Ture Rangström

Anders Johan Ture Rangström (30 November 1884 – 11 May 1947) belonged to a new generation of Swedish composers who, in the first decade of the 20th century, introduced modernism to their compositions. In addition to composing, Rangström was also a musical critic and conductor. Biography Rangström was born in Stockholm, where in his late teens he started to write songs. His music teacher suggested that he should “vary the harmonies a bit more, make it a bit wilder!” He followed this advice and soon gained the nickname among his colleagues of “Sturm-und-Drangström”. He travelled to Berlin where he studied under Hans Pfitzner for a while in 1905–6, and also studied singing with the Wagnerian Julius Hey, with whom he later went to Munich for further studies. He founded the Swedish Society of Composers in 1918, and he was employed to promote the works of the Royal Swedish Opera from 1931 to 1936. After this he worked freelance and spent the summers on the island of Törnsholmen which he had been given by the people of Sweden who raised the money to celebrate his fiftieth birthday. Ett midsommarstycke (A midsummer piece) and En höstsång (An autumn song). Following the success of these poe