Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) was for decades Sweden´s most highly esteemed composer. His music was heard at almost all national ceremonies. His big birthdays every ten years were celebrated as important events. He received many distinctions. And his works were always featured on concert programmes, on radio and recordings. His personality also contributed to the public attention – his clear-cut features often appeared in the press and his relationship with women was just as talked-about as his musical creativity. 

Hugo Alfvén was born in Stockholm. His parents were Baptists and his father was the leader of the congregation´s choir. The piano was Hugo Alfvén´s first instrument, but he soon passed on to the violin. At the age of 15 he was admitted to the The Royal College of Music in Stockholm. At the same time he began to study painting, and had to choose between music and art for his career. It was definitely music when in 1890 he found employment as second violinist in the Royal Opera-House Orchestra. He stayed in the orchestra for two years, where he gained knowledge of orchestral instruments, musical works and styles of conducting. 

After that he continued his musical studies. In 1897 his First Symphony was premiered and given a mainly favorable reception. The same year he went on a study trip to Berlin, Paris and Brussels. Alfvén’s breakthrough as a composer came with the premiere of his Second Symphony in 1899. All at once he was recognized as one of the country’s most promising composers. He received commissions for works for various special occasions – and this was to continue throughout his whole career. 

In 1910 he was appointed director musices (conductor and artistic leader) at Uppsala University. As musical copyright had not yet been established, a permanent position was desirable for a composer and conductor. As director musices he was conductor of the Royal Academic Orchestra, but soon afterwards he took over the leadership of the men´s choir Orphei Drängar (Sons of Orpheus) – and not long after that of the well-known Allmänna Sången as well, which was then a men´s choir. His composing was limited to summer vacations or his leaves of absence when he worked on commissions.

As a composer, Hugo Alfvén´s most important efforts focused on music for large orchestra. He wrote five symphonies, three rhapsodies, of which “Midsummer Vigil” (Midsommarvaka) is the most frequently performed, the whole-evening ballets “The Mountain King” (Bergakungen) and “The Lost Son” (Den förlorade sonen) as well as a handful of single-movement orchestral works, including the symphonic poem “A Tale from the Archipelago” (En skärgårdssägen). Parallel to this he wrote art songs and choral works. On the other hand, he wrote no chamber music, nor any operas.  

Upon retirement, Hugo Alfvén and his then wife, Carin Alfvén, left Uppsala to take up residence in Leksand. In connection with his 70^th birthday in 1942 a large collection was taken to defray the expenses of a new house for them both. Three years later the couple were able to move into Alfvéngården in the village of Tibble, which is today a museum exhibiting his life work. He died there 88 years old in 1960.