Finn Mortensen

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Finn Mortensen (January 6, 1922 - May 23, 1983) was a Norwegian composer, critic and and educator.

He studied harmony with Torleif Eken, composition with Klaus Egge and Nils Viggo Bentzon, as well as the piano and double bass at the Conservatory of Oslo. He also participated in the now-famous Darmstadt summer school, and in Karlheinz Stockhausen's master classes at the Studio für Elektronische Musik in Cologne. From 1970 onward, he taugh at the Oslo Conservatory himself, becoming Norway's first professor of composition in 1973. He was the leader of the group Ny Musikk, a Norwegian advocacy group for contemporary music, between 1961 and 1964, and between 1966 and 1967.

Until about 1953, Mortensen's music was mostly influenced by neoclassicism and expressionism. It later assimilated twelve-tone and aleatoric influences, creating what Mortensen termed a "neo-serial" style.

In Norway, Mortensen's works are still regularly performed by leading orchestras. In the rest of the world, however, he is less well-known.