
Remembered by ambitious amateur pianists for his Rustle of Spring, Christian Sinding was a more important figure in the music of his native Norway than this might suggest; there, in his time, he was second only to Grieg. Trained in Leipzig, he fell under the influence of Liszt and Wagner, producing a large quantity of music that enjoyed contemporary popularity.
Orchestral Music
Sinding’s orchestral compositions include four symphonies, three concertos for violin (his own original instrument for which he wrote other pieces with orchestra, including his Légende), and a Piano Concerto.
Chamber Music
Chamber music by Sinding ranges from piano and string quintets and piano trios to a series of works for violin and piano and for cello and piano, with a Suite for unaccompanied violin.
Piano Music
Sinding’s piano music consists chiefly of shorter genre pieces, of which Rustle of Spring is characteristic. His Sonata, Op. 91 has retained an occasional place in present repertoire.
Vocal and Choral Music
Sinding left a large number of songs, principally with Norwegian texts. There are also choral works, some of them celebratory and others unpublished.