Jeppe  Ernst
Photo: Niklas Ottander

Jeppe Ernst

(1985-)

With his radically reduced works, Jeppe Ernst fundamentally questions our traditional ways of thinking about music, both in terms of the musical expression itself and the way it is presented to us. By removing all unnecessary layers of a work Jeppe Ernst seeks to illuminate its most essential idea, often eliminating one or more of the most basic musical parameters in the process – such as, for example, the audible sound.

Demonstrating a both open-minded and historically aware approach to composing, Jeppe Ernst is already considered one of the most original voices of his generation. At the same time, his music displays compelling social and intimate aspects as it often breaks with traditional performance practices and is performed for a single person or without the intervention of any musicians at all.

‘Private music’ is a term used by Jeppe Ernst to describe a series of works written directly for a reader or a single musician without any intention of being performed for an audience. That is the case for the 24 songs in ‘Songbook’: The first half of the songs are written for the reader’s imagination, with up to six simultaneous ‘voices’ following simple rhythmic instructions – from the imagined sound of explosions and thunder to birds crossing the sky or a child’s kiss on the cheek. The poetic character of the songs becomes more tangible in the second half of the songs, in which you are encouraged to use your body in the same kind of rhythmic patterns: by smiling, kissing into the air, bending in the knees or squeezing your buttocks, for example.

Jeppe Ernst studied composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 2017 he was named the first recipient of the Pelle Prize, awarded to ‘a young artist who dares to challenge the standards of his time’.

Available Works

  1. ANATOMISK SANGBOG

    2020 • Jeppe Ernst

    Solo

    24 minutes

    Male body

  2. Sakramente (Natsange)

    2018 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    33 minutes

    1 female performer and 3 male performers

  3. Præludium (Aftensange)

    2019 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    22 minutes

    2 female and 2 male musicians

  4. Offertorium: Bøn

    2017 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    3 male and 3 female performers

  5. Offertorium: Behandling A, B, C

    2017 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    24 minutes

    Male and female performers

  6. Monodi (Etude IX)

    2017 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    6 minutes

    Two performers

  7. Etudes (Book II)

    2016 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    24 minutes

    Facial muscles

  8. Mass for a Human Body

    2016 • Jeppe Ernst

    2-6 Instruments

    25 minutes

    Two male and two female performers

  9. Nocturnes (for the human mind)

    2019 • Jeppe Ernst

    Solo

  10. Sangbog

    2017 • Jeppe Ernst

    Solo

    24 songs for the reader's imagination and body

  11. Monument

    2016 • Jeppe Ernst

    Orchestra

    14 minutes

    Symphony orchestra, female voice, and video




Advanced works search

News

  1. Jeppe Ernst world premiere: Nocturnes (for a human body)

    general

    Jeppe Ernst world premiere: Nocturnes (for a human body)

  2. Watch Anatomisk Sangbog online

    releases

    Watch Anatomisk Sangbog online

  3. Work Grants from the Danish Arts Foundation 2023

    nominations / awards

    Work Grants from the Danish Arts Foundation 2023

  1. Anatomical Songbook at Medical Museion

    general

    Anatomical Songbook at Medical Museion

  2. Work Grants from the Danish Arts Foundation

    general

    Work Grants from the Danish Arts Foundation

  3. Reviews · KLANG Festival 2021

    reviews

    Reviews · KLANG Festival 2021

  4. Jeppe Ernst World Premiere

    general

    Jeppe Ernst World Premiere

  5. KLANG festival 2021

    general

    KLANG festival 2021

  6. Significant work grants for Edition·S composers

    nominations / awards

    Significant work grants for Edition·S composers

  7. Video release · Jeppe Ernst

    releases

    Video release · Jeppe Ernst

  8. New publications · Jeppe Ernst

    releases

    New publications · Jeppe Ernst

  9. Reviews · SPOR festival

    general

    Reviews · SPOR festival

  10. World Premieres · Rønsholdt, Nielsen, Black & Ernst at SPOR

    general

    World Premieres · Rønsholdt, Nielsen, Black & Ernst at SPOR

  11. Significant grants for Edition·S composers 2020

    general

    Significant grants for Edition·S composers 2020

  12. Edition·S composers at Dark Music Days

    general

    Edition·S composers at Dark Music Days

  13. Jeppe Ernst - represented by Edition·S

    general

    Jeppe Ernst - represented by Edition·S

  14. 5-star review of Pulsar opening concert

    general

    5-star review of Pulsar opening concert

  15. PULSAR: Interviews with three composition students

    general

    PULSAR: Interviews with three composition students

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Calendar

  1. November 2021
  2. 24

    November

    Jeppe Ernst: Apoteose (sang I-III)

    time19:00

    location Sound of Stockholm, KMH, Stockholm, Sweden

    performed by NEKO3

  3. 28

    November

    Jeppe Ernst: 4 Interludes

    time19:00

    location Inter Arts Center, Malmø, Sweden

    performed by Trio Krumbuktus

  4. 29

    November

    Jeppe Ernst: 4 Interludes

    time20:00

    location Moderne Mandag, Metronomen, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    performed by Trio Krumbuktus