LADE, garde, NIELS WILHELM ( 1817-90). A distinguished Danish musician and composer, and the recognized founder of the Scandinavian school of music. He was born at Copenhagen, the only child of a cabinet and instrument maker, whose trade the son was required to adopt. Within a few months, however, the boy abandoned it, and made known his determination of becoming a musician. A course of study under the leader of the Court orchestra, Wexschall, and the practice and experience gained by his membership in the organization, enabled him at the age of sixteen to make his debut as a concert violinist. He also studied theory under Berggreen, a well-known organist, and became a devoted student of the classics and a disciple of the new romantic school of music. In 1841 he won the prize offered by the Copenhagen Musical -Association, submit ting to the arbiters his first great composition, Nachklange von Ossian. Aided by the King, he
was enabled in 1843 to go to Leipzig to complete his studies, and in 1844 undertook, in the ab sence of Mendelssohn, the direction of the Ge wandhaus concerts, becoming permanent con ductor upon the latter's death in 1847. In 1850 he settled in Copenhagen, where he became organist, director of music, and master of the Chapel Royal. He was elected one of the foreign members of the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1874, and in 1876 the Danish Folkething voted life pen sions of 3000 crowns to the two most eminent musical composers, selecting Gade as one. In addition to his prize compositions, he composed five symphonies, a quintet, an octet, and several vocal pieces, with orchestra, among them the well known Erl King's Daughter; The Springtide Phantasy; The Crusaders; and many smaller compositions. He died at Copenhagen.