Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg Location of death: Bergen, Norway [1] Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Cremated (ashes interred at a fjord cliff at Troldhaugen) Gender: Male Nationality: Norway Executive summary: Norway's greatest composer Norwegian musical composer, born on the 15th of June 1843 in Bergen, where his father, Alexander Greig [sic], was English consul. The Grieg family were of Scottish origin, but the composer's grandfather a supporter of the Pretender, left his home at Aberdeen after Charles Edward's defeat at Culloden, and went to Bergen, where he carried on business. The composer's mother, Gesine Hagerup, belonged to a pure Norwegian peasant family; and it is from the mother rather than from the father that Edvard Grieg derived his musical talent. She had been educated as a pianist and began to give her son lessons on the pianoforte when he was six years of age. His first composition, "Variations on a German melody", was written at the age of nine.

A summer holiday in Norway with his father in 1858 seems to have exercised a powerful influence on the child's musical imagination, which was easily kindled at the sight of mountain and fjord. In the autumn of the same year, at the recommendation of Ole Bull, young Grieg entered the Leipzig Conservatory, where he passed, like all his contemporaries, under the influence of the Mendelssohn and Schumann school of romantics. But the curriculum of academic study was too narrow for him. He dreamed half his time away and overworked during the other half. In 1862 he completed his Leipzig studies, and appeared as pianist and composer before his fellow citizens of Bergen. In 1863 he studied in Copenhagen for a short time with Gade and Emil Hartmann, both composers representing a sentimental strain of Scandinavian temperament, from which Grieg emancipated himself in favor of the harder inspiration of Richard Nordraak. "The scales fell from my eyes", says Grieg of his acquaintance with Nordraak. "For the first time I learned through him to know the northern folk tunes and my own nature.

We made a pact to combat the effeminate Gade-Mendelssohn mixture of Scandinavism, and boldly entered upon the new path along which the northern school at present pursues its course." Grieg now made a kind of crusade in favor of national music. In the winter of 1864-65 he founded the Copenhagen concert society Euterpe, which was intended to produce the works of young Norwegian composers. During the winters of 1865-66 and 1869-70 Grieg was in Rome. In the autumn of 1866 he settled in Christiania, where from 1867 until 1880 he conducted a musical union. From 1880 to 1882 he directed the concerts of the Harmonic Society in Bergen. In 1872 the Royal Musical Academy of Sweden made Grieg a member; in 1874 the Norwegian Storthing granted him an annual stipend of 1600 kronen. He had already been decorated with the Olaf order in 1873.

In 1888 he played his pianoforte concerto and conducted his "two melodies for strings" at a Philharmonic concert in London, and visited England again in 1891, 1894 and 1896, receiving the degree of Mus.D. from the university of Cambridge in 1894. He died at Bergen on the 4th of September 1907. As a composer Grieg's distinguishing quality is lyrical. Whether his orchestral works or his songs or his best pianoforte works are submitted to examination, it is almost always the note of song that tells. Sometimes, as in the music to Henrik Ibsen 's Peer Gynt, or in the suite for stringed orchestra, Aus Holbergs Zeit, this characteristic is combined with a strong power for raising pictures in the listener's mind, and the romantic "programme" tendency in Grieg's music became clearer the further writers like Richard Strauss carried this movement.

Grieg's songs may be said to be generally the more spontaneous the more closely they conform to the simple model of the Volkslied; yet the much sung "Ich liebe dich" is a song of a different kind, which has hardly ever been surpassed for the perfection with which it depicts a strong momentary emotion, and it is difficult to ascribe greater merits to songs of Grieg even so characteristic as "Solvejg's Lied" and "Ein Schwan." The pianoforte concerto is brilliant and spontaneous; it has been performed by most pianists of the first rank, but its essential qualities and the pure nationality of its themes have been brought out to their perfection by one player only -- the Norwegian pianist Knudsen. The first and second of Grieg's violin sonatas are agreeable, so free and artless is the flow of their melody. In his numerous piano pieces and in those of his songs which are devoid of a definitely national inspiration the impression made is less permanent.

B�low called Grieg the " Chopin of the North." The phrase is an exaggeration rather than an expression of the truth, for the range of the appeal in Chopin is far wider, nor has the national movement inaugurated by Grieg shown promise of great development. He is rather to be regarded as the pioneer of a musical mission which has been perfectly carried out by himself alone. Edvard Grieg ï¿½ Biography of Norway's Greatest Composer Harald Herresthal is a professor at the Norwegian State Academy of music in Oslo. Introduction Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is the greatest composer Norway has fostered. In retrospect one may wonder how a country with neither national freedom nor a long tradition of art music could have produced a man of such genius. Up to 1814 Norway had been totally subject to Denmark, with Copenhagen as its cultural center. From 1814 to 1905 it was forced into a union with Sweden. The first half of the eighteenth century was a time of poverty in Norway and it was some time before it could assert itself among its Scandinavian brothers.

