Page 211 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

NATIONALISM 1830–1920 209

See also: The Bartered Bride 206 ■ Pictures at an Exhibition 207 ■
Dvorˇák’s Symphony No. 9 212–215 ■ Finlandia 220–221 ■ Appalachian
Spring 286–287

that reference the major characters
and scenes in the drama: Åse;
Anitra, a Bedouin chief’s daughter
whom Peer tries to seduce; Ingrid,
the farmer’s daughter he abducts
I have also written on the eve of her wedding; the troll
something for the scene kingdom into which he stumbles;
in the hall of the mountain and Solveig, the faithful woman
King … it absolutely reeks who waits patiently for his return.
of cow pies, exaggerated
Norwegian provincialism, Genre in decline Edvard Grieg
and trollish self-sufficiency. Later examples of incidental
Edvard Grieg music that survive outside their Grieg was taught to play the
original theatrical contexts include piano by his mother, a music
Fauré’s and Sibelius’s music for teacher in the Norwegian
Pelléas et Mélisande, Debussy’s town of Bergen, where he was
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien, born in 1843. As a teenager,
Elgar’s The Starlight Express, and Grieg met the internationally
Sibelius’s The Tempest. Incidental acclaimed violinist Ole Bull,
poetic drama, to be read rather music is still commissioned for who urged his parents to send
than staged. Seven years later some theatrical productions but him to study at the Leipzig
when Ibsen adapted his work for is generally performed with fewer Conservatoire. There, he was
a full-scale stage production, he musicians or even prerecorded. influenced by Schumann and
invited another internationally Modern examples include Michael Mendelssohn; it was only
later, in Copenhagen, that
renowned Norwegian artist— Tippett’s music for The Tempest Grieg became interested in
Edvard Grieg—to compose music and Harrison Birtwistle’s Oresteia. the Norwegian folk tunes that
for the first production. Grieg had Some characteristics of the genre inspired his music.
already produced successful have migrated to film, television, In 1867, Grieg married his
incidental music for Bjørnstjerne and even video games. ■ cousin Nina Hagerup, for
Bjørnson’s play Sigurd Jorsalfar. whom he composed many
The collaboration between Ibsen songs. The following year, he
and Grieg would elevate Peer Gynt wrote his one piano concerto,
to the status of national epic. which, like Peer Gynt, brought
lasting fame. In later life, he
Emotive music devoted himself to smaller
Grieg eventually produced more The more he saturated piano works, especially the 10
than 20 individual pieces for the his mind with [Peer Gynt], volumes of Lyric Pieces, some
numerous cues in Ibsen’s five-act the more clearly he saw that of which draw on folk idioms.
Grieg died in Bergen in 1907.
drama, reflecting the emotional he was the right man for a
mood of each moment—from the work … so permeated with
uproar of the Hall of the Mountain the Norwegian spirit. Other key works
King to the grief-filled death of Nina Hagerup
Åse, Peer Gynt’s mother. Grieg Grieg’s wife 1868 Piano Concerto in A
later assembled eight of the most minor, Op. 16
1872 Sigurd Jorsalfar
substantial of these into two 1884 Holberg Suite
orchestral suites, which have 1902–1903 Slåtter (Norwegian
become standard concert-hall Peasant Dances)
works. They include movements

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