Lars‐Erik Larsson

Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson (15 May 1908 - 27 December 1986) was an important Swedish composer of the 20th century. He was born in Aakarp. He studied with Ellberg at the Stockholm Conservatory (1925-1929) and with Alban Berg and Reuter in Vienna and Leipzig (1929-1930), then worked for Swedish radio and taught at the Stockholm Conservatory (1947-1959) and Uppsala University (1961-1966). His style as a composer is eclectic, ranging from the late Romantic to techniques derived from Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-note system, but original in method. He was the first Swede to write serial music (1932). Yet other works of that period are post-Sibelian or neo-classical, and his output generally is characterized by variety of style. He wrote for the theatre, cinema and broadcasting, in addition to the more traditional forms of symphony, concerto, chamber and vocal music. He died in Helsingborg on 27 December 1986.