Frederick Melius Christiansen
USABiography of Frederick Melius Christiansen
Frederick Melius Christiansen was an American violinist and choral conductor of Norwegian descent, known for his work in the Lutheran choral tradition. He was born on April 1, 1871, in Eidsvoll, Akershus, Norway, the son of a Norwegian factory worker. At the age of 17, he emigrated to the United States and settled in Washburn, Wisconsin.
Education and Career
Christiansen studied at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1897, at the age of 26, he returned to Europe to pursue a three-year course of study at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig, Germany. After his return to the United States in 1901, Christiansen received an offer from John Nathan Kildahl, a priest, writer, and president of St. Olaf College, to lead the college's student Lutheran choir.
St. Olaf Choir
Although the official founding date of the St. Olaf Choir is 1912, it actually originated much earlier, based on a choir from St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minnesota. Christiansen led the choir for the next thirty years, aiming to achieve impeccable intonation, diction, and phrasing from the singers. He was an experienced conductor, leading not only choirs but also other musical ensembles.
Under Christiansen's leadership, the St. Olaf Choir gained international recognition. In 1906, he took the choir on a tour to Norway, where they performed in the presence of King Haakon VII. This tour made the St. Olaf Choir the first American student musical ensemble to embark on international tours. Christiansen's love for the violin notwithstanding, he became renowned as the founder and conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in Northfield, Minnesota, officially leading it from 1912 to 1944.
Legacy
Frederick Melius Christiansen is considered one of the American pioneers in a cappella choral music. He composed and arranged over 250 musical works for his choir, and his choral methods spread throughout the United States thanks to his choir's alumni. His choral tradition is now considered an integral part and characteristic feature of American Lutheranism.
Christiansen had four children who all contributed to the development of their father's choral traditions in America. Jake Christiansen became a coach and head of the physical education department at Concordia College, and a stadium was named after him in his honor. Dr. Olaf Christiansen succeeded his father as the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir and head of the music department at St. Olaf College, serving in these roles for over twenty years. Dr. Paul J. Christiansen directed The Concordia Choir from 1937 to 1986, turning it into one of the world's top student choirs. Like his father, he also composed and arranged numerous choral works. Elsa Christiansen married and assisted Kurt Wycisk, the manager of the Concordia Choir.