But for the highly gifted these are perhaps the ideal conditions for providing impetus and nurturing growth. In the autumn of 1858, Edvard Grieg, then only 15 years old, went to the Leipzig Conservatory to study music. His teachers were among the most eminent in Europe, and four years later he left the Conservatory as a full-fledged musician and composer. In the years up to 1866, Grieg lived in Copenhagen, leaving it only to make brief study trips. There he sought the advice of the famous composer Niels W. Gade, who encouraged him to compose a symphony. The work was performed several times, but Grieg later refused to acknowledge it. "Never to be performed," were the words he wrote on the score. Nevertheless, a few years ago the symphony was again performed and it was later recorded. This fruit of Grieg's early years was certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and it provides today's listeners with a broader view of Grieg's artistic and musical development. The symphony demonstrates that Grieg had acquired considerable technical skill, and new works flowed easily from his pen.

The Piano Sonata and the Sonata, op.8, for Violin and Piano, from 1865, are of very high quality. Grieg's style was based on the German romantic tradition of music but bit by bit national awareness developed within him, coupled with a growing need to create a typical Norwegian style of music. His friendships and discussions with other young Norwegians also furthered this development. In Copenhagen Grieg had met Rikard Nordraak (1842-1866), whose patriotism reached its fullest expression in the choral setting of Norway's national anthem. As a composer he had not attained Grieg's level, but he had strong views on how to create music based on the old folk melodies. When Edward Grieg settled in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1866, he was influenced by the composer Otto Winter-Hjelm (1837-1931). Winter Hjelm saw clearly how the elements of folk music could be used to create a national type of music along grander lines.

Another composer worthy of mention in this connection is Ludvig Mathias Lindeman (1812-1887), whose collection of Norwegian folk melodies formed an important basis for Grieg's further development. Later, Grieg went in search of folk music in its native environment, the written notes of folk music could only imperfectly reproduce the special atmosphere and the almost magical rhythms and harmonies that the folk musicians could coax out of their instruments. In the hope of making his living as a musician in Norway, Grieg initially had to concentrate on playing and teaching music in Oslo. Composing was largely relegated to the summer holidays, but during these years Grieg exhibited a considerable capacity for hard work. It was thanks to him that a concert society with both choir and orchestra was established in the capital, a society which provided him with valuable experience in the art of instrumentation. In the autumn of 1868, Grieg put the finishing touches to his first great masterpiece, the Piano Concerto in A minor. With the passing of time it has become almost synonymous with Norway. It is now a part of the international repertoire of piano music and is played constantly throughout the world.

Every time it is performed, the concerto evokes in both performers and audience strong associations with Norway. Though patterned to some extent on European models, Grieg has succeeded in bringing these together with elements of Norwegian folk music and his own personal conceptions of Norwegian nature and the Norwegian character. His musical style has become identical to the Norwegian intonation. Even in Grieg's lifetime those who heard his music gained the impression that it was strongly linked to the landscapes and way of life of the people around him. His first biographer, Aimer Gronvold, helped to strengthen this impression through a situation he once described. When Gronvold, one summer day in the 1880s, sailed past the little settlement of Ullensvang in Hardanger on the local steamer, he caught sight of the small figure of Edvard Grieg, striding along beside the fjord at Lofthus. Picking a path through rocks and scree he made his way towards his destination, a small knoll with a wooden cabin specially built for him to compose in.

It boasted but one tiny room, and was poised on the edge of the fjord, in the midst of the exquisite beauty of Ullensvang, with the dark, deep fjord below, and the glittering ridge of the Folgefonna glacier on the other side of the water. Grieg returned there every summer, and sometimes in the winter too, to seek the peace and tranquillity he needed for his work. In the heart of this matchless amphitheater of nature, surrounded by the most sublime and majestic scenery in Norway, Grieg placed his grand piano and his writing desk. Here he sat, like an Orpheus reborn, and played in his mountain fastness, among the wild animals and the rocks. His music came from the depths of rural Norway, where the quick and resonant tones of the Hardanger fiddle met his ear, and the Hardangerfjord's shifting moods enchanted his eye. Gronvold concluded that there was an intense and indissoluble relationship between the environment he lived in and the music that he created.

It is almost impossible to listen to Grieg, be it in a concert hall or a drawing room, without sensing a light, fresh breeze from the blue waters, a glimpse of sparkling glaciers, a recollection of the steep mountains and of life in the fjordland of western Norway, where Grieg was born and dearly loved to roam. In good times and bad But this romantic image of the composer, and of his art and environment was only half the truth. Success did not come easily to Grieg. His life was a struggle where he encountered both success and adversity. In the 1860s he worked hard to support both himself and his family as a choir and orchestral conductor, as a music teacher and as a performer. In these fields he was successful, but it took time to win the recognition of other musicians and of the public. His harmonies seemed dissonant and unorthodox to a public still striving to understand Beethoven and Mozart. Grieg could not spend long periods in such an environment without being destroyed as an artist. The Norwegian school of painters, with Hans Gude at its head, had taken the obvious consequence of this several years before. Every summer they sketched and planned in the Norwegian mountains.

