Erling Brene was a well-known Danish composer. He first received his education as a tradesman before he was admitted to the Royal Danish Music Conservatory to study violin and composition. He soon left the Conservatory and became a student of Danish composer Ludolf Nielsen. Later Brene was more influenced by Bartok and Igor Stravinsky. During the 1930s, Brene was a member of the UTS group (Unge Tonekunstneres Selskab / Young Musical Artists Society) looking for new paths of presenting music. Even though, he could be considered as avant-garde in his time, he was later despised as old-fashioned. From 1950-70, he worked as a music teacher on The Ellebjerg School in København (Copenhagen). He won the bronze medal at the 1948 Olympic Games for his composition Vigueur (Vigour) written in 1943. Brene wrote operas, incidental music, orchestral music, concert music, and chamber music for piano, vocal and choral.
Denmark