Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. He is widely considered one of the leading

Romantic era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a

national identity National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...

, much as

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

did in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and Bedřich Smetana in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. Grieg is the most celebrated person from the city of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, with numerous statues that depict his image and many cultural entities named after him: the city's largest concert building ( Grieg Hall), its most advanced music school ( Grieg Academy) and its professional choir (Edvard Grieg Kor). The Edvard Grieg Museum at Grieg's former home, Troldhaugen, is dedicated to his legacy.

Background

Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in

, Norway. His parents were Alexander Grieg (1806–1875), a merchant and the British Vice-Consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judithe Hagerup (1814–1875), a music teacher and daughter of solicitor and politician Edvard Hagerup. The family name, originally spelled Greig, is associated with the Scottish Clann Ghriogair (Clan Gregor). After the Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather, Alexander Greig (1739–1803),Nils Grinde
"Grieg, Edvard"

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 11 November 2013 travelled widely before settling in Norway about 1770 and establishing business interests in Bergen. Grieg's paternal great-great-grandparents, John (1702–1774) and Anne (1704–1784), are buried in the abandoned churchyard of the ruined Church of St Ethernan in Rathen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Edvard Grieg was raised in a musical family. His mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play when he was age six. He studied in several schools, including Tanks Upper Secondary School. In the summer of 1858, Grieg met the eminent Norwegian violinist Ole Bull, who was a family friend; Bull's brother was married to Grieg's aunt. Bull recognized the 15-year-old boy's talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory, the piano department of which was directed by Ignaz Moscheles. Grieg enrolled in the conservatory, concentrating on piano, and enjoyed the many concerts and recitals given in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. He disliked the discipline of the conservatory course of study. An exception was the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. About his study in the conservatory, he wrote to his biographer, Aimar Grønvold, in 1881: "I must admit, unlike Svendsen, that I left Leipzig Conservatory just as stupid as I entered it. Naturally, I did learn something there, but my individuality was still a closed book to me." In the spring of 1860, he survived two life-threatening lung diseases,

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Throughout his life, Grieg's health was impaired by a destroyed left lung and considerable deformity of his thoracic spine. He suffered from numerous respiratory infections, and ultimately developed combined lung and heart failure. Grieg was admitted many times to spas and sanatoria both in Norway and abroad. Several of his doctors became his friends.

Career

In 1861, Grieg made his debut as a concert pianist in Karlshamn, Sweden. In 1862, he finished his studies in Leipzig and had his first concert in his hometown, where his program included

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's '' Pathétique'' sonata. Edvard en Nina Grieg 1899

In 1863, Grieg went to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, and stayed there for three years. He met the Danish composers J. P. E. Hartmann and Niels Gade. He also met his fellow Norwegian composer Rikard Nordraak (composer of the Norwegian national anthem), who became a good friend and source of inspiration. Nordraak died in 1866, and Grieg composed a funeral march in his honor. On 11 June 1867, Grieg married his first cousin, Nina Hagerup (1845–1935), a lyric soprano. The next year, their only child, Alexandra, was born. Alexandra died in 1869 from

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

. In the summer of 1868, Grieg wrote his Piano Concerto in A minor while on holiday in Denmark. Edmund Neupert gave the concerto its premiere performance on 3 April 1869 at the Casino Theatre in Copenhagen. Grieg himself was unable to be there due to conducting commitments in Christiania (now Oslo). In 1868,

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, who had not yet met Grieg, wrote a testimonial for him to the Norwegian Ministry of Education, which resulted in Grieg's obtaining a travel grant. The two men met in Rome in 1870. During Grieg's first visit, they examined Grieg's Violin Sonata No. 1, which pleased Liszt greatly. On his second visit in April, Grieg brought with him the manuscript of his Piano Concerto, which Liszt proceeded to sightread (including the orchestral arrangement). Liszt's rendition greatly impressed his audience, although Grieg said gently to him that he played the first movement too quickly. Liszt also gave Grieg some advice on

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

(for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet, which Grieg himself chose not to accept). In the 1870s, he became friends with poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, who shared his interests in Norwegian self-government. Grieg set several of his poems to music, including ''Landkjenning'' and ''Sigurd Jorsalfar''. Eventually, they decided on an opera based on King Olav Trygvason, but a dispute as to whether the music or lyrics should be created first led to Grieg being diverted to working on incidental music for

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's play ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...