But with the advent of the autumn, they packed their bags and went to Dusseldorf to complete and sell the paintings. At regular intervals Bjornson and Ibsen had to do the same, gathering new impulses and appreciation in Germany, Italy and France. This was how Grieg chose to work too. He decided to compose in his own country, but he also needed the inspiration of the European centers of music. If he was ever to be able to live off the proceeds of his own production, he needed a broader musical market than Norway and Scandinavia could provide. The 10 volumes of Lyric Pieces -- printed at Peters publishing house in Leipzig -- with their simple, intimate mood images, played a major part in making his name known and loved in every piano-playing home in Europe. Even in his own lifetime, his compositions for the piano earned him the name, "The Chopin of the North." In 1869 Grieg, on a state stipend, left for Italy. His encounter with Franz Liszt and the artistic circles in Rome gave him fresh inspiration and self-confidence. Fired with new energy and enthusiasm he returned to Christiania in 1870.

There he initiated a fruitful cooperation with Bjornstjerne Bjornson, who for many years had been waiting for a composer who could write Norwegian music that would expand and bring to life his poems and dramas. The poem "Before a Southern Convent" for soprano, contralto, ladies' choir and orchestra (1871) was the first fruit of this cooperation. Inspired by its success Bjornson, in the same year, started on the dramatic poem "Bergliot" which with its rugged realism inspired Grieg to attempt a far more daring musical language than previously. In the spring of 1872 Bjornson and Grieg presented the result of yet another cooperation, the scenic drama "Sigurd Jorsalfar." The conscious search for national roots and identity in Nordic antiquity was continued in "Olav Trygvason." The idea was to create a monumental musical drama, but Bjornson never completed more than the first three, acts. The work remained a fragment, but Grieg's music gives us some idea of what a magnificent national opera, and perhaps a major opera composer too, were thus lost to Norway.

The project was abandoned, but Grieg's dramatic talents were put to a new test when Henrik Ibsen asked him to write the incidental music to "Peer Gynt." This was no easy task for Grieg, but the music he wrote became one of the major works of the 1870s. In Grieg's own lifetime the "Peer Gynt" music scored a resounding international success thanks, not least, to the two orchestral suites which made the music accessible in the concert hall. Bergen and the artists' grant In 1874 Grieg was awarded an annual artists' grant, and could support himself without needing to teach or to conduct. He returned to his home town of Bergen. The framework now seemed ideal for a productive period in his life. Instead, it was a time of both personal and artistic crisis. A period of depression, and Grieg's struggle to overcome it led, nevertheless, to the creation of profound and gripping works of a high quality. The ambitious Ballad in G minor for piano and string quartet reflects the turmoil in his soul and his struggle to perfect both form and content.

As the years went by, Grieg composed more slowly, and each new work came to fruition only after a long and painstaking process. This was when he wrote "The Mountain Thrall" for baritone, two horns and strings, and most of the Vinje songs were composed at this time. Later came the Norwegian Dances for piano duet and the famous Holberg suite for strings. From 1880 to 1882 he conducted the Harmonien orchestra of Bergen, but he later resigned all his official posts. Nina and Edvard Grieg, 1886 In 1885 Grieg moved into his new home "Troldhaugen," outside Bergen. Here he and his wife Nina lived for the rest of their lives. The last twenty years of Grieg's life were mainly spent on composing and on extensive concert tours in Europe. The latter were scarcely beneficial to Grieg's ailing health, though they added to his fame as a composer. Among the works created in this period were the Sonata for Violin and Piano in C Minor and the memorable Haugtussa songs, set to the words of Arne Garborg. Of singular interest were Norwegian peasant Dances and Tunes, op.

72, marked by a harmonic boldness which was in advance of its time. The same could be said of his last major, completed work, Four Psalms for mixed choir, freely arranged from old Norwegian Church Tunes (1906). The arrangements of folk tunes which he completed later in life demonstrated his almost unique ability to understand the very essence of the folk melody. Grieg's music became immensely popular. Around the turn of the century, it was performed the world over, not only in the great concert halls, but in cafés and restaurants everywhere. Such overwhelming public success accorded badly with the traditional image of the struggling and impoverished artist, and the way in which the performers of light music took over Grieg's many harmonic innovations was subsequently used against him. In connection with the 59th anniversary of Grieg's death, in 1957, critics asserted that his name had steadily lost its significance within the sphere of classical music. But since then the pendulum of history has swung back again, and this time to Grieg's advantage. Many of the romantic musical works are now undergoing a renaissance, and Grieg's compositions are among them.

