Maj Sønstevold

Maj Sønstevold (1917–1996) was a Swedish composer who lived and worked in Norway.

Biography

Maj Sønstevold was born in Sollefteå, Sweden. She studied piano in Stockholm and with Billy Mayerl in London. She married Norwegian composer Gunnar Sønstevold and in 1945 moved to Norway where she worked as a composer and music teacher. Later she and her family spent time in Vienna where she studied with Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske and graduated in composition in 1966 from the Akademisches Hauptseminar.^[1]

From 1971–1985 Sønstevold taught in the Music Department of Oslo University. In 1974 she and her husband founded The Maj and Gunnar Sønstevold Music Institute in Rakkestad.^[2]

Works

Maj Sønstevold composed jazz, light music and avant garde music for theatre, film, radio and television. She also composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir and solo instrument.^[3] Selected works include:

• Den gamle majors forunderlige drømme (The Strange Dreams Of The Old Major)
• Summerdays by the Sea
• Festival Ouverture
• Neun Haiku for alto voice, flute and harp
• 11 Polytonal Blues for piano

References

1. ^ Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (2001). The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians: Volume 23. 
2. ^ "Maj Sønstevold - Biography". http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2002100719384738893110. Retrieved 22 November 2010. 
3. ^ Dees, Pamela Youngdahl (2004). A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers: Women born after 1900. 

Persondata
Name	Sonstevold, Maj
Alternative names
Short description	Composer
Date of birth	1917
Place of birth	Solefteå, Sweden
Date of death	1996
Place of death