Fartein Valen

Fartein Olav Valen was born on August 25, 1887, in Stavanger, spending early childhood years in Madagascar where his parents served as missionaries. He studied organ and composition in Christiania and at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik under Max Bruch.

Valen developed an entirely individual system of atonal counterpoint rooted in J.S. Bach's polyphony and profound Christian mysticism. Living in reclusive seclusion on his family homestead in Valevåg, he composed four austere, exquisite symphonies and orchestral poems, including Kirkegården ved havet (The Churchyard by the Sea, Op. 20) and Sonetto di Michelangelo. Glenn Gould hailed Valen's Piano Sonata No. 2 as one of the supreme masterpieces of 20th-century piano literature.