His works are still performed in concert halls throughout the world, and the number of Grieg recordings is increasing noticeably. Works long considered to be relative insignificant have been rediscovered by a new generation of musicians. A number of music researchers have pointed to the significance of Grieg's later works on the French impressionists' search for a new world of sound. When Maurice Ravel visited Oslo in February 1826 he said: " The generation of French composers to which I belong has been strongly attracted to his music. There is no composer to whom I feel a closer affinity -- besides Debussy -- than Grieg." Bela Bartok, who attempted to renew musical style in the twentieth century on the basis of folk music, also received important impulses from Grieg's piano adaptations of such melodies. Edvard Grieg's goal was to create a national form of music which could give the Norwegian people an identity, and in this respect he was an inspiration to other composers. But the greatness of his works lies not just in this , but in the fact that he also succeeded in expressing thoughts and emotions which could be recognized everywhere; music which people could identify with. Grieg's music transcended national boundaries.

Viewed in this perspective, it is evident that he was far more than just a national composer. . From the Internet site, "ODIN," maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Norinform. Textual reproduction permitted. A link to ODIN appears at the bottom of the Great Norwegians Homepage. Images, formatting, and layout (c) 1996-2001, MNC. To return to the Edvard Grieg Linkpage, click below: To return to the Great Norwegians Homepage, click below: Edvard Grieg Biography â Childhood, Life And Timeline Leipzig Conservatory (1862) Image Credit Known for his concertos and piano miniatures, Edvard Grieg contributed immensely to the world of music in Norway. His works became popular all over the world, and most of his music was inspired from his own emotions, real life scenarios and a lot of descriptive imagery. Norway was never known for its love for the arts or anything creative. One would always ponder over how a small country like Norway came up with and nurtured a musical genius such as Edvard Grieg.

His love for folk music, landscapes and traditions seamlessly penetrated the creative boundaries of his music and he grew to become one of the most prominent names in the country. Grieg lived and dreamt music, and it was this dream that brought him to his evergreen masterpiece, the âPiano Concerto in A minorâ. To know more on the life of Edvard Grieg, read on the biography below. Childhood And Early Life Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway on June 15, 1843, to Alexander Grieg and Gesine Judith Hagerup. Grieg’s father was a merchant while the mother was a music teacher and the daughter of the renowned Edvard Hagerup. Edvard was musically inclined from a very tender age and his mother, noticing his inclination, decided to give him his first piano lessons at the age of 6. She taught him his basics for a couple of years before he went on to study the subject in depth at influential institutions such as ‘Tanks school’. His mother’s teachings and later schooling provided impetus and the right sort of environment for his musical talent.

In 1858, when he was 15, Edvard met the famous Norwegian violinist; ‘Ole Bull’ who was distantly related to his family. Bull recognized the boy’s talent and urged his parents to send him to ‘Leipzig’s Conservatory’ where he would learn to love, nurture and inculcate music into his life permanently. Musical Beginnings Grieg was in for a 4-year tenure at the conservatory and resented the discipline and the culture of the school. Discipline issues apart, he excelled at various subjects and always made his teachers proud while he was there. He chose piano as his major and opted for organ as an elective. Edvard Grieg suffered a lung disease that threatened his life in 1860 but he overcame it with limited medical treatment and went on to give a successful debut performance in Karlshamm, Sweden, while still studying at Leipzig. Grieg studied under the guidance of some of the biggest names in Europe at the time and rose to prominence as a full-fledged, fully equipped musician after leaving the conservatory.

Personal Life Edvard returned to his hometown to give his first performance as a noted musician from Leipzig, where he captivated audiences with Beethoven’s sonata; ‘Pathetique’. He decided to hold base in Copenhagen, Denmark and stayed there for over 3 years. It is here that he met his guide and future friend ‘Rikard Nordraak’ and eminent composers Niels Gade and J.P.E Hartmann. Niels Gade urged Edvard to create his own symphony which, after much persuasion, was created performed by Grieg on various occasions. However, he never wanted it to go public or be acknowledged by the public for reasons unknown. He undermined himself at various points in life and did not think his symphony was good enough to be appreciated on a global platform. This was when Rikard Nordraak (the man who created the Norwegian National anthem) stepped in and inspired Edvard to create and compose more. Following the death of his dear friend Nordraak in the year 1866, Edvard composed a funeral march in his remembrance that brought some light to a somber procession. This is when people began to recognize his works even more and began identifying him as a talented composer.

Most of Edvard’s music involved the use of piano and violin for sonatas, and had tinges of German romanticism to it. But soon enough, Grieg realized his national loyalties and began to take inspiration from national folklores and Norwegian landscapes. Marriage And Career Edvard Grieg married his first cousin, Nina Hagerup, in 1867. During 1867-1869, Edvard created and composed his ‘Piano Concerto ‘A’ minor’, while on a holiday to Denmark. The concerto became such a rage that it was adopted by the famous Edmund Neupert who promised Edvard his concerto’s debut in Copenhagen on 3rd April 1869. Edward was however, unable to make it for his own piano concerto ‘A’ minor, as he was held up with other commitments in Oslo. In 1868, Edvard met another gentleman by the name Franz Liszt who was deeply moved by his music. Liszt ensured that Edvard got a travel grant to meet him in Rome. Grieg visited Liszt twice and played the violin sonata for him.

