Revision as of 11:26, 26 November 2012 editCurb Chain (talk | contribs)18,691 edits unnecessary← Previous edit | Revision as of 11:27, 26 November 2012 edit undoCurb Chain (talk | contribs)18,691 edits →Biography: unsourcedNext edit → | ||
Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
In 1868, ], 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 ], (for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet). | In 1868, ], 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 ], (for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet). | ||
In 1874–76, Grieg composed ] for the premiere of ]'s play '']'', at the request of the author |
In 1874–76, Grieg composed ] for the premiere of ]'s play '']'', at the request of the author. | ||
Grieg had close ties with the ] (Harmonien), and later became Music Director of the orchestra from 1880–1882. In 1888, Grieg met ] in Leipzig. Grieg was struck by the sadness in Tchaikovsky.<ref name = lamb>{{cite web | Grieg had close ties with the ] (Harmonien), and later became Music Director of the orchestra from 1880–1882. In 1888, Grieg met ] in Leipzig. Grieg was struck by the sadness in Tchaikovsky.<ref name = lamb>{{cite web |
Revision as of 11:27, 26 November 2012
"Grieg" redirects here. For other uses, see Grieg (disambiguation).
Edvard Hagerup Grieg ]] (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist.
Biography
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway on 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 6. Grieg studied in several schools, including Tank's 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, but he achieved very good grades in most areas. An exception was the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. In the spring of 1860, he survived a life-threatening lung disease. The following year he 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. (Grieg's own recording of his Piano Sonata, made late in his life, confirms that he was an excellent pianist).
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. She 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
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 and, despite limited fidelity, show his artistry as a pianist. Grieg also made live-recording player piano music rolls for the Welte-Mignon reproducing system, all of which survive today and can be heard.
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 autumn 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 from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 was played. His and his wife's ashes are entombed in a mountain crypt near his house, Troldhaugen.
Music
Some of Griegès 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. His many short pieces for piano – often based on Norwegian folk tunes and dances – led some to call him the "Chopin of the North".
Concerto in A minor: 1. Allegro molto moderato Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano)Concerto in A minor: 1. Allegro molto moderato Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen)
Concerto in A minor: 2. Adagio Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano)
Concerto in A minor: 2. Adagio Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen)
Concerto in A minor: 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano)
Concerto in A minor: 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen)
Notturno, Op. 54, No. 4 Performed live by Mark Gasser
Grieg plays his butterfly. Recorded 1906
Grieg plays his Wedding day. Recorded 1903
Problems playing these files? See media help.
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. https://s3.amazonaws.com/engrade-myfiles/4055174248588539/03-Grieg.pdf
In a 1874 letter to his friend Frants Beyer, Grieg expressed his unhappiness with what is now considered one of his compositions from Peer Gynt, In the Hall of the Mountain King 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 popular 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.
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Benestad, Finn. "Edvard Grieg". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- Benestad; Schjelderup-Ebbe (1990) . pp. 25–28
- Robert Layton. Grieg. (London: Omnibus Press, 1998). 18.
- ^ Benestad; Schjelderup-Ebbe (1990) . pp. 35–36
- Benestad; Schjelderup-Ebbe (1990) . p. 24
- Nina Grieg – utdypning (Store norske leksikon)
- Gretchen Lamb. "First Impressions, Edvard Grieg". Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2006. Lamb cites David Brown's Tchaikovsky Remembered
- Richard Freed. "Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16". Retrieved 11 October 2006.
- John Bird, Percy Grainger , Oxford University Press, 1999, P. 133-134.
- Layton, Robert (1998). Grieg: Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers. Omnibus Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-7119-4811-9. See also: Tommasini, Anthony (16 September 2007). "Respect at Last for Grieg?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
- Bibliography
- Benestad, Finn; Schjelderup-Ebbe, Dag (1990) . Edvard Grieg – mennesket og kunstneren (in Norwegian) (2 ed.). Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-16373-4.
Further reading
English
- Grieg The Writer ed. by Bjarne Kortsen. Vol I: Essays and Articles, vol II: Letters to Frants Beyer (editio norvegica, Bergen/Norway 1972)
- Edvard Grieg in England by Lionel Carley (The Boydell Press 2006) ISBN 1-84383-207-0
- Grieg: Music, Landscape and Norwegian Cultural Identity by Daniel Grimley (The Boydell Press 2006) ISBN 1-84383-210-0
- Songs of Edvard Grieg by Beryl Foster (The Boydell Press new edition 2007) ISBN 1-84383-343-3
- Edvard Grieg by Henry Theophilius Finck (Bastian Books new edition 2008) ISBN 978-0-554-96326-6
- Grieg by John Horton (London 1950)
Norwegian
- Benestad, Finn/Schjelderup-Ebbe, Dag (2007): Edvard Grieg – mennesket og kunstneren. H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo. ISBN 978-82-03-23459-0
- Bredal, Dag/Strøm-Olsen, Terje (1992): Edvard Grieg – Musikken er en kampplass. Aventura Forlag A/S, Oslo. ISBN 82-588-0890-7
- Johansen, David Monrad (1956): Edvard Grieg. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo.
- Bøe, Finn (1949): Trekk av Edvard Griegs personlighet. Oslo.
External links
- Grieg 2007. Official Site for 100th year commemoration of Edvard Grieg
- The Grieg archives at Bergen Public Library
- Troldhaugen Museum, Grieg's home
- Biography of Grieg by prof. Harald Herresthal
- Works by Edvard Grieg at Open Library
- Edvard Grieg statue by Sigvald Asbjornsen Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
- Films about Grieg's life: What Price Immortality? (1999), Song of Norway (1970)
- Edvard Grieg picture collection at flickr commons
Recordings by Edvard Grieg
- Papillon – Lyric Piece, Op. 43, no. 1 as recorded by Grieg on piano roll, 17 April 1906, Leipzig (Info)
- Legendary Piano Recordings: The Complete Grieg, Saint-Saëns, Pugno, and Diémer (Marston Records)
- Edvard Grieg: The Piano Music In Historic Interpretations (SIMAX Classics – PSC1809)
- Grieg and his Circle (Pearl, GEMM 9933 CD)
- Grieg spiller Grieg (Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen)
- Piano Rolls (The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation)
Music scores
- Free scores by Edvard Grieg at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Template:WIMA
- Free scores by Edvard Grieg in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Free scores at the Mutopia Project
- Use dmy dates from August 2011
- Norwegian composers
- Romantic composers
- Norwegian classical pianists
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
- Composers awarded knighthoods
- Musicians awarded knighthoods
- 1843 births
- 1907 deaths
- Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
- Norwegian people of Scottish descent
- People from Bergen
- Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre alumni
- Composers for piano