Biography
Wikmanson received his earliest instruction in thoroughbass and piano from H.P. Johnsen while still a young Swede. He later traveled to Copenhagen to study mathematics and the craft of instrument making. Only after returning to Stockholm in 1772 could he pursue composition with Kraus and Abbé Vogler. He held the post of organist at the Dutch Reformed Church from 1772 to 1781, then moved to Storkyrkan Cathedral in 1781, where he helped rebuild the organ during the 1790s. The Stockholm Royal Academy of Music admitted him as a member in 1788; he became its director of education in 1796 and took on the role of harmony and music instructor the following year. His principal legacy in musical scholarship consists of the translations he prepared from the writings of Tartini and Vogler. Beyond the example of his friend and teacher Kraus, his own works reflect the impact of Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, and Johann Schobert. An able performer on several instruments, Wikmanson played the organ, piano, viola, and cello.