F. Melius Christiansen
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F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955) was a Norwegian violinist and choral conductor in the Lutheran choral tradition. Though his first love was the violin, he received international fame as founding director of the St. Olaf Choir of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN from 1903 to 1944. Christiansen studied music in Leipzig, Germany, and was considered a pioneer in the art of a cappella (unaccompanied) choral music. He composed and arranged over 250 musical selections and his choral techniques were spread throughout the U.S. by St. Olaf graduates. The great Christiansen choral tradition is a recognized feature of American Lutheranism.
