Peer Gynt, Op. 23 (1874–1875)
Incidental music to Ibsen's play; later arranged as two suites, Opp. 46 and 55
Recording: Edvard Grieg · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Music
Edvard Grieg
1843–1907 · Norwegian
Romantic (nationalist)
Grieg is Norway's most celebrated composer, whose music gave a distinctive voice to Norwegian folk song and dance. A master of the miniature, he is best known for his incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt, his Piano Concerto in A minor and the ten books of Lyric Pieces for piano.
How to spot them
- ▸Fresh, folk-flavoured melodies, drone basses and Norwegian dance rhythms such as the halling and springar
- ▸Picturesque miniatures: sunrise flutes in Morning Mood, the accelerating trolls of In the Hall of the Mountain King
- ▸Clue patterns: Ibsen, Bergen, Troldhaugen, the Morecambe and Wise sketch with André Previn
Key works — listen
In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) (1875)
Creeping theme that gets faster and louder as the trolls chase Peer
Recording: Edvard Grieg · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 (1868)
Opens with a timpani roll and a cascading piano flourish; his only completed concerto
Recording: Edvard Grieg · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 ("From Holberg's Time") (1884)
Neo-Baroque suite marking the bicentenary of the writer Ludvig Holberg
Lyric Pieces (1867–1901)
66 short piano pieces in ten books, including Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65 No. 6
Quick-fire facts
- •He was born in Bergen, and his villa Troldhaugen near Bergen is now a museum.
- •He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory.
- •The Piano Concerto in A minor was featured in Morecambe and Wise's famous 1971 sketch with André Previn.
- •He married his cousin, the soprano Nina Hagerup, for whom he wrote many songs.
- •Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 comprises Morning Mood, The Death of Åse, Anitra's Dance and In the Hall of the Mountain King.
- •Morning Mood depicts sunrise in the Moroccan desert, not a Norwegian fjord.
Drill it — 9 cards
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Sources
- Grove Music Online (Oxford Music Online) — Grieg, Edvard
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Edvard Grieg
- Wikipedia — Edvard Grieg