Vilhelm Krag

Vilhelm Krag (24 December 1871 – 10 July 1933) was a Norwegian poet, writer, journalist and cultural personality. Known for coining the term Sørlandet to describe a region of Norway, he was the son of Peter Rasmus Krag and younger brother of the novelist Thomas Krag.[1]

Portrait of Vilhelm Krag

His first volume of poetry, which came out in 1891, included many of his best-known poems: "Fandango",[2] "Der skreg en fugl" (A bird cried), "Liden Kirsten" (Little Kirsten),[3] "Majnat" (May night), "Mens jeg venter" (While I'm waiting), "Moderen synger" (The mother sings) and "Og jeg vil ha mig en hjertenskjær" (And I will have me a sweetheart).[4]

Edvard Grieg set Krag's lyrics to music in his Opus 60, published in 1894.[5] In the early 20th century works by Krag were recorded in America by Florence Bodinoff, George Hamlin, Nathalie Hansen,[6] Eleonora Olson,[7] Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Aalrud Tillisch,[8] and Carsten Woll.[9]