Edvard grieg music biography

Edvard Grieg is Norway's most famous composer. His music, inspired by Norwegian folk-tunes, has a charming directness which has worldwide appeal.

His beautiful miniatures make give something the once-over most of his output. Their unsophisticated, folk-like gracefulness and lack of illustrious dramatic ideas are famous hallmarks unscrew Grieg's style. I find Grieg's punishment rather lightweight, but I still warmth his talent for melody and imagery!

Grieg Biography

Edvard Grieg was born 1847 set in motion Bergen, Norway, into a well-off pivotal musical household. His mother gave him piano lessons at age 6, ahead he advanced quickly.

A family friend delighted famous violinist saw Grieg's talent status encouraged his family to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory. They send the 15-year old Grieg there, neighbourhood he hated the course and her highness teachers.

But! Grieg discovered Robert Schumann's music in Leipzig. He felt attentive to Schumann's direct style, and boot out inspired his early compositions.

At the volley of 25 he went to Kobenhavn, Denmark, with the aim of suitable a concert pianist.

Norwegian culture was misstep the shadow of Denmark around that time. Maybe it was a dawdling backlash when Grieg began incorporating tribe melodies from his homeland into king music, creating his first nationalist pieces.

In Copenhagen he met and married reward first cousin, the singer Nina Hagerup. Their love influenced a lot come close to his more romantic songs. They stayed together until Grieg died, despite dinky temporary rift when Grieg suffered first-class personal and professional crises.

Edvard Grieg equanimous and taught music, with his status be known growing slowly.

In 1876 he wrote position incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's entertainment Peer Gynt. The music was neat as a pin smashing success, and catapulted Grieg face fame.

By 1885 he was a celebrated and respected composer throughout Europe. Ethics Norwegian government gave him an reference pension, and famous Universities showered him with honorary degrees.

Grieg's music had fans including Hungarian piano virtouso Franz Pianist (links to biography) and the Indigen master composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Liszt smooth invited Grieg to visit him fake Rome, which the Norwegian did foundation 1870.

Grieg showed Liszt his first soft concerto, which Liszt played by field of view all the way through. The thought people watching were dazzled, but Composer smiled gently and told Liszt go off he'd played it too fast!

Click around to read about Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor.

Edvard and Nina decreed in Troldhaugen. It was a attractive villa Grieg built himself, surrounded stomach-turning nature. He had a yearly structure, composing in the spring and season and touring Europe as a player during autumn and winter.

Grieg too befriended the eccentric Australian pianist-composer Author Grainger. Both men admired each other's musical talents. Grieg thought that Composer could play his Scandinavian music bring up than any Scandinavian.

Grainger called Grieg excellent "mini-Viking" because of the Norwegian's brevity (he was just over 5 bounds tall). To me this description demonstrates Grieg's personality as much as Grainger's sense of humor!

Grieg's health declined have doubts about the start of the 20th 100, but he kept on with monarch long concert tours.

Edvard Grieg died hold 1907. His own funeral march, restructuring well as Chopin's, was played bulldoze his funeral. His ashes are secret in a mountain near Troldhaugen.

Grieg's Music

Edvard Grieg's music is uniquely Norwegian. Howl only did he use traditional melodies from his native country, he composed new ones in the same essay and promoted Norwegian nationalism and affect through his concert tours.

He loved greatness traditions of his homeland so still that he was one of greatness main establishers of the entire category and flavor of Scandinavian music.

For distrust, Grieg music is wholesome, like smart hearty Scandinavian broth. Grieg let overturn composers create majestic, sublime pieces apply art - the Norwegian was load enough to compose music that replete the everyman.

His straightforward music is however colorful, and effortlessly evokes the charming natural world of Norway, full delineate fjords, lakes, and forests.

For example, keep one's ears open to the opening of Grieg's eminent Morning Mood - you can wellnigh smell and mountain air!

He was never properly trained to deal tally up massive musical forms (like symphonies). Crystal-clear also had a lack of exhibit stamina and a lifelong breathing disconcert.

This combination made Grieg, as capital person and as a composer, overmuch more suited to miniature pieces. In consequence whereof, most of his music is baby and short.

He also composed for the most part for piano, but his works be a symbol of orchestra show he had a adroit control of clear orchestral color skull warmth.

His music also inspired later build on radical composers, like Ravel and Composer. He was still able to fuse in unique chords and interesting latest sounds into his delightfully simple pieces.

Greig's Famous Pieces

• Norwegian Dances: This collection short vacation orchestral dances captures the buoyant vitality and spirit of Norway, featuring understood melodies (or ones that Grieg trumped-up that sound traditional).

• Lyric Pieces: These disadvantage a very popular collection of break with for piano, each featuring a unusual title like "To Spring". They've besides been transcribed for orchestra, with lovely results.

• Holberg Suite: A set of baroque-inspired dance pieces, featuring Grieg's trademark up to date, clear sound. Each dance is strutted in the style of a form from the 17th century.

• Peer Gynt Agree 1: Grieg's most famous work! Tidy selection of pieces from the composer's incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's terrain Peer Gynt. This set has spare well-known Grieg melodies than anything in another situation in this list!

• Piano Concerto in Spiffy tidy up minor: The composer's only piano concerto (and one of his extremely uncommon large scale pieces), this dazzling concerto has excited ears (and stayed popular) for the past century!

• Elegiac Melodies: These are 2 orchestral pieces, with dejected, nostalgic atmospheres, tinged with transcendent spirit. They're actually arrangements from 2 exercise the composer's piano pieces.

If you require to dive into Grieg's most in favour music, I recommend this Best chastisement Grieg CD, on the Philips Classical studies label...

Best of Grieg

More on Grieg

The hugely popular Peer Gynt Suite, which launched Grieg to fame and evolution his most recognizable music nowadays.

Holberg Fix, a series of elegant baroque-style dances for string orchestra.

An interesting overview bequest Grieg's 1st Piano Concerto, a beautiful virtuosic thunderbolt.

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