He even tried adopting Edvard’s Piano concerto however, Edvard felt that it was tampered with and played too quickly. In return, Liszt taught Edvard the ways and methods of orchestration. Edvard began to compose different types of music during his early years and came up with a lot of imagery-based music during 1874-1876. Some of his most famous works were for Ibsen’s play ‘Peer Gynt’, who specially requested him to compose music for the play. This not only won him accolades but also brought out his artistic capabilities to a forefront. The music that he composed for the play was adopted by orchestras and piano-duet arrangements. He began to affiliate himself with different orchestras including the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. As his popularity increased, he grew as a musical celebrity and then became music director of the orchestra from 1880-1882. In 1885, Edvard and Nina made Bergen their home and settled after an extensive period of touring. The house in which they settled called ‘Troldhaugen’ is now a central museum for all things related to Edvard Grieg, and carries on the magic of his music and legacy.

Grieg’s music and prominence both increased as he aged, and he was more of a celebrity in his later years than in his younger days. He started recording his music for gramophones and showed his flair for music as a pianist. These were made on both LP’s and CD’s and can still be found in historic musical records today. Grieg began to get pension from the government for his works and in the year 1906, he met musician Percy Grainger at a concert in London. Percy slowly began adopting Grieg’s music and played the Piano Concerto several times to high standards in various concerts throughout the world. Death And Legacy Grieg died on September 4, 1907 after a long period of degenerating health. He was 64 when he died and had an elaborate funeral with over 40,000 devoted listeners pouring out on to the streets as a mark of respect for their lovable composer. This teary farewell was accompanied by the funeral march that he had composed for his friend, Rikard Nordraak’s death; this time, it was orchestrated by another friend, Johan Halverson. This was also followed by Edvard’s favorite Piano Sonata by Chopin.

The legacy that Grieg left behind is an indelible one. Grieg himself would not have imagined the magnitude and the impact of his music on others. He brought about a new culture that defined and fostered the cultural growth of Norway. His gripping works told countless stories of his hard work and struggles, in a period where he was not too recognized. It also brought to the forefront, his immense talent and his influence on budding musicians. His works are still performed and resonate in orchestra halls even today. He not only defined a new life for Norwegian music but also took his music on a global platform that transcended through generations. EDVARD GRIEG TIMELINE Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. 1858: He was sent to the Leipzig conservatory to refine his musical talent. 1860: Life threatening lung disease and debut performance in Karlshamm, Sweden. 1865: Went to Italy and worked on his compositions. 1866: Death of dear friend and guide, Rikard Nordraak, for whom he composed a funeral march as a tribute. 1867: Marries his first cousin Nina Hagerup, who is also a talented artist herself.

1869: Death of only daughter, Alexandra, due to Meningitis and Neupert’s debut orchestration of Piano Concerto. 1870: Visited Italy and met Liszt. 1874: He was recognized by the government for his work and given pension. 1880: Became music director for Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra till 1882. 1885: Settled in Troldhaugen after years of nomadic travel. 1889: Visited Paris and England and recorded music for gramophones. 1907: Grieg - Composers - Classic FM Classic FM Album reviews Now Playing Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907) Biography Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor and Peer Gynt (which includes Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King). Edvard Grieg is to Norway what George Washington is to America and William Shakespeare to England: his country's most celebrated human icon.

Life and Music Writing to his American biographer, Henry Finck once explained: "The traditional way of life of the Norwegian people, together with Norway's legends, Norway’s history, Norway’s natural scenery, stamped itself on my creative imagination from my earliest years." Grieg appears to have dedicated himself to establishing single-handedly a national identity for classical music in Norway. Grieg was desperately unhappy at school, regularly suffering torment and abuse from his fellow students. During a visit to Copenhagen in 1862 Grieg met the young composer Rikard Nordraak, whose passionate interest in the sagas, landscape and music of his homeland inspired Grieg to take up the musical cudgels on behalf of Norway. In 1866 - the year of Nordraak's premature death - Grieg gave a concert of his own music, including some piano miniatures and the First Violin Sonata, which proved something of a sensation. Following his marriage to Nina Hagerup and the birth of their baby daughter, Alexandra, he composed his first and most enduring masterpiece, the A minor Piano Concerto, in a flurry of inspiration.

In 1885 the essentially shy composer took up residence in Troldhaugen (near Bergen) where he was to stay for the next 20 years. In the summer of 1906 he penned his final composition - the Four Psalms - and then, seriously weakened, left for the comparative warmth of a hotel in Christiana. He was on the verge of undertaking a journey to Britain in the autumn of 1907 when he suffered a massive heart attack, dying in hospital shortly after arrival. Did you know? A fortuitous encounter with the violin virtuoso Ole Bull resulted in the 15-year-old Grieg's immediate transfer to the Leipzig Conservatory. Yet in his own words, he left the Conservatory "as stupid as when I entered it". Edvard Grieg | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by David Brensilver Composer Edvard Grieg, the icon of Norwegian music, left his home in Bergen, Norway to study at the conservatory in Leipzig. There he began his formal musical education under the auspices of Ignaz Moscheles (piano) and Carl Reinecke (composition).

While in school, the young composer saw the premiere of his first work, his String Quartet in D minor, performed in Karlshamn, Sweden. Despite being diagnosed with a form of tuberculosis, which left him with only one functioning lung, Grieg graduated from the conservatory in 1862. The composer had an intense desire to develop a national style of composition, but recognized the importance of becoming well versed in the work of the European masters, and consequently relocated to Copenhagen, studying with Niels Gade . He was thus able to remain in Scandanavia, while working in a thriving cultural center. In 1867 against his family's better judgment, Grieg married his cousin Nina Hagerup , a talented pianist, but whose vocal abilities enchanted the composer even more. Shortly after their wedding, the couple moved to Oslo, where Grieg supported them by teaching piano and conducting. He and his wife traveled extensively throughout Europe and it was during a period of time spent in Denmark, the composer wrote his landmark opus, the Piano Concerto in A minor. The premiere was given in 1869, with Edmund Neupert as the soloist.

The piece was received with an enthusiasm that would attach itself to the composer's reputation for the remainder of his career. Grieg admired his literary contemporaries and forged a productive partnership with Bjötjerne Björnson, playwright and poet, with whom he staged performances of such works as Before a Southern Convert, and Bergliot. While Björnson struggled with his output, Grieg met and befriended Henrik Ibsen . The forthcoming collaboration would prove significant for both, as Grieg would supply incidental music to Ibsen's Peer Gynt. The premiere was performed to critical acclaim and eventually led to Grieg 's scoring of Peer Gynt into Suites 1 and 2 (1888 and 1893 respectively). As a result of the success of Peer Gynt, Grieg enjoyed tremendous celebrity and continued to travel extensively, often meeting internationally renowned composers such as Tchaikovsky , Brahms , and Liszt , among others. In addition to a grant he was awarded in 1874, Grieg was able to earn the majority of his money by adhering to a vigorous schedule of recital tours.

He served briefly as the music director of the Bergen Symphony Orchestra , and from 1880-1882, held the same position at the Bergen Harmonien. In 1885, Grieg and his wife relocated once again, this time to his native Bergen, Norway, where he built their celebrated home, Troldhaugen. The property, a popular tourist destination to this day, features a secondary building overlooking the water, which the composer used as his work area, as he could only work in solitude. He and his wife summered in Norway and departed each fall for European tours that would last the remainder of the year. Grieg also conducted extensively throughout his country. Grieg was adored wherever he traveled and lived at a pace that would eventually catch up with him. Grieg died of chronic fatigue, with much credit given to his lifelong health problems, in his hometown of Bergen. Norway's most famous composer, dedicated his career to the pursuit of a national sound. The respect he had for his predecessors illustrates the sincerity with which he worked towards this goal.

He wrote in the Romantic tradition with, in his own words, the determination to "create a national form of music, which could give the Norwegian people an identity." Grieg, Edvard | San Francisco Classical Voice San Francisco Classical Voice The first Norwegian composer to gain a Europe-wide reputation, famous for his lyrical, shorter pieces. Vital Statistics Born: Bergen, Norway, June 15, 1843 Died: Bergen, September 4, 1907 Nationality: Norwegian Genre: Romantic Performed as: Pianist, conductor During the composer's lifetime: A revival of national consciousness, along with a flowering of artistic activity, including the painter Edvard Munch and poet/playwrights Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (Nobel Laureate and author of the lyrics to the Norwegian national anthem), helped lead Norwegians to regain nationhood peacefully, in 1905, after hundreds of years of domination by Denmark and Sweden. Biographical Outline Background and schooling, 1843-62: Born into an upper middle-class family, Grieg receives instruction from his mother, a highly regarded pianist, and progresses rapidly.

During a visit to the Grieg home, internationally famous Norwegian violinist Ole Bull hears Edvard play and suggests his parents send him to Leipzig Conservatory. He arrives in 1858, age 15. In 1860, he is sent home, briefly, to recover from a life-threatening attack of pleurisy, a lung disease Becoming a composer, 1863-64: Grieg studies composition in his last year at the conservatory, and publishes a few student pieces. Shortly before his 19th birthday, he begins concertizing in Bergen. In May 1863, dissatisfied with his musical training, he visits Copenhagen, Denmark. At the suggestion of Niels Gade, a renowned composer, Grieg writes a symphony, which he later bans from performance. Friends, folk, and family, 1865-68: Grieg spends a summer with Ole Bull and meets a fervent young nationalist composer, Rikard Nordraak, both of whom acquaint him with Norwegian folk idioms and lead him toward a Romantic nationalist style.

In January 1867, he co-founds a Norwegian Academy of Music in Christiana (Oslo), and in June marries his cousin, Nina Hagerup, who becomes a prime interpreter of his songs in touring recitals. He writes his piano concerto in the summer of 1868 in Denmark, with his wife and newborn daughter, Tragically, his only child lives just 13 months. 1868-1880: Catching Fire: Grieg publishes the first set of Lyric Pieces for piano, a series which quickly become standard repertoire worldwide. He visits Italy in 1869 and meets Liszt in Rome, who encourages him. Back in Christiana, Grieg collaborates with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson on two cantatas and the pair begin work on an opera. Eventually they both lose interest and Grieg takes up an invitation from Henrik Ibsen for incidental music to his play Peer Gynt. The project takes Grieg two years, but ends up as one of his most popular works from its 1876 premiere. A year later, Grieg finishes his String Quartet in G Minor.

Chronic ill-health stops him from composing for a year, but performances of the string quartet, and the piano concerto (with the composer as soloist) enhance his reputation. Fame and Mini-Fortune, 1880-1907: From 1880 to 1882 Grieg holds his last official position as conductor of the Bergen Harmonic Society. He divides most of his remaining summers between composing and walking tours of the Norwegian mountains. In the fall and winter, Grieg maintains an active performing career. He dies of a long-term respiratory ailment, at age 56. His funeral is a national event: The body is cremated, and the composer’s ashes are placed in an urn in a rocky crevice overlooking the fjord at Troldhaugen. Fun Facts Me, myself, and I: On his concert tours, Grieg played only his own music. Operetta poster-boy: Grieg’s struggle during his formative period (1865-68) was made into a Broadway show in 1944 with his music as the basis for its songs. Song of Norway portrays Grieg as the composer of what is now Norway’s national anthem.

Actually, his friend Rikard Nordraak wrote it. From highlands to mountains: Grieg’s great-grandfather was of Scottish ancestry, and originally spelled his name Greig (commonly, Gregg). The Romantic view: Grieg ruefully remarked about his successes: “Is it not true that when we have achieved something that for the moment seems to be of value, we are confronted by the heavy, dark glower of life’s disillusion that says: ‘It is nothing, nothing’?” An original excuse: Grieg hated school so much as a youngster, he would repeatedly stand under drainpipes to get soaking wet. That way, he would be told to walk back to his quite distant home to change clothes, and thus avoid painful hours of instruction. Troll story: “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt is easily Grieg's most recognizable piece. It's been a favorite of art rock and prog-rock bands, and even The Who recorded a version. It was first used in movies in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation and later became a staple of animation and horror movies. You'll hear it in advertisements, video games, anywhere a comically creepy theme is needed.

Recommended Biography Robert Layton, Grieg, (Omnibus Press, 1998). Part of the “Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers” series, this offers a short, general background on Grieg’s life for the non-scholar. Finn Benestad and William H. Halverson, editors, Edvard Grieg: Diaries, Articles, Speeches (Peer Gynt Press, 2001). Contains Grieg’s own brief memoir on his early life, and other writings of interest. Explore the Music Grieg excels in smaller, evocative forms, especially songs, like the famous cycle Haugtussa (Mountain Maid) and piano pieces like the Lyric Pieces (of which he wrote five sets). Grieg is known most of all for his enduring melodies, such as “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt. He used boldly original and unusual harmonies, rhythms and scales derived from folk idioms, especially in his later works. Song: Grieg's heart was in his songs, many of which were inspired by his wife. The greatest are the latest: the Op.

69 and 70 sets, to poems by Otto Benzon, Haugtussa (Op. 67), and a few stand-alone songs, such as The Gentlemen Rankers. Grieg was one of the greatest songwriters of the 19th Century. Piano: As a concert pianist, Grieg wrote piano works for himself, of which the Ballade in G Minor is the most famous. But he is mainly known for the wealth of music he wrote for publication, for the amateur market. In addition to the Lyric Pieces, there are several sets of Norwegian dances, the Pictures From Country Life, the Waltz-Caprices, and a set called Moods (Stimmungen). Orchestra: Orchestral music was a small part of Grieg’s output, but accounts for much of his best- known and popular music: the Piano Concerto, the music from Peer Gynt, and the Holberg Suite (orchestrated for strings from a piano work). The Symphonic Dances are also excellent. Chamber music: Grieg wasn't big on chamber music. Aside from his famous string quartet, he wrote three violin sonatas and a cello sonata.

Two movements of a second string quartet (in F) were also published posthumously. Recommended Websites Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg, Edvards Grīgs, Эдвард Григ, Edvard Hagerup Grieg Categories: Set cemetery Person Edvard Hagerup Grieg [ˈɛdʋɑʁd ˈhɑːgəʁʉp ˈgʁɪg] (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His Norwegian folk music compositions put the music of Norway in the international spectrum. Biography Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway on the 15 June 1843. His parents were Alexander Grieg (1806–1875), a merchant and vice consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judithe Hagerup (1814–1875), a music teacher and daughter of Edvard Hagerup. The family name, originally spelled Greig, has Scottish origins.

After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather traveled widely, settling in Norway about 1770, and establishing business interests in Bergen. Edvard Grieg was raised in a musical area. His mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play at the age of six. Grieg studied in several schools, including Tanks Upper School, and Tanks 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, then directed by Ignaz Moscheles. Grieg enrolled in the conservatory, concentrating on the piano, and enjoyed the many concerts and recitals given in Leipzig. He disliked the discipline of the conservatory course of study. An exception was the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. In the spring of 1860, he survived a life-threatening lung disease, pleurisy and tuberculosis. 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 personal friends. In 1861 Grieg made his debut as a concert pianist, in Karlshamn, Sweden. In 1862, he finished his studies in Leipzig and held his first concert in his home town, where his programme included Beethoven's Pathétique sonata. In 1863, Grieg went to Copenhagen, 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. The next year, their only child, Alexandra, was born. Alexandra died in 1869 from meningitis.

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 in the Casino Theater in Copenhagen. Grieg himself was unable to be there due to conducting commitments in Christiania (as Oslo was then named). In 1868, Franz Liszt, who had not yet met Grieg, wrote a testimonial for him to the Norwegian Ministry of Education, which led to Grieg's obtaining a travel grant. The two men met in Rome in 1870. On Grieg's first visit, they went over 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 gently pointed out to him that he played the first movement too quickly. Liszt also gave Grieg some advice on orchestration, (for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet).

In 1874–76, Grieg composed incidental music for the premiere of Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, at the request of the author. Grieg had close ties with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Harmonien), and later became Music Director of the orchestra from 1880–1882. In 1888, Grieg met Tchaikovsky in Leipzig. Grieg was struck by the sadness in Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky thought very highly of Grieg's music, praising its beauty, originality and warmth. Later years Edvard Grieg MuseumTroldhaugen The Norwegian government awarded him a pension. In the spring 1903, Grieg made nine 78-rpm gramophone recordings of his piano music in Paris; all of these historic discs have been reissued on both LPs and CDs, despite limited fidelity. Grieg also made live-recording player piano music rolls for the Hupfeld Phonola piano-player system and Welte-Mignon reproducing system, all of which survive today and can be heard.

He also worked with the Aeolian Company for their 'Autograph Metrostyle' piano roll series wherein he indicated the tempo mapping for many of his pieces. 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 in the late summer of 1907, aged 64, after a long period of illness. His final words were "Well, if it must be so." The funeral drew between 30,000 and 40,000 people out on the streets of his home town to honor him. Following his wish, his own Funeral March in Memory of Rikard Nordraak was played in an orchestration by his friend Johan Halvorsen, who had married Grieg's niece.

In addition, the Funeral March movement fromChopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 was played. Grieg was cremated, and his ashes were entombed in a mountain crypt near his house, Troldhaugen. The ashes of his wife were later placed with his after her death. Music Some of Grieg's early works include a symphony (which he later suppressed) and a piano sonata. He also wrote three sonatas for violin and piano and a cello sonata. An arrangement of part Piano Concerto made an iconic television comedy appearance in the Christmas 1971 Morecambe and Wise Show, conducted by André Previn. Grieg also composed "Peer Gynt Suite - In the Hall of the Mountain King". It was used as incidental music for the play "Peer Gynt". In this piece of music, Peer steals the bride at a wedding. The angry guests chase him and Peer falls, hitting his head on a rock. He wakes up in a mountain surrounded by trolls. The music represents the angry trolls taunting Peer, and gets louder each time the theme repeats. The music ends with Peer escaping from the mountain.

In a 1874 letter to his friend Frants Beyer, Grieg expressed his unhappiness with In the Hall of the Mountain King, one of his compositions from Peer Gynt, 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, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Henrik Ibsen, Hans Christian Andersen,Rudyard Kipling and others. Russian composer Nikolai 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 during 1978 and 1980. The recordings were reissued in 2006 on 12 compact discs by BIS Records.

List of selected works Main article: List of compositions by Edvard Grieg Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7 Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8 Concert Overture In Autumn, Op. 11 Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13 Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 Incidental music 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 Album for Male Chorus, Op. 30 Two Elegiac Melodies for Strings, Op. 34 Four Norwegian Dances for piano four hands, Op. 35 (later orchestrated) 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) Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55 Suite from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56 Four Symphonic Dances for piano, later arr. for orchestra, Op. 64 Haugtussa Song Cycle after Arne Garborg, Op. 67 Slåtter (Peasant Dances) for piano, Op. 72 Sixty-six Lyric Pieces 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.

Question: What nationality was the composer Edvard Grieg?
Answer: NORWEGIAN