Mogens Wöldike

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Mogens Wöldike (born July 5, 1897 in Copenhagen ; † October 20, 1988 there ) was a Danish conductor , choir director and founder and organist who was known beyond Scandinavia for his baroque and classical interpretations .

life and work

Mogens Wöldike passed his organist exam at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in 1916 and became organist at the Reformert Kirke in Copenhagen in 1919 . He was a student of Carl Nielsen and Thomas Linnemann Laub and studied music history at the University of Copenhagen until his doctorate in 1920 .

Since the 1920s Wöldike played an important role in the musical life of Denmark as a musicologist and musician. In 1921 he became cantor at Holmens Kirke in Copenhagen , where he also took over the position of organist from Laub in 1924. In the same year he founded Denmark's first boys' choir, which was integrated into the municipal Sankt Annæ Gymnasium in 1929 and developed into Denmark's official singing school. As the royal choir of Københavns Drengekor , it has resided at Copenhagen Cathedral since 1959 . In 1931 Wöldike became organist at the Christiansborg Palace Church ( Christiansborg Slotskirke ), from 1959 to 1972 he held this position at the Copenhagen Cathedral.

In 1932 Wöldike founded the Danish Radio Choir Copenhagen , from 1943 to 1945 he was conductor of the orchestra of Radio Sweden and from 1950 to 1976 conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. After the Second World War , he gained international reputation through regular guest conductors and tours in Europe and the United States.

Among many other recordings, he published Masterpieces of Music before 1750 and all of Buxtehude's cantatas . Some of his recordings, which spread his fame around the world, are still available in excerpts: Bach's St. Matthew Passion , Handel's Saul and Messias , some Haydn symphonies and his Missa in tempore belli , as well as compositions by his teacher Carl Nielsen.

Awards and honors

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wöldike, Mogens
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish conductor, choir director and organist
DATE OF BIRTH July 5, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Copenhagen
DATE OF DEATH October 20, 1988
Place of death Copenhagen