August Enna

His grandfather, an Italian by birth, had emigrated to Denmark with his German-born wife after the Napoleonic Wars (in which he served as a soldier).

In 1884, he composed his first opera, Agleia, some piano pieces and instrumental works, and in 1886 a symphony (in C minor) which attracted the interest of Niels Gade.

In addition, he wrote songs, two symphonies[2] (in D minor and E major), a violin concerto,[3] chamber music and piano pieces.

Enna's operas, with their combination of welcoming, singable melody and great Wagnerian orchestral richness, proved to be a successful export product.

Alongside this, he wrote a number of less pretentious, popular and practical works with a special aim of being performed in small Danish provincial theaters with limited resources.

In his prime, he stood among the most internationally performed Danish opera composers of all time, but he fell into poverty during the last years of his life.