Composer. He was a leader of the Danish folk music revival of the early 20th century, and his compositions, mostly songs, exemplified his country's native traditions. The best known works include "The Snowflakes are Dancing", "The Sparrow Sits Silent in the Attic", "He Comes with the Summer", and "I See the Light Beech Islands". Born in Rolsted on the island of Funen, Denmark, he was initially trained as a violinist. He studied music at the Copenhagen Conservatory (1900 to 1902) and privately with composers Carl Nielsen and Thomas Laub (1903 to 1905), before settling in Ryslinge, Funen as a high school teacher and church organist. For the rest of his life he was dedicated to the renewal of Danish communal singing, especially among students, not only for musical reasons but to help promote new poetry. With Nielsen and Laub he edited the very successful "Folkehøjskolens Melodibog" ("Folk High School Melody Book," 1922), a collection of nearly 700 Danish folk songs, old and new. It went through 10 updated editions before Aagaard's death and had a lasting effect on Danish popular music. He also wrote hymns, cantatas, and a handful of instrumental pieces. A statue of him stands in Aagaard Square in Ryslinge.
Composer. He was a leader of the Danish folk music revival of the early 20th century, and his compositions, mostly songs, exemplified his country's native traditions. The best known works include "The Snowflakes are Dancing", "The Sparrow Sits Silent in the Attic", "He Comes with the Summer", and "I See the Light Beech Islands". Born in Rolsted on the island of Funen, Denmark, he was initially trained as a violinist. He studied music at the Copenhagen Conservatory (1900 to 1902) and privately with composers Carl Nielsen and Thomas Laub (1903 to 1905), before settling in Ryslinge, Funen as a high school teacher and church organist. For the rest of his life he was dedicated to the renewal of Danish communal singing, especially among students, not only for musical reasons but to help promote new poetry. With Nielsen and Laub he edited the very successful "Folkehøjskolens Melodibog" ("Folk High School Melody Book," 1922), a collection of nearly 700 Danish folk songs, old and new. It went through 10 updated editions before Aagaard's death and had a lasting effect on Danish popular music. He also wrote hymns, cantatas, and a handful of instrumental pieces. A statue of him stands in Aagaard Square in Ryslinge.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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