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| Commemorative stele of Rikard Nordraak in Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche cemetery, March 20th, 2015, on the 149th anniversary of his death © Emmanuelle Chaze |
Rikard Nordraak (1842-1866) was a Norwegian composer. Born in Oslo in 1842, he was destined by his family to pursue a career in trade, but his musical gifts led him to compose and gain recognition for his works while still a student. From 1859, he studied in Berlin and Copenhagen.
He died from tuberculosis aged 24, in 1866, and was initially buried to the Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche cemetery in Kreuzberg, before his remains were brought to his native city of Oslo. Cousin of the writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, he collaborated with him, and together with the poet composed the Norwegian national anthem, Ja, vi elsker dette landet.
The National Library of Norway digitized some of Nordraak's works such as the Nordraakiana, posthumously completed and published by composer Johan Halvorsen. Nordraak's friend Edvard Grieg, the composer of Peer Gynt, dedicated a funeral march to him:
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