Although a pianist by training and by trade, Stenhammar composed in many different genres, including string quartet and song. In fact, his vocal compositions are so highly regarded in Scandinavia that the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition – a singing competition – requires a song by him to be presented by each vocalist.

He was brought up in a musical home in Stockholm and had several piano teachers. (He took a conservatory degree in organ, having trained in that also.) He eventually gave over 1000 concerts in Sweden alone. He was also very active as a chamber musician, and eventually wrote six highly regarded string quartets. Largely self-taught as a conductor, Stenhammar nevertheless became one of the important conductors in Sweden around the turn of the 20th century, including the post as music director of the Gothenburg Orchestral Society from 1907 to 1923.

Unfortunately, he left us only a few works for solo piano before his death in 1927 in Gothenburg.


--Kautsch, S.


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