The documentation around Fladmoses Akademi in 2020 gives a closer view of several very young composers.
Leon Thomsen was 13, and Jætternes Hjem was his first work. It was a string quartet inspired by a holiday in Jotunheimen in Norway. The music was tonally simple, but already showed an interest in string techniques such as tremolo and pizzicato, and a sense for atmosphere and simple contrapuntal imitation.
Julius Hartung wrote Fuga i F, a string trio in a historical style, clearly drawing on older contrapuntal models. Malina Tulstrup, the youngest composer at 10, wrote Fåretællinger, a lullaby-like string quartet built from a slow theme and a clear sense of musical character.
Bhavana Charugalla wrote for string quartet, bassoon, percussion and contralto. Her piece Enken combined an opening chorale, canon, vibraphone, triangle, bassoon and vocal writing, with a form connected to the image of a widow whose husband died on a sinking ship.
This material is important because it shows that very young composers can work with real musical problems: texture, form, instrumental technique, image, line, counterpoint and dramatic consequence. The teaching task is not to simplify the musical problem until nothing remains, but to find a language in which the student can enter it.
Source Daniel Fladmose: Fladmoses Akademi / De helt unge komponister ↗