Composers / Arne Nordheim / Places catalog

Larvik church

Larvik church was commissioned in 1677. It is located in the Tollerodden part of the town, quite some distance from the buildings surrounding the port. Arne Nordheim liked the sound of the organ and visited frequently to listen to the music of the organist Oskar Meier Hansen. He also earned some money as an organ blower and was allowed to try out the instrument. As he showed so much interest in organ music, his father bought him a pump organ.

Nordheim was a boy scout, and one of the tasks of the scouts was to ring the church bells on New Year’s Eve. It was a physical task, and Arne was always happy when he could pull the ropes and hear the strong fundamental tone and enthralling overtones, as well as the harmonies that arose when the sounds of all three church bells mixed together. He was a bell-ringer for ten years. His greatest experience there came on 8 May 1945, when the scouts rang the bells to celebrate the restoration of peace in Norway. It was not just a single swing to make the rings bell. They were to ring without stopping, and the clapper was to strike the sound rim directly and quickly. It was hard work, so with each smaller bell there were two boys standing on stools, ringing in alternation for fifteen minutes. For the next quarter of an hour, the larger bells were rung with ropes, and then the cycle repeated. Arne remembered that feeling forever, especially the moment when the window shutters in the belfry were opened and the sound of the bells was let out into the world. Later, bells would always play an important role in his music.

When he wasn’t listening to the playing of Oskar Meier Hansen or pulling the bell ropes, Nordheim liked to take strolls in the church’s graveyard. He taught himself to count by counting the dates on the gravestones. Nordheim liked to visit graveyards for the rest of his life.

www.larvik.kirken.no

Place Category
13 Øvre Jegerborggate, Larvik Other
3 Olavsgate, Larvik Other
Artists' House Other
Arts Council Norway Other
Bayreuth Appearances
Bekkelaget Sewage Treatment Plant Other
Bergen Festival Appearances
Brekstad in Ørland commune Other
British Broadcasting Corporation Radio / TV
Calmeyergaten Mission House Appearances
City Hall Other
Concertgebouw Appearances
Concert Palace Appearances
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Den Nationale Scene Appearances
Edition Wilhelm Hansen
Publishers / Bookshops
Feliks Nowowiejski Warmia and Masuria Philharmonic Appearances
Festiviteten Other
Grieghallen Appearances
“Grotto” Flats
Håkonshallen Appearances
Henie-Onstad Art Centre in Baerum Education
Hergisheim Flats
International Bach Academy Appearances
Israeli Radio Radio / TV
Israel Music Institute Other
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance Other
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Appearances
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Appearances
Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Education
Larvik church Churches / Places of worship
Lillehammer – Winter Olympic Games Other
Lodge Theatre Performance spaces
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Appearances
National Library Education
National Theatre Performance spaces
Netherlands Dance Theatre
New Music Association
Nidaros Cathedral Churches / Places of worship
Norwegian Academy of Music Education
Norwegian Opera Other
Norwegian Opera at the Folk Theatre Appearances
Norwegian Society of Composers Other
Norwegian Theatre I Other
Norwegian Theatre II Other
Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU Education
NOTAM Education
NRK radio and television Radio / TV
Observatory Other
Old Lodge (Gamle Logen) Appearances
Orchester der Württembergischen Staatsoper Appearances
Osaka Congress Hall (EXPO 70)
Oslo Cathedral Churches / Places of worship
Oslo Conservatory of Music Education
Oslo Philharmonic Appearances
Polish Radio Experimental Studio Radio / TV
Quality Hotel Grand Farris Hotels / Inns
“Rendezvous” for strings Appearances
Rombergata School Education, Other
Royal Norwegian Consulate General, New York Other
Royal Swedish Academy of Music Education
Santori Horu (Suntory Hall) Appearances
Storedal Cultural Centre Other
Swedish Radio Radio / TV
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg Appearances
Teatro La Fenice Performance spaces
Theatre Café Coffeehouses
Town Hall in Gdańsk Other
Trento Other
University Aula Other
Wailing Wall Churches / Places of worship
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Witold Lutosławski Society Other