Scores for download

BARNATRO
(1884) for voice and piano
This song ist the earliest we know about from Alfvén's hand. It is found among "Mina första kompositioner" (My first compositions) which otherwise consist of piano music. He was then twelve years old and affected by the religious home where his mother Lotten sang at the piano. It is here published for documentary reasons. The poem is by Zacharias Topelius.

SOUVENIR DE SÄTER
Violin part
(1888) for violin and piano
Alfvén gave the opus no. I to "Souvenir de Säter"in 1888, when he was sixteen and attended a summer course in violin playing with his teacher Johan Lindberg, who during the terms was his professor at the Stockholm Music Conservatory. This was his second summer in Säter, Dalecarlia. In his Memories, vol 1 p.140f he states that he practiced six hours per day. A fellow student during the summer was Ernst Ellberg, already viola player in the Royal Opera Orchestra. He had studied harmony and counterpoint and was also a pianist. "That summer I considered Ellberg to be one ot the world's greatest and most skilled music geniuses. I had composed two violin pieces, 'Souvenir de Säter' and 'Barcarole' but I did not have enough knowledge of harmony to give them a satifactory piano accompaniment. So Ellberg interfered and lika a sorcerer created the most beautiful harmonies and figurations worthy of a great master. He was especially successful with the 'Barcarole'. You could clearly hear, well, you could actually see how the waves swept around the gondola. These were two masterpieces - so I thought at that time. Later on I have been forced to revise this opinion. But such is life." The edition was made from copies in the possession of the Hugo Alfvén Foundation.

SERENADE
Violin part
(1888) for violin and piano
Serenade op. II follows immediately after Souvenir de Säter in a notebook in the possession of the Hugo Alfvén Foundation. It was composed by Alfvén and Ellberg under the same circumstances as Souvenir de Säter.

MINNE
(1891) for voice and piano with violino obbligato
Dedicated to Joh C Stålhammar and dated Stockholm 1891. The autograph is in the Music Library of Sweden.
Johannes Stålhammar became organist and performed together with Alfvén (violin) in Falun, Dalecarlia on April 21st, 1893. This piece was composed at the age of 19. The two songs deal with unhappy love. The first one is about his own unhappy heart, the other one sympathizes in his friend's sorrow. The text is awkwardly underlaid and there is a suspicion that it was done after the music was completed. 'Bachanal' has a character similar to a march. Both pieces must be considered to be youth sins.

Elegi Free translation from the English
Bachanal Text by Alfvén?

SOUVENIR DE WISBY
Flute part
(1890) for flute & piano
This little composition was written when Alfvén during the summer of 1890 studied violin in Visby, the island of Gotland with his teacher Johan Lindberg cf. Lennart Hedwall, Hugo Alfvén, Sthlm 1973, p. 19. It corresponds to Souvenir de Säter which was born during the summer course of 1888. The composition is here published for the first time in 2005 from a xerox copy of the autograph which is now lost.

LÄNGTAN
(1899) for voice and piano
A composition sketch to Längtan (Longing) is found in UUB VMhs 188 dated February 1896 and scored for Bass and piano. The source of the version published here for the first time belongs to the Music Library of Sweden. It is scored for Soprano and piano. It is dated 1899 which would mean the same period as the well-known songs Serenad, Jag mins, Aftonstämning, nos 1-3 from Tio sånger op.4. The author of the poem is not known. Alfvén was not so keen on good poetry. He was chiefly interested in the mood and the feelings expressed in the text which could start his imagination. The present text must be considered as having passed the border to pretentious trash. Perhaps Alfvén himself is the author? "Tio sånger" are dedicated to Bertha Wilhelmj who was at that time the person he courted.

SERENADE PÅ MAMMAS FÖDELSEDAG
Parts
(1902) for flute, clarinet, violin and piano
Hugo Alfvén studied conducting in Dresden with the conductor of the Court Opera, Hermann Kutzschbach in the season 1901-1902. He also got the permission to listen to all performances he whished at the Semper Opera which was one of the foremost opera houses in Germany. There he composed the "Serenade on Mother's birthday" dated Dresden January 25th, 1902. He might have returned to Stockholm to celebrate his mother's 61st birthday February 1st. A performance would have included Hugo on the violin and his brothers Andrew or David (flute), Gösta (clarinet) and John (piano) (Hedwall, Hugo Alfvén 1973, p. 37). The edition is based on the autograph in Uppsala university library VMhs 186:5.

KVINNORNAS LÖSEN. RÖSTRÄTTSSÅNG
(1911) for unison choir and piano.
The VI International Women Rights Congress was held in Stockholm in June 1911. For this occasion a special number of the periodical Idun was published as a Festival programme. In it on page 372-373 is found the Womens Voting Rights song by K.G. Ossiannilsson with music by Hugo Alfvén.

PRÄLUDIUM
(1913) for organ from Uppenbarelsekantaten (The Revelation Cantata)
Alfvén did not compose separate pieces for organ. This Prelude to the Revelation Cantata has remained unpublished until now. The autograph is preserved in the Uppsala University Library VMhs 172:1a. A piano score is published by Musikaliska Konstföreningen. The Prelude there is arranged for piano.

VANDRARENS JULSÅNG
(1917) for voice & piano
Count Birger Mörner (1867-1930) was travelling much in the Mediterrenian before becoming diplomat and writer under the nom de guerre Aráfi. His daughter Marianne was a renowned opera singer who received copies of Alfvén's music. Hugo Alfvén met Birger Mörner in Rome 1901 when he was on his first trip to Italy as a Jenny Lind bursary. Vandrarens julsång (The wanderer's Christmas song) is the first of two poems by Mörner set to music by Alfvén. It was first published in " Julstämning 1917" under the title Julsång. This edition is based on the autograph in Uppsala university library VMhs 185:24.

I BRUSET
(1920) for voice and piano
I bruset (Roaring wind) is the second poem by Mörner set to music by Alfvén. It is dated Alfvénsgården, Alfvén's summer house in Tällberg July 30 1920 . Marianne Mörner has owned a copy of it. The song is here published for the first time. The autograph is located in Uppsala university library VMhs 184:24