Fartein Valen has been played on NTS shows including Westward Ho! w/ Ashley Wales, with The Churchyard By The Sea first played on 10 November 2022.

Olav Fartein Valen (August 25, 1887 – December 14, 1952) was a Norwegian composer and musical theorist, notable for his work within atonal polyphonic music.

Valen was born in Stavanger, Norway in 1887 into a deeply Christian religious family and maintained his religious beliefs all his life. His parents were missionaries, and he spent five years of his childhood in Madagascar. In addition to his aptitude for music, he was also a polyglot, mastering at least nine languages. He earned…