Edvard Grieg - Life and Works
Norway's Greatest Composer is Famous for His Peer Gynt Suite
Brief biography of composer and pianist Edvard Grieg. The greatest composer of Norway, he is famous for Peer Gynt Suite.
Edvard Grieg, Norway's greatest composer, is best known for his incidental music Peer Gynt Suite adapted for the Ibsen play Peer Gynt. His major works include Holberg Suite, Concert in A minor, and Lyric Pieces of piano.
The first Scandinavian composer recognized internationally, he was sometimes called “Chopin of the North” and Dvorak's Scandinavian equivalent who worked outside the mainstream of European symphonic tradition.
His deep love of the beautiful landscape and the vibrant folk lore of his homeland Norway is much reflected in his music. Aged 24, he married his cousin Nina Hagerup, a gifted concert singer and inspiration to him. They often performed together in joint recitals.
Early Years of Grieg
Edvard Grieg Hagerup, (1843-1907), was born on June 15, 1843, in Bergen, Norway's coast. He got his first piano lessons from his mother at the age of 6, and entered Leipzig Conservatory nine years later. He also studied in Copenhagen. After his studies, he visited Italy where he worked on his first compositions.
Grieg's Compositions
Much of his music is small-scale, particularly his songs, chamber music, dances, sonatas and piano works, again, strongly identifying with Norwegian folk music. Among his orchestral works are the Piano Concerto in A Minor and the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt which was commissioned by Henrik Ibsen and the Norwegian government, Holberg Suite, Symphonic Dances for orchestra and Lyric Suite for orchestra.
His major works follow:
- Lyric Pieces for piano, Book 1, 1867
- Piano Concerto in a minor, 1868
- Incidental music to the play Peer Gynt, 1875
- Ballade in G minor, 1876
- Norwegian Dances for piano duet, 1881
- Holberg Suite, 1884
- "Butterfly" and "To the Spring" from Lyric Pieces, Book 3, 1884
- Symphonic Dances for orchestra, 1897
- Lyric Pieces, Book 9, including "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen", 1897
- Lyric Suite for orchestra, 1904
- Songs, numerous
The Musical Director and Organizer
He was a director of the Oslo Christiana Philharmonic Society in 1866, and also involved in the formation of the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Achievements and Awards
- Elected to Royal Swedish Music Academy, 1872
- Government’s pension grant in recognition of his work, 1874
- Elected to French Academy of Arts, 1889
- Honorary doctorate by Cambridge University, 1894
Sources:
Dictionary of Composers and their Music by Eric Gilder, Sphere Reference (1987)
The Encyclopedia of Music by Max Wade-Matthews & Wendy Thompson, HHouse (2002)
The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000)
The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (2002)
