christian Sinding, after Grieg, is the best-known Norwegian composer.
His productions range from symphonies and symphonic poems through
cham