Born in Mora on 29th March 1942. He studied composition at the State Academy of Music, Stockholm, under Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Ingvar Lidholm and György Ligeti 1961-1964 and took part in the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation's Chamber Music Studio for young composers in 1965. After various temporary appointments he became a permanent music teacher in Kalmar in 1969. He qualified as a violin teacher 1969-1973 at the Stockholm Citizens’ School and studied the violin with Charles Barkel 1970-1972. He subsequently became a teacher with the Stockholm Municipal School of Music.

Gunnar Ahlberg already attracted attention as a composer in the mid 1960s, when he was regarded as a rational artist profoundly influenced by Darmstadt - but more Boulez than Stockhausen and preferring sound to intellectual theories. In early works like Exercitia I for solo flute, one is stuck by his proximity to Berio, and in Exercitia II for string orchestra he explores Penderecki’s models. It was not until Exercitia III (1964) for chamber ensemble that he found a language of his own, based on a complicated series of permutations. His piano piece Växlingar (1964) was first performed at the 1965 Young Nordic Composers’ Festival (Ung Nordisk Musik) in Oslo. With its murderous monotony it gave the impression of something petrified and without hope – a self-portrait in moments of depression.

His listed output is impressive and his music has softened with the passing of time. He has mainly produced vocal works and chamber music, including Intermezzo (Kellgren) for solo voice, flute, clarinet, percussion, piano and cello (1976), På Varnhems kyrkogård for soprano and wind quintet (1979), a piano trio movement – “Bråttom“ – for young musicians (1984), a Meditation for violin and cello (1984), a piano sonata (1976), but also orchestral works like Calma (1978), Concerto per quattro strumenti ed orchestra (1982) and Agitato for symphonic wind orchestra (1985). His third string quartet, Ritratto (1983), is based on the number 5. It has five parts lasting, respectively, for one, two, three, four and five minutes. The dynamics are graduated on a five-point scale, and the use of double stopping in movements 1, 3 and 5 and pizzicato and mute in movements 2 and 4 creates a certain symmetry. The dynamics are used in such a way that the music progresses from tension to release.

Stig Jacobsson