Agathe Backer-Grøndahl (1847–1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist, widely celebrated in her time and considered one of Scandinavia’s foremost musical figures of the 19th century. Born in Holmestrand into a culturally engaged and well-off family, she received her first piano lessons from her parents, both amateur musicians. After the family moved to Christiania (now Oslo), she studied with composer and pianist Halfdan Kjerulf, who quickly recognized her exceptional talent.
ELNA - Norwegian Folk Songs, op. 34
Against the conventions of the era, her parents eventually supported her professional ambitions, and in 1865 she began studies in piano and composition at Theodor Kullak’s conservatory in Berlin. Upon returning to Norway in 1868, she made a sensational debut performing Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto under the baton of Edvard Grieg. Her debut as a composer followed shortly, with two orchestral works that were warmly received. She later pursued further piano studies with Hans von Bülow in Florence and Franz Liszt in Weimar.
From the early 1870s, Backer-Grøndahl enjoyed a remarkable career as a concert pianist, touring extensively throughout Scandinavia. In 1875, she was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and married conductor Olaus Andreas Grøndahl, with whom she had three sons. She balanced family life with concertizing, teaching, and composing whenever time allowed.
In the mid-1890s, her health and nerves began to decline, and she withdrew from public performance. However, at the urging of her close friend Edvard Grieg, she returned to the stage in 1890 with a triumphant performance of his piano concerto at the Bergen Music Festival. She continued performing for devoted audiences in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark until her final years.
Agathe Backer-Grøndahl died in 1907 at her home on Ormøya, near Oslo, nearly completely deaf. Her legacy endures as a pioneering female composer and a central figure in Norwegian musical life.
