7. Carl Nielsen - a generous letter writer, too

The composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was a prolific letter writer throughout his adult life. Vivid, entertaining, human and informative. He corresponded with musicians, painters and composers from all over Europe, just as his letters to family and friends are numerous. A count of the best-known material shows 10,000 letters that in one way or another are connected with and important to Carl Nielsen. 3,000 of these he wrote himself, while a similar number was written to him. The majority are kept in The Royal Library in about 50 files. The letters are not only extremely interesting as a literary approach to the intellectual and cultural history of the time, but also an inimitable source to the appreciation of his music.

Right now the letters of Carl Nielsen are for the first time being focused on in a major research project in The Royal Library - The Carl Nielsen Letter Edition. The project runs until 2008 and will result in 10-12 volumes. The letters have been collected over a great number of years and come from a great variety of sources. Many have been rather haphazardly stored before arriving at the library, and a minor part need paper conservation. Files and covers need renewing as we now know that the cardboard and paper used are acidiferous and contribute dramatically to the destruction of the paper. When repackaging the letters it will be expedient also to repackage the remaining almost 100 files of the Carl Nielsen Archive.