Hans Matthison-Hansen
1807 — 1890
Hans Matthison-Hansen (1807-1890) was a Danish organist and composer. From 1832 until his death he held the organ of Roskilde Cathedral, and his output was almost entirely sacred and for the organ. His son Gottfred Matthison-Hansen, also represented in this library, became his assistant at Roskilde in 1877.
From the period sources
Hans Matthison-Hansen, a distinguished Danish organist and composer, initially pursued drawing in Copenhagen until around his twentieth year, when C. F. E. Weyse advised him to seriously study music, according to the Dictionary of Music (1896). By 1832, he secured the organist position at Roeskilde Cathedral, described as “one of the most sought after posts in Denmark,” where he greatly distinguished himself for many years. His son, Gotfred, later became his assistant in 1877. Matthison-Hansen’s compositional output was exclusively sacred and organ music, encompassing an oratorio titled Johannes, psalms with orchestra, church cantatas, and various organ works including preludes, postludes, chorales with variations, symphonies (sonatas), and fantasias. He also taught, with Asger Hamerik becoming his pupil at age fifteen, as noted in A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1900).