Maj Sønstevold facts for kids

Maj Sønstevold (born Lundén) was a talented Swedish composer. She was born on September 9, 1917, and passed away on March 14, 1996. Maj lived and created music in Norway for most of her life.

Biography

Maj Sønstevold was born in Sollefteå, Sweden. She loved music from a young age and studied piano in Stockholm. She even traveled to London to learn more about piano from a famous teacher named Billy Mayerl.

In 1945, Maj married a Norwegian composer named Gunnar Sønstevold. After they got married, she moved to Norway. There, she worked as a composer, which means she wrote music, and also as a music teacher.

Later, Maj and her family lived in Vienna, Austria, for a while. She continued her music studies there with teachers like Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske. In 1966, she finished her studies in composition at a special school called the Akademisches Hauptseminar.

From 1971 to 1985, Maj Sønstevold taught music at the University of Oslo. This is a big university in Norway. In 1974, she and her husband started a music school together in Rakkestad. It was called The Maj and Gunnar Sønstevold Music Institute.

Maj was also an important person in the Norwegian music world. She was on the board of several music organizations. These included the Music Information Centre Norway, the Norwegian Society of Composers, and the Norwegian Academy of Music. These groups help support and promote music in Norway.

Her Music

Maj Sønstevold wrote many different kinds of music. She composed jazz music, which is a lively style often played with improvisation. She also wrote light music, which is usually easy to listen to and enjoy. Sometimes, she wrote avant-garde music. This is a more experimental and modern style of music.

Her music was used in many places. She wrote music for:

• Theatre plays
• Movies
• Radio shows
• Television programs

Besides that, she also composed music for:

• Full orchestras (large groups of musicians)
• Chamber ensembles (smaller groups of musicians)
• Choirs (groups of singers)
• Solo instruments (music for just one instrument)

Selected Works

Here are some examples of the music Maj Sønstevold created:

Film Music

Maj wrote music that helped tell stories in movies. Some of her film scores include:

• Skøytekongen (1953)
• Trost i taklampa (1955)
• Toya (1956)
• Elias Rekefisker (1958)
• Lån meg din kone (1958)
• Støv på hjernen (1959)
• Millionær for en aften (1960)
• Venner (1960)
• Villmarken kaller (1964)
• Fjolls til fjells (1957) – with her husband, Gunnar Sønstevold
• Ann Magrit (1965) – with Gunnar Sønstevold
• Fridtjof Nansen (1965) – with Gunnar Sønstevold

Music for Stage Productions

She also wrote music for plays performed on a stage:

• Amor og Psyche (1968)
• Bjurra (1969)
• Frøken Rosita (1969)
• Skandaleskolen (1969)
• Selma Brøter (1970)
• Dickie Dick Dickens (1962) – with Gunnar Sønstevold
• Benoni og Rosa (1975) – with Gunnar Sønstevold

Orchestral Works

These are pieces written for a large orchestra:

• Sørlandssommer (1956)
• Den gamle majors forunderlige drømmer (1969)
• Balladen om Selma Brøter (1979)
• Festouvertyre (1983)

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, often played in a smaller room or "chamber":

• Tema med variasjoner for to diskantinstrumenter og slagverk (1965)
• Ni haiku for fløyte, harpe og altstemme (1966)
• Stillhet for åtte stemmer, fløyte, klarinett, fiolin, cello, klaver og slagverk (1978)
• Ithaca for baryton, fiolin, cello, harpe, klaver (1983)

Piano Music

Maj Sønstevold also wrote many pieces specifically for the piano:

• Suite (1963)
• Tema med variasjoner (1963)
• Sonate (1964)
• 11 polytonale blues (1978)
• Per apera ad astra (1983)

Choir Music

She composed music for children's choirs too:

• I Nasaret for barnekor, Orff-instrumenter og fløyte (1980)