Christian Julius Hansen
Christian Julius Hansen (born 6 May 1814 in Christianshavn – d. 15 March 1875 in Copenhagen) was a Danish composer, organist, voice teacher and choirmaster. He studied with Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann; his works include songs, choral and orchestral pieces as well as light operas. In several of his song compositions Hansen revealed an uncommon sense of choral movement and considerable melodic vein, sometimes used fresh and cheerfully, sometimes on a quiet, slightly melancholic way. Life. Christian Hansen was born to stonemason Nicholas Hansen (1775–1834) and his second wife Frederikke Christine, née Hess (1775–1850). He was admitted to  the Giuseppe Siboni Conservatory when he was 11 years old, but soon had to focus his attention on composition because his beautiful voice began to change. He was encouraged by both J.P.E. Hartmann and Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse, to whom he dedicated his first printed work "Six Romances" written in 1835. In 1840 he took part in the Musikforeningen's overture competition in Copenhagen, where Gade won first prize with his "Echoes of Ossian." Hansen's "Overture in E major" received "honorable mention". It was performed by the Music Society on 6 April 1842 and posthumously published by the Society . On 30 December 1836 in Gjentofte he married Marie Emilie Augusta Bugge (d. 1882) and therefore had to work for his living as music teacher, until 1845 when he was appointed organist at the Garrison Church in Copenhagen, position which he exchanged in 1851. Official duties and his gregarious nature hindered him to proceed to larger compositional forms, particularly the opera which he was very fond of. Early on, he had been associated with various choral societies as conductor (Livjægersang Association, Odeon, later Commercial and Clerical Choral Society and others), when Hartmann in 1848 got him appointed med-dirigent at  the Student Choral Society for which he had great significance, being a regular conductor from 1853 until his death. In 1852 he was appointed royal chamber musician and given the affectionate nickname of "Kammermusikken" by his student singers. He fell good in the student's world with his jovial and genial nature, contributing as much as he could to the friendly atmosphere in the campus. King Frederick VII of Denmark appreciated the work of Christian Hansen, who traveled much at court. Compositions. A substantial part of Hansen's compositions were written in connection with the academic life. He composed and  arranged music for Jens Christian Hostrup's comedies; for the students carnival formulas he composed the funny parodie-operetta "Leonora di Massa Carrara" in 1855, "King Rosmer" in 1857, "La massacrata" and "A sunday in the Alps or The watermill in the Apennines" in 1874, in which his musical sense of humor showed great creativity. Also several of his songs were written for the Student Choral Society, like "He swinged on the Sea" in 1835, "Beautiful sound" and "Now green woods again," both in 1847, "Little Karen" and "Do you remember the harvest" in 1853. His compositions are not at  all witnesses of his considerable talent which has not yet been fully considered of merit by posterity. His larger compositions are the arms song of "The corsair and his bride" written in 1862, his "Mourning Cantate of Frederik VII" written over Christian Richardt's "Long was the struggle and strive" text, "In distress and danger," "At the Masonic Logens Consecration," and "One day in spring" for solo, chorus and orchestra, performed at the Music Society after his death. Hansen also wrote romances, piano music and music for Carit Etlar's "Rørfuglen," performed on 29 March 1860 at the Folksteatret. In  his manuscript, found in the Royal Danish Library, some of his piano pieces were dedicated to Frederik VII, such as "Bagatelle en forme d'une valse," and "Charakteristic Little Pieces Composed for Her grace Madam Baroness Danner."