Swedish organist, composer, and conductor Elfrida Andrée was born on 19 February 1841 in Visby, Sweden. She and her two siblings were given their first music lessons by their father, who was a physician and amateur musician. Her sister, Fredrika Andrée Stenhammar, became an opera singer.
She studied composition with Ludvig Norman at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (1860) and Niels Gade (1870); to study the organ she had to enrol as an ‘external student’ because women were officially not allowed in the organ classes. The law was based on Saint Paul’s edict ‘women must be silent in church.’ Elfrida and her father fought for four years to have Parliament change the law, and succeeded in 1861.
She was the first woman in Sweden to graduate as an organist (1857−60), starting work in Stockholm (1862-1867) and then becoming a cathedral organist; she took the position of organist and music director of Gothenburg Cathedral in 1867 (after persuading the Swedish king to revoke a ban against women) and remained there until she died in Gothenburg on 11 January 1929.
She was a female pioneer in Sweden, as a composer of over 100 works, including chamber music and two symphonies, and as an orchestral conductor (she was the first Swedish woman to conduct a symphony orchestra, in 1897). Andrée’s two organ symphonies are still performed today. Her other compositions included the opera Fritiofs saga, a piano trio, quartet and quintet, string quartets and pieces for violin and for piano, two masses, a choral ballade Snöfrid, and lieder.
Her manuscripts, diaries, letters, and memorabilia are preserved in the Statens Musikbibliotek in Stockholm (The Music Library of Sweden, formerly Musikaliska akademiens bibliotek).
Piano recording of Julstämning (Christmas Spirit), 1m 43s: https://youtu.be/-mzv5skDy1s
Original sheet music source: https://www.swedishmusicalheritage.com/composers/andree-elfrida/SMH-W3333-Julstamning
Biography info source:
https://www.swedishmusicalheritage.com/composers/andree-elfrida/
More fascinating info on Swedish female music pioneer Elfrida Andrée (from page 11):
http://www.maudpowell.org/signature/Portals/0/pdfs/signature/Signature_Autumn_2008.pdf
