King of Denmark and Norway Christian IV

Christian IV (Hillerød, 1577 – Copenhagen, 1648) ruled Denmark and Norway during a long reign that Danish historiography often regards as a golden age. He acceded to the throne in 1588, on the death of his father, Frederick II, although until his coronation in 1596 the country was governed by a regency. From a young age he showed a marked interest in the arts, above all architecture and music, and both benefited from his personal support for decades.

The royal chapel numbered 71 musicians at the time of his coronation, divided among singers, instrumentalists and trumpeters. As at other European courts of the sixteenth century, many of its leading figures came from the Low Countries, and for much of the reign it was directed by the Netherlander Gregorius Trehou and by Melchior Borchgrevinck. The king, however, wished to promote Danish talent: he instructed government officials to seek out promising musicians throughout the country and, it is said, personally examined many candidates. In 1599 he sent a group of young Danes to Venice, among them Mogens Pedersøn and Hans Nielsen, under the direction of Borchgrevinck, to study with Giovanni Gabrieli. These sojourns led to a brief flowering of the Italian madrigal on Danish soil. English instrumentalists, by contrast, played a significant role: the lutenist John Dowland served at court between 1598 and 1606, a period during which he composed part of his Lachrymae, and the king visited England in 1606, with performances that included works by Shakespeare. It has been argued that the two men may have met on some occasion, although this remains unproven.

In the 1620s, Denmark joined the organ school of northern Germany, linked to the disciples of Sweelinck. Melchior Schildt arrived in Copenhagen in 1626, and the king promoted the building of organs, such as the celebrated Compenius instrument, still preserved in Frederiksborg Castle. In 1633 he invited Heinrich Schütz to Copenhagen to direct the celebrations for the wedding of the crown prince Christian to Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony, held in 1634; much of that music has been lost, although other works by Schütz composed in Denmark survive.

Christian IV's legacy lies in having turned his court into a first-rank centre of music and the arts, attracting performers and composers from across Europe and training Danish musicians. His chapel and his architectural projects shaped the image of an era that, although it has been idealised, left a lasting mark on the country's culture.