PUBLICATIONS

The single word ”alleluia” is used as the basis for harmonic exploration as the slowly moving pulsed a cappella harmonies build and diminish. Feature a soprano soloist or the section on an ethereal descant that elevates the texture to sublime heights. ”This piece came about for two different reasons. The initial musical idea evolved while I was working on a short study for piano, so the piece was strictly instrumental. The other idea stemmed from a discussion with my friend and mentor Dr Phillip Cooke, about why the word “Alleluia” is so commonly used in choral music. Apart from the obvious reasons – “Alleluia” being a significant word in the sacred music tradition, and so on – we discussed the multiple possibilities a composer has with a word like that, in the sense that different syllables can be stressed, such as alleluia, alleluia or alleluia. This was something I used as the other structural building block in the composition, and I added “Alleluia” as the only word, but with the emphasis moving to different syllables throughout the piece. For me, the setting of a single word like “Alleluia” is far from any texts I usually set. The word, however, has a strong anchorage in musical tradition and composers have always set this word in all kinds of different ways. In this composition, I am interested in the word itself, the build-up of the word, the structure of the music, and adding something to the musical tradition of setting this famous word to music. This piece was premiered by the University of Aberdeen Chapel Choir at King’s College Chapel in Aberdeen, Scotland. The performance was conducted by their Director of Chapel and Ceremonial Music, Stuart Muir.”

This poem by Emily Dickinson is, as much of her poetry, about life, death, and the afterlife. What happens to us when we die? And is death just another beginning? A new dawn? The piece arose from a composer’s residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada, where I had the opportunity to work with all professional choir Pro Coro Canada, their conductor Michael Zaugg, and the Danish/Swedish conductor Lone Larsen. The focus point for the piece was to explore how I, as a composer, could find new ways to utilise the many different timbres of the human voice and what it is capable of producing, and even if I, by no means explored any extreme qualities of the voice, I broadened my own perspective as a composer. In the music, I have tried to bring out the conflict between death and dawn, and musically I want people to feel that they are on the verge of something they do not know. The fear we feel, facing something new and uncertain, standing in the middle looking back, not knowing if we are at the end of the road, the sunset, or at the beginning of something new: the dawn.

"God's Great Dust Storm" comes from the Norwegian group Katzenjammer and was released in 2011 on their CD "A Kiss Before You Go." I have arranged this dramatic music upon the request of Jan Yngwe and the Vocal Art Ensemble of Sweden. – Henrik Dahlgren

"God's Great Dust Storm" comes from the Norwegian group Katzenjammer and was released in 2011 on their CD "A Kiss Before You Go." I first arranged this dramatic music for mixed choir upon the request of Jan Yngwe and the Vocal Art Ensemble of Sweden. The female choir version was later created for Carolinae Röster and their conductor Ulrika Emanuelsson. – Henrik Dahlgren

Edgar Allan Poe’s poem appealed to me since it is so versatile. At the same time as it is expressing a hope for a brighter future it has a darkness and seriousness over it. The text originates from a song that is sung by the character Morella in Poe’s short story with the same name, but it has since then been published as a stand alone poem with the title ’A Catholic Hymn’. In a letter, Poe crosses out the word ’catholic’ and thus leaves us with ’A Hymn’. The text, which had been in one of my drawers for many years was perfect when my former mentor and now good friend Anita Andersson asked for a piece for one of her youth choirs. Anita and I both new that we wanted a somewhat ’semi-sacred’ text and it was important for us that the piece worked both during sacred occasions and as concert music. Poe’s poem was perfect!For me personally, the text evokes an inner picture. A picture of a dramatic coast line where a storm slowly builds up in the horizon and where a woman sings the hymn to mother Mary. At first very clear but later more clouded by the sound of the storm. At last the storm passes and all that is left is the sound of the waves against the shore. Poe’s poem is timeless and will unfortunately always be urgent in its hope for a brighter future. – Henrik Dahlgren

When Henri Dunant, in 1863, first introduced the Red Cross, he gave the organisation the following motto: INTER ARMA CARITAS, which translates into ‘In war, charity’. What later followed, not least the events of the Second World War, awakens a longing to expand this motto into POST ARMA CARITAS, ‘Following war, charity’. And in the future, the human race may possibly attain what could be expressed as: PRO ARMIS CARITAS, ‘Instead of arms, charity’.” (The closing words of Folke Bernadotte’s book Instead of Arms.) The book Instead of Arms, written by Bernadotte near the end of his life, was published only days before he was killed. It is widely regarded as his testament, but sadly, his hopes for a better future have not yet materialized 70 years later. – Henrik Dahlgren

Composers constantly have to deal with a lack of inspiration, writer’s block, or the dreaded blank page syndrome. This happened to me in 2016, in the middle of a commissioned piece. I managed to re-ignite my creative fires by using Gregorian themes as an inspiration: To me, these hymns personify the pursuit of simplicity, a way to enhance an existing melody and established lyrics. The pieces are short and for me, as a composer, a creative way to relax – and hopefully listeners will find them soothing as well. – Henrik Dahlgren

A Mass for two-part choir and piano, composed by two composers from the younger generation of contemporary music, myself and Martina Tomner. Our Missa ordinarium combines a simple structure with an exciting tonal language, making it suitable, not only for children's choir but also for treble choirs, church choirs, or youth choirs. The Mass was originally written for a children's choir and a joint commission by the Lund Sacred Contemporary Music Festival in 2018. It can be performed as a whole or as parts of a worship service. - Henrik Dahlgren

