Theodora Cormontan
In 1887, shortly after her arrival in Sacred Heart, Minnesota, a train accident impaired Cormontan's mobility and her ability to stand, forcing her to give up voice recitals.
She focused instead on piano and organ performances as well as giving music lessons, leading choirs, and continuing her composition work, living first with a married sister in Sacred Heart, then with two brothers in Franklin, Minnesota.
After her death in 1922, her compositions largely disappeared from view until 2011, when boxes containing her musical legacy were discovered in St. Peter, Minnesota, and recordings of her work were released in Norway, Denmark, and the US.
The death of her mother in 1865 forced her return to Arendal to run the household of her father, who had taken on additional church duties as provst (in English, dean), a senior official in the diocese.
She studied singing with Carl Helsted, a renowned teacher who also trained Nina Hagerup, first cousin and future wife of Edvard Grieg.
[2] In 1869 Cormontan concertized as a soprano soloist in a tour that included the Norwegian coastal towns of Grimstad, Kristiansand, Stavanger, and Bergen, as well as Trondheim and Larvik.
A review on 9 March in a newspaper included the following: "The concert featured a singer in possession of a full, rich and sonorous soprano voice of a rare and pleasant character.
Her singing reflected favorably upon her training; we would particularly note her beautiful and correct intonation ... All the numbers were received with lively applause that was so powerful that the singer visibly shuddered, and at the end of the concert was moved to tears.
Cormontan was the first to publish, in 1885, the first five of what would later become Schytte Jensen's famous collection of children's songs, as well as the highly regarded Katharina Månsdotters vaggvisa fôr konung Erik XIV (music set to the poem by Zachris Topelius).
She suffered trauma to her spine, and for the remainder of her life experienced a level of chronic pain and physical challenges related to mobility.
The company, after offering a $500 settlement, contested the suit over a period of several months, to the point where Cormontan's family incurred over $300 in legal fees and related expenses.
The legal counsel for the railroad deposed Theodora and her sister Eivinda each for a full day of testimony, in addition to bringing witnesses to cast doubt on the extent of her injury.
[15] Cormontan's train injury compelled her to cease giving voice recitals (which would have required her to stand for extended periods of time), but she continued her career as a music teacher, organist, pianist, choir director, and composer.
As a performer in the 1890s, she received highly favorable reviews from numerous local newspapers for her recitals throughout southern Minnesota: her concerts were characterized as a "rare treat,"[16] with some attendees gathered outside the town hall entrance and listening from open windows.
He published, in partnership with Nils Nilsen Ronning, a journalist and author, the songbook Frydetoner (Joyful Tunes), a collection of songs from the magazine which included Cormontan's contributions.
[20] Cormontan's best-known hymn, "Høgt frå den himmelske klåra" ("High from the Clearing Heavens"), remained in the Church of Norway's hymnal, and is still included in current editions.
The hymn, Høgt frå den himmelske klåra ("High from the Clearing Heavens") remained a standard in the hymnal of the Church of Norway.
On May 28, 2015, the Jorgensens donated Theodora Cormontan's published and manuscript scores to the National Library of Norway in Oslo and performed her music there with a group of musician friends, including Mollie Schmidt's granddaughter.
