I'm taking myself out of retirement (lurk mode) to add some corections
to other posters suggestions and some comments on Mats Norrmans long and
throrugh assesment:

I wont go in to spelling, because there where a few less than corecct name
givings, I know that it can be hard to keep us appart, the Nordic region
(Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) only entertain a population
the size of New York City and its surrounding suburbs:

Doris in Suffolk asked:

>Is Selim Palmgren Swedish?

No he is Finnish.

Bruce Alan Wilson asked:

>"Was Karl Nielsen (-son?) Swedish or Norwegian?

No Carl Nielsen was Danish

Steve Schwartz mentions a few names:

>Well, yes.  Among composers, I like Larsson, Blomdahl, von Koch, and
>Lidholm.  Per Norgaard has admirers.  I believe Esa-Pekka Salonen, of
>the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is Swedish.  Jenny Lind was Swedish.
of these Norgaard is Danish and E-P Salonen is Finnish

Now on to Mats post:

>Upon your question there is much to reply.  Sweden had no really major
>composer like Denmark has Nielsen or Finland has Sibelius.  However there
>are several "second-rank" composers, who wrote tremendeously beautiful
>music.  I don't know what will make you satisfied; they span over different
>epochs, and you need to specify your preferences to be able to choose from
>other suggestions.

I'm not sure what Mats defintition of second rank is, from what I read
below perhaps the international recognition they got during their lifetime.
I dont know, I always feel that such criteria as international recognition
seldomly has anything to say about the quality of the music of any given
composer, Swedish or not!  Niether of the composers Mats mentions (with a
few exeptions like Romen, which I fear We Swedes have given to much cerdit)
are second rank when it comes to the musical craft.  All are quite worthy
composer, even if some are more inspired then others.

Mats List with some comments and aditions and snips.

>The following outline might be a start - in chronological order:
>
>* There is no important Swedish baroque composer.

I'm not sure about that: The stadts Kappelmeister in Nurnberg, Johann
Agrell wrote some very fine music, he was highly recorde during his time
and We atr just now staring to hear his music again.

>* From the Gustav III time you have most notacibly Joseph Martin Kraus
>(1756-1792).  Almost exactly Mozarts contemporary, and much in the style
>of F.J.Haydn.  Other composers from this time are named Naumann, Haeffner,
>Vogler and Eggertz.  All in about the same style like Kraus, and all
>benefited from Gustav III:s cultural project.  Kraus composed Haydn like
>symphonies in Sturn-und-Drang style and some operas.

I would call Kraus Swedish a much as I call JC Bach or Handl English
as with the other gentelemen all but Eggert was of Germanic decent and
really do not count.  All composed maintream peroid music, none where
revolutionary.  Exept Eggert who well might be the first composer using
trombones in a regular symphony.

>* Franz Berwald (1796-1868), one generation later than Beethoven.
>Composed notablicy four symphonies and the opera "Estella de Soria".  He
>never won much acclaim in Sweden.

A proto romantic who was not able to realise his ideas.  Its unfortunate
because there are lots of good ideas in his music.

>* Goesta Nystroem (1890-1966), known for his symphony "Sinfonia del Mare"
>and "Ishavet".  Worked mainly abroad and never won much acclaim in Sweden.

I'm not sure about this, Nystroem is a very fine vocal composer and as
such he was (and is) in very high esteem. His symphonies are somewhat
uneven, but all are crafty. He was a borne Francophile and some say that
there is a Gallic vein in all his music.

>* Hilding Rosenberg (1892-1985), a good craftsman with very large output.
>Composed symphonies, cantatas and stringquartetts (6 at each publication,
>like Mozart).  He never won much acclaim as he is considered being deep and
>difficult.

Rosenberg is the most important musical voice that has come out of Sweden.
he is important both as a composer and teacher to several generations post
1935 to his death in 1985.  Musically he is a post-romantic.

>* Karl-Birger Blomdahl should be the only Swedish avantguardist worth
>mentioning.  And thats because he set the music to Harry Martinssons
>"Aniara" and made an opera of it.

I would never call Blomdahl an avantguardist composer, that gives a
totaly wrong picture of him.  He was very interested in avantguard musical
techniques (12-tone, aleatorics, Electro-Acoustics etc.) but musically he
is a neo-classisist (a child of overeager studies of Hindemith's writings).
Along with his friends in the Monday-group (fx.  Lidholm & Back) he came to
monopolise the "thought" of the Swedish musical life from the 1950'ties to
the mid 1980'ties.  There is still a cultish following around him, and he
has been dead since 1968, that will defend his name at any cost!  When he
died he was working on a second "space-opera" with music based on scans
that was made from his own brains electric activity (ok.  that might have
been mordernist in 1968..)

The only Swedish Avantguard composer of the post WWII period in my eyes
would be the young Bo Nilsson, from his international brakethrough in the
mid 50'ties till he gave up avantguard music in the late 60'ies he produced
some of the most interesting music a Swede has written.

We often forget Electro-Acoustic Music, here I would say that Rune Lindblad
is one of the world pioneers along with Pierre Henry, Pierre Schaffer and
Stockhausen.

When it comes to musicians Sweden has produced mostly singers, Bjorling has
been mentioned, Kerstin Thorborg and Birgit Nilsson is some of the really
big nemes from the last century, as is Set Svanholm, Ann-Sofie von Otter
and Hakan Hagegard.  Tombonist Christian Lindberg is possible the finest
ever on this intrument.  Trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger in stunning.

peter lundin, gothenburg.se   =8B    Counting the days: DDS 100 (1906-2006)