This piece came together in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. And while watching our society fall apart, I was struck by the reality of how insignificant we are as a species. The passage from Psalm 103 comparing mortals to grass has been on my mind for quite some time, and I have been looking for an opportunity to set it to music. I choose to focus on the first line “Homo, sicut fenum dies ejus”, in English, “The life of mortals is like grass”, so fitting for the ongoing pandemic. The piece is structured around the idea of canon and repetition, and the motifs are sung throughout different parts as a soft wind sweeping through the choir … A sparse compositional texture evolves, depicting the fragility of the human race. Preferably this piece should be sung in a venue with a great deal of reverb, making the single voices blend into a homogenous whole. I could easily see how the choir could be placed around the audience or spread out in a way that would make the different motifs come from different directions. – Henrik Dahlgren

In 2017, I was commissioned by the male voice choir Svanholm Singers to write a work for inclusion in a concert marking 70 years since the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Choosing a text was difficult. I came across upon a poem by Maya Angelou, but it struck me as being too powerful and emotional for the music I was writing to carry it; everything I composed sounded banal next to Angelou’s words. I soon realized that I could use silence to enhance the text, rather than heaping layers and layers of music upon it. Silence is both terrifying and serious – in a sense, it is the only adequate counterpoint to the poetry. So, I decided to build the piece on silence. Though the beginning of the piece is the opposite of silence – a scream of desperation –, I followed that outburst by cutting the poem’s stanzas into single words, repeated in a different order each time, almost in the manner of a mantra. Finally, they end up in the right order and suddenly the words take on their rightful meaning. I hope, in this way, the music is equally powerful as the words. Son to Mother has been well-received and has gone on to become one of the most widely performed pieces I have written. It has been performed at various festivals and in various countries, including Taiwan, France and China – where it only just made it past the government censors. This version is an adaptation for mixed choir of the original male choir version. – Henrik Dahlgren

In 2017, I was commissioned by the Svanholm Singers to write a work for inclusion in a concert marking 70 years since the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Choosing a text was difficult. I came across upon a poem by American poet Maya Angelou, but it struck me as being too powerful and emotional for the music I was writing to carry it; everything I composed sounded banal next to Angelou’s words. I soon realized that I could use silence to enhance the text, rather than heaping layers and layers of music upon it. Silence is both terrifying and serious – in a sense, it is the only adequate counterpoint to the poetry. So, I decided to build the piece on silence. Though the beginning of the piece is the opposite of silence – a scream of desperation – I followed that outburst by cutting the poem’s stanzas into single words, repeated in a different order each time, almost in the manner of a mantra. Finally, they end up in the right order and suddenly the words take on their rightful meaning. I hope, in this way, the music is equally powerful as the words. Son to Mother has been well-received and has gone on to become one of the most widely performed pieces I have written. It has been performed at various festivals and in various countries, including Taiwan, France and China – where it only just made it past the government censors. – Henrik Dahlgren

"The Hymn Of Acxiom" was released on the album "Aims" by songwriter and artist Vienna Teng in 2013. The lyrics highlight the human role in consumer society by giving voice to the large company Acxiom, which collects data about us to sell to other companies in order to track our habits. "Somebody hears you… Someone is learning the colors of all your moods." The piece concludes with an unexpected 'Amen'. Has consumption replaced our need for deeper meaning and spirituality? In September 2015, the CD "Urgency of Now" (Footprint Records) was released featuring the choir Vocal Art Ensemble of Sweden and conductor Jan Yngwe, where "The Hymn of Acxiom" can be heard. – Henrik Dahlgren

"The Hymn Of Acxiom" was released on the album "Aims" by songwriter and artist Vienna Teng in 2013. The lyrics highlight the human role in consumer society by giving voice to the large company Acxiom, which collects data about us to sell to other companies in order to track our habits. "Somebody hears you… Someone is learning the colors of all your moods." The piece concludes with an unexpected 'Amen'. Has consumption replaced our need for deeper meaning and spirituality? In September 2015, the CD "Urgency of Now" (Footprint Records) was released featuring the choir Vocal Art Ensemble of Sweden and conductor Jan Yngwe, where the mixed choir version of "The Hymn of Acxiom" can be heard. – Henrik Dahlgren

My arrangement of Wake Me Up by the Swedish musician and dj Avicii was created as a tribute, only days after the tragic news about his suicide. It is a complete reimagination of the original, soft and meditative in character. The original version for male choir was premiered by the Svanholm Singers and their conductor Sofia Söderberg. It is also available for mixed choir and female choir. - Henrik Dahlgren

My arrangement of Wake Me Up by the Swedish musician and dj Avicii was created as a tribute, only days after the tragic news about his suicide. It is a complete reimagination of the original, soft and meditative in character. The original version for male choir was premiered by the Svanholm Singers and their conductor Sofia Söderberg. It is also available for mixed choir and female choir. - Henrik Dahlgren

My arrangement of Wake Me Up by the Swedish musician and dj Avicii was created as a tribute, only days after the tragic news about his suicide. It is a complete reimagination of the original, soft and meditative in character. The original version for male choir was premiered by the Svanholm Singers and their conductor Sofia Söderberg. It is also available for mixed choir and female choir. - Henrik Dahlgren