Music of Norway

Norway is a rather sparsely populated country in Europe (5 million inhabitants in an area of some 324,000 km² (125,097 sq mi) excluding Svalbard and Jan-Mayen), but even so its music and its musical life are as complex as those of most other countries. Much has been learned about early music in Norway from physical artifacts found during archaeological digs. These include instruments such as the lur. Viking and medieval sagas also describe musical activity, as do the accounts of priests and pilgrims from all over Europe coming to visit St Olaf's grave in Trondheim.

In the later part of the 19th century Norway experienced economic growth leading to greater industrialization and urbanization. More music was established in the cities, and opera performances and symphony concerts were considered to be of high standards. In this era both prominent composers (like Edvard Grieg and Johan Svendsen) and performers combined the European traditions with Norwegian tones.

The import of music and musicians for dance and entertainment increased, and this continued in the 20th century, even more so when gramophone records and radio became common. In the last half of the 20th century, Norway, like many other countries in the world, underwent a roots revival that saw indigenous music being revived.

2010 in Norwegian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 2010 in Norwegian music.
(Go to NEX YEAR in Norwegian music.)

Events

January

March

April

May