Edvard Grieg (1843 -1907)
Piano Music Vol. 11
SigurdJorsalfar, Op. 22
Peer Gynt, Suite No.1, Op. 46
Peer Gynt, Suite No.2, Op. 55
To stykker fra Olav Trygvason, Op. 50 (Two Pieces from Olag Trygvason)
Bergliot, Op. 42
Edvard Grieg
was born in Bergen, on the west
coast of Norway, in 1843. He
showed a strong interest in music at a very early age, and after encouragement
from the violinist and composer Ole Bull (1810 -1880) was sent to the
Conservatory in Leipzig at the age of fifteen to receive his musical
education. There he had fundamental and solid musical training, and through the
city's flourishing musical life, received impressions and heard music which
would come to leave its stamp on him for the rest of his life - for better or
for worse. Even though he severely criticized the Leipzig Conservatory,
especially towards the end of his life, in reality his exceptional gifts were
recognised, and one sees in his sketchbooks of the Leipzig period that
he had the freedom to experiment as well. He had no good reason to criticize
the conservatory, nor his teachers, for poor teaching or a lack of
understanding.
From Leipzig
Grieg travelled to Copenhagen, bringing with him the solid musical training
he had acquired, and there soon became known as a promising young composer. It
was not long before he carne under the influence of Rikard Nordraak, whose
glowing enthusiasm and unshakeable belief that the key to a successful future
for Norwegian music lay in nationalism, in the uniquely Norwegian, the music of
the people - folