Edvard Grieg

1843 – 1907

Great-grandfather was of Scottish descent.

Began playing piano music by age of 6.o Special recognition given for his performances of Mozart, Weber, and

Chopin’s works.

Met Ole Bull in 1858.o Norwegian violinist and family to Grieg’s.

Bull’s brother was married to Edvard’s aunt.o At recommendation, studied composition in Leipzig.

Training allowed him to create his own style that combined homeland traditions with the heavily Germanic technique he was taught.

Taught techniques of Chopin, Wagner, Schumann, and Mendelssohn.

Met Niels W. Gade in summer of 1863 while visiting home.o Head of Scandinavian school of music, Danish composer.

Always admired Gade for his compositions. Asked Grieg to compose symphony for him; only one

movement completed, but received warmly.

Met fellow Norwegian composer Rikard Nordraak in 1864.o Composer of Norwegian National anthem.

Became great inspiration as Grieg began composing Nationalistic pieces.

Met Henrick Ibsen in 1866.o Norwegian writer; already had a strong reputation from previous

writings such as Brand (1865). Success allowed him more freedom to write more surreal and

controversial settings like Peer Gynt. o Grieg greed to compose incidental music for Peer Gynt in 1874.

Grieg was drawn to Ibsen’s reputation and symphonic structure of writing drama.

Believed he only needed to add fragments to finish the already prevalent musical poetry.

Peer Gynt Synopsis

Act I – Peer Gynt, a rough Norwegian peasant, hears that the beautiful Ingrid is to be wed.

Showing up uninvited to the wedding, he decides to steal her away and takes her to the mountain wilderness.

o Deserts her after a day.

After several encounters, Peer finds himself in the Hall of the Mountain King where he is tortured by gnomes and sprites.

Narrowly escapes the crumbling hall, builds a hut in the forest. o Joined by Solvejg, a tenderhearted girl who has been in love with Peer

for a long while. They are married, but Peer leaves quickly after the wedding to

visit his ailing mother.

His mother dies soon after seeing Peer home, causing him to wander the world for more adventures.

o Goes among Arabs and feigns being a prophet. o Daughter of Arab chief quickly robs him of all of his possessions.

In the last Act, after suffering from a shipwreck on the Norwegian coast, Peer returns to the hut to find Solvejg faithfully awaiting his return.

He perishes in the hut shortly after returning as Solvejg sings “Solvejg’s Cradle Song” to him.

Analysis of Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46

Movement I – “Morning Mood”o Prelude to Act IV.

Peer is in a dream-like state of wandering Winds up in Africa Wakes up to a musical picture of restful contentment and

complete happiness.o Overall form: ABA’ with Codao A Section:

Theme I traded (Example 1). Listen Use of chromatic mediant modulation.

o B Section: Theme II enters in strings. Use of chromatic mediant modulation (Example 2). Listen

o A’ Section: Recapitulation of A and B sections in winds.

Cornet has Theme I, Woodwinds have Theme II Coda begins in m.68.

Movement II – “Aase’s Death”o Peer returns home to find his mother dying.o Complete Contrasto Scored only for strings.o Binary form: AB

Same rhythmic motive for the main melody throughout the piece. Listen

o A Section: Consists of short 4-measure phrases.

Of interest: m.4 has a French aug 6th chord, resolving with plagal motion.

o B Section: Comprised of 8 measures that are repeated an octave lower

(Example 3). Listen M.25 and m.29 both have Italian aug 6th chords. Mm 29-32: modulation from G major to b minor,

chromatic mediant mm. 39-40: borrowed chords in major/minor.

Movement III – “Anitra’s Dance”o Represents daughter of Arab chief who steals all of Peer’s possessions

after he assumes the role of a prophet. o Mazurka dance.

Exotic feeling, accent on beat 3. Listen

Triangle used in beginning aids in exotic feelo Consists of sequencing parts of melodic line throughout the entire

movement (Example 4). Specifically in the violin part. Modulates from D major to d minor. (mm.52-65)

o Measure 70 – Half diminished seventh chord (Example 5). Listeno Lagging melody created by points of imitation in Viola I adds humor to

Peer’s predicament (Example 5).

Movement IV – “In the Hall of the Mountain King”o Most famous movement of the Suite much to the dismay of Grieg.

Quoted in saying,“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.”

o Gnomes and sprites torment Peer.o Entire movement is a repetition of the four-measure motive.

First presented in cello and bass (Example 6). Listen Trades from b minor to D major throughout entire

movement. Grows from pp-ff.

o Tonic prolongation during the entire coda section. Listen Last driving phrase creates dissonance until timpani

establishes b minor as closing key.

Example 1: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, first movement, mm.1-4.

Example 2: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, first movement, mm.34-38.

Example 3: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, second movement, mm.22-36.

Example 4: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, third movement, mm.10-18.

Example 5: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, third movement, mm.68-75.

Example 6: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, fourth movement, mm.1-6.

Compositional Style/Relation to Norwegian National Music

Considered harmony as the basis for music.o Cosmopolitan Creed created in 1899

Not published in professional journal or book, but many records show of his reference to it.

Considered a cultural code through which each individual in a cultural area understands himself of herself and the environment that surrounds them.

“If the composition is national it is because the individual is national and therefore no vice.”

Known for small forms within small pieces.o No completed large scale symphonies.

As a result, considered less influential than Germanic composers.

Made sure he fully understood the compositional style of Norway before attempting to compose Nationalistic works.

o Consulted ethnographic collections, visited regional festivals, and commissioned colleagues to make transcriptions of traditional folk tunes.

o When critiqued on manipulating folk tradition, he debated fiercely that he sought to bridge the divide between international style and community to Norwegian national identity.

o His transcriptions were considered projects of translation in his eyes; in fact, he never claimed to do any more than look for different ways to express the same topics folk tradition drew on.

o Use of Norwegian folk instruments; drew upon characteristics of the instruments.

Example: Hardanger fiddle slåtter Tied closely to traditional fiddle technique and

style. Dominated by old Norwegian forms such as halling

(wedding/celebration music), springer (running dance music), and gangar (walking dance music).

Use of small bar motifs varied over piece (“Morning Mood,” “In the Hall of the Mountain King”).

o Strong element of wilderness and Norwegian Nationalism in Piano Concerto Op. 16.

Piano’s chimes following the timpani roll signify the Creation.

Opening themes built on descending seconds followed by descending thirds; this melody becomes synonomous with Grieg

Final movement inspired by Hardanger fiddle

To successfully achieve a Nationalistic piece, one must talk of familiar ideals, hopes, and fears that the nation can identify with.

o Also needs support from nation

Common Norwegian compositional practices:o Short phrase structures.

Balanced, 2-4 measures (“Aase’s Death”).o Modulation to chromatic mediants very common (Example).o Borrowed major/minor harmonies.o Grieg specifically known for many half diminished seventh chords

(Example).

Example 7: Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, first movement, mm.1-6.

Bibliography

Fink, Henry. Grieg and His Music. New York: Benjamin Blom, Incorporated, 1971.

Horton, John. “Ibsen, Grieg, and ‘Peer Gynt’,” Music & Letters 26, no. 2, (1945):66-77.

Horton, John, and Nils Grinde. “Grieg, Edvard.” Grove Music Online.

Kleiberg, Ståle. “Grieg’s ‘Slåtter’, Op. 72: Change of Musical Style of New Concept of Nationality?” Journal of the Royal Musical Association 121, no. 1, (1996):46-57.

Toye, Francis. “A Case for Musical Nationalism.” The Musical Quarterly 4, no. 1, (1918):12-22.