Tekla Griebel (1866-1940) studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen from 1889–1891, and she gained some public success and acknowledgement in the 1890s. In 1893–94, five collections of songs were published at Den Kgl. Hofmusikhandel; in 1895 she debuted as a ballet composer when her music for the ballet I Rosentiden was performed at the Women’s Exhibition, and she also debuted as an opera composer when her opera Skøn Karen was performed at Breslau Stadttheater; and in 1899, the same opera was performed at The Royal Danish Theatre. In 1899, she also wrote the first of a series of cantatas for events connected with the Danish Women’s Rights Movement.
In 1902 she married the theologian Frederik Wandall, and in 1904 they had a son. According to Tekla Griebel herself, the marriage was one of convenience, intended to provide the financial security that was necessary for her to have time to compose. However, Frederik Wandall abandoned his calling as a priest and attempted (with limited success) to establish himself as a poet. Therefore, it was Tekla Griebel who had to earn money for the household, primarily by giving private lessons in singing, piano, music theory and music history. Griebel slowly disappeared from the public Danish music scene and never managed to regain the position she had in the 1890s. However, Griebel continued to compose music throughout her life and made sure that her manuscripts were passed on to the Royal Library after her death.
A five-episode podcast series produced by the National Museum of Denmark tells the story about the life and work of Tekla Griebel Wandall. Listen here.
The publication of Tekla Griebel Wandall's Collected Songs is edited by Thomas Husted Kirkegaard, Ph.D. in musicology. The publication includes an introduction to the work, its genesis and reception history, general comments on the philological work as well as a thorough description of the sources and an overview of editorial changes.
Browse Tekla Griebel Wandall's Collected Songs and find more information here.
NEW PUBLICATION SERIES: DANISH CLASSICAL MUSIC
The publication series Danish Classical Music (DCM) aims to make Danish musical heritage accessible for musicians and researchers in Denmark and abroad by providing reliable and meticulous practical-scholarly music editions. The ambition is thus to take over the baton from the Danish Centre for Music Publication which operated as a research centre under the Royal Library from 2009 to 2019 publishing practical-scholarly editions of high philological quality.
The publication of Tekla Griebel Wandall's Collected Songs is part of an introductory project within DCM that specifically focuses on Danish women composers – a group of composers for whom the need for scholarly-critical and practically useful editions is particularly pronounced, given that much of their music was not published during their lifetime and has rarely been performed. The hope is that this publication can help disseminate an overlooked yet important repertoire in Danish musical heritage among musicians, researchers, and other interested parties.
Find more information about the publication series Danish Classical Music here.