'', which naturally offended Bjørnson. Eventually, their friendship resumed. The

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

composed for ''Peer Gynt'' at the request of the author contributed to its success and separately became some of the composer's most familiar music arranged as orchestral suites. Grieg had close ties with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Harmonien), and later became music director of the orchestra from 1880 to 1882. In 1888, Grieg met Tchaikovsky in Leipzig. Grieg was impressed by Tchaikovsky, Lamb cites David Brown's ''Tchaikovsky Remembered'' who thought very highly of Grieg's music, praising its beauty, originality and warmth. On 6 December 1897, Grieg and his wife performed some of his music at a private concert at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

for

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and her court. Grieg was awarded two honorary doctorates, first by the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1894 and the next from the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in 1906.

Later years

The Norwegian government provided Grieg with a pension as he reached retirement age. In the spring of 1903, Grieg made nine 78-rpm

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

ings of his piano music in Paris. All of these discs have been reissued on both LPs and CDs, despite limited fidelity. Grieg recorded player piano music rolls for the Hupfeld Phonola piano-player system and Welte-Mignon reproducing system, all of which survive and can be heard today. He also worked with the Aeolian Company for its 'Autograph Metrostyle' piano roll series wherein he indicated the tempo mapping for many of his pieces. In 1899, Grieg cancelled his concerts in France in protest of the Dreyfus affair, an antisemitic scandal that was roiling French politics at the time. Regarding this scandal, Grieg had written that he hoped that the French might "Soon return to the spirit of 1789, when the French republic declared that it would defend basic human rights." As a result of his statements concerning the affair, he became the target of much French hate mail that day. In 1906, he met the composer and pianist Percy Grainger in London. Grainger was a great admirer of Grieg's music and a strong empathy was quickly established. In a 1907 interview, Grieg stated: "I have written Norwegian Peasant Dances that no one in my country can play, and here comes this Australian who plays them as they ought to be played! He is a genius that we Scandinavians cannot do other than love." Edvard Grieg died at the Municipal Hospital in Bergen, Norway on 4 September 1907 at age 64 from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. He had suffered a long period of illness. His last words were "Well, if it must be so." The funeral drew between 30,000 and 40,000 people to the streets of his home town to honor him. Obeying his wish, his own '' Funeral March in Memory of Rikard Nordraak'' was played with orchestration by his friend Johan Halvorsen, who had married Grieg's niece. In addition, the ''Funeral March'' movement from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 was played. Grieg was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

in the first Norwegian

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

opened in Bergen just that year, and his ashes were entombed in a mountain crypt near his house, Troldhaugen. After the death of his wife, her ashes were placed alongside his. Edvard Grieg and his wife were Unitarians and Nina attended the Unitarian church in Copenhagen after his death. A century after his death, Grieg's legacy extends beyond the field of music. There is a large sculpture of Grieg in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, while one of the largest hotels in Bergen (his hometown) is named Quality Hotel Edvard Grieg and a large crater on the planet Mercury is named after Grieg.

Music

Some of Grieg's early works include a symphony (which he later suppressed) and a piano sonata. He wrote three violin sonatas and a cello sonata. Grieg composed the

for

's play ''

'', which includes the excerpts " In the Hall of the Mountain King" and " Morning Mood." In an 1874 letter to his friend Frants Beyer, Grieg expressed his unhappiness with "In the Hall of the Mountain King," one of the movements in the ''

'' incidental music, writing "I have also written something for the scene in the hall of the mountain King – something that I literally can't bear listening to because it absolutely reeks of cow-pies, exaggerated Norwegian nationalism, and trollish self-satisfaction! But I have a hunch that the irony will be discernible." Grieg's '' Holberg Suite'' was originally written for the piano, and later arranged by the composer for string orchestra. Grieg wrote songs in which he set lyrics by poets

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, Henrik Ibsen,

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

and others. Russian composer

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (; ; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times. Early years Myaskovsky ...

used a theme by Grieg for the variations with which he closed his Third String Quartet. Norwegian pianist Eva Knardahl recorded the composer's complete piano music on 13 LPs for

BIS Records BIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden. BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recording ...

from 1977 to 1980. The recordings were reissued in 2006 on 12 compact discs, also on

. Grieg himself recorded many of these piano works before his death in 1907. Pianist Bertha Tapper edited Grieg's piano works for publication in America by Oliver Ditson.

List of selected works

* Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7 * Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8 *Concert

Overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

'' In Autumn'', Op. 11 * Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13 * Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 *

Incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

to Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's play '' Sigurd Jorsalfar'', Op. 22 * Incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play ''Peer Gynt'', Op. 23 *'' Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song'' in G minor, Op. 24 * String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27 *'' Two Elegiac Melodies'' for strings or piano, Op. 34 *Four ''Norwegian Dances'' for piano four hands, Op. 35 (better known in orchestrations by Hans Sitt and others) * Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 36 *'' Holberg Suite'' for piano, later arr. for string orchestra, Op. 40 * Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 * ''Peer Gynt'' Suite No. 1, Op. 46 *'' Lyric Suite'' for orchestra, Op. 54 (orchestration of four ''

Lyric Pieces ''Lyric Pieces'' () is a collection of 66 short pieces for solo piano written by Edvard Grieg. They were published in 10 volumes, from 1867 ( Op. 12) to 1901 (Op. 71). The collection includes several of his best known pieces, such as '' Wedding ...

'') * ''Peer Gynt'' Suite No. 2, Op. 55 *Four '' Symphonic Dances'' for piano, later arr. for orchestra, Op. 64 *'' Haugtussa'' Song Cycle after

Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into i ...

, Op. 67 *Sixty-six ''

'' for piano in ten books, Opp. 12, 38, 43, 47, 54, 57, 62, 65, 68 and 71, including: ''Arietta'', ''To the Spring'', ''Little Bird'', ''Butterfly'', ''Notturno'', '' Wedding Day at Troldhaugen'', ''At Your Feet'', ''Longing For Home'', ''March of the Dwarfs'', ''Poème érotique'' and ''Gone''.

References

Notes Bibliography *

External links

Grieg 2007 Official Site for 100th year commemoration of Edvard GriegThe Grieg archives at Bergen Public LibraryTroldhaugen Museum, Grieg's home
*
Edvard Grieg statue
by Sigvald Asbjørnsen

Prospect Park (Brooklyn) Prospect Park is a urban park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjac ...

*Films about Grieg's life
''What Price Immortality?'' (1999)Edvard Grieg picture collection at flickr commons
''Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography''

Recordings by Grieg

Papillon – Lyric Piece, Op. 43, no. 1
as recorded by Grieg on piano roll, 17 April 1906, Leipzig
Info

Recordings of Grieg works

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 1 in F major, I. Allegro con brio – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 1 in F major, II. Allegretto quasi Andantino – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 1 in F major, III. Allegro molto vivace – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 3 in C minor, I. Allegro molto ed appassionato – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 3 in C minor, II. Allegretto espressivo all Ramanza – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Sonata No. 3 in C minor, III. Allegro animato – Gregory Maytan (violin), Nicole Lee (piano)

Music scores

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grieg, Edvard 1843 births 1907 deaths 19th-century Norwegian classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Norwegian male musicians 19th-century Norwegian pianists 20th-century Norwegian classical composers 20th-century Norwegian classical pianists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians Composers awarded knighthoods Composers for piano Honorary members of the Royal Philharmonic Society Male classical pianists Musicians awarded knighthoods Musicians from Bergen Norwegian male classical composers Norwegian male pianists Norwegian people of Scottish descent Norwegian Romantic composers Norwegian Unitarians Pupils of Salomon Jadassohn String quartet composers University of Music and Theatre Leipzig alumni Pupils of Carl Reinecke Chief conductors of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Ballets Russes composers