Dag Wirén

Dag Ivar Wirén (15 October 1905 – 19 April 1986) was a Swedish composer. Best known for his Serenade for Strings (1937), his career was mainly spent in Stockholm, aside from a stint in Paris during his early studies. Life and career Wirén was born at Striberg near Nora on 15 October 1905. His father had a roller blind factory, and there were various musical activities in the family home; he took piano lessons, and was a student at the Karolinska school in Örebro, and played the bass drum and celesta in the town orchestra. Wirén studied at the Stockholm conservatory from 1926 to 1931, which gave him much exposure to music from all periods; hearing Arthur Honegger’s oratorio King David in 1927 was an important experience. In 1934, Wirén moved to Stockholm with his bride, the Irish cellist, Noel Franks, whom he had met in Paris; their daughter, Annika, was born in 1947. He was music critic at the “Svenska Morgonbladet” from 1938 to 1946, and in 1947 became vice-chairman of the Society of Swedish Composers. From 1948, he spent summers on the island of Björkö, in Stockholm’s archipelago. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Royal Swedish Opera from 1962 to 1971. His TV