Odd Sneeggen, who was born in Stockholm in December 1952, developed an interest in music from an early age, learning the piano and taking an active interest in composition.
Prior to higher studies in music at university level, Odd attended preparatory classics classes in counterpoint, instrumentation and harmony.
One of his teachers at that time was the British-born composer Peter Lyne, currently still resident in Sweden, who had moved to the country in the 1970s.
In 1982 Odd Sneeggen became a musicologist at Stockholm University and alongside his studies he continued composing: that same year saw the première of a work written by him – in collaboration with an audiovisual artist – for a television programme shown on Swedish television and in several other countries as well.
Subsequently, Odd became involved in education himself as a teacher in harmony, counterpoint and music history, additionally becoming a headmaster at a school providing evening classes.
In 1987 he started working for the Swedish Music Information Center as the Head of Promotion, which role saw a curtailment of his composing for a considerable period of time, and it was not until 2006 that he began to compose again, writing the music for a series of radio programmes for the Swedish public radio service.
The music of Odd Sneeggen is very much concerned with forms, in the sense of architecture and sculpture, whereby proportions hold great significance, both on the large scale and in terms of details. At the same time, there is a tangible “substance” in his writing providing the listener with an engaged capacity to perceive and experience. Across his compositions the vertical course of events will differ greatly, but a number of works have explored the potential of “polymodes”, with different sentiments and tensions intersecting with each other. Odd also employs tone rows and numbers in his music and he seeks inspiration in science, literature and art in order to find new paths for his composing.
Many of his works are composed for traditional ensemble types such as the string quartet, and there is a significant focus overall on chamber music.
Odd Sneeggen’s music has been performed by the Rhythm Art Duo, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Stenhammar Quartet and The Maurice Quartet, David Brutti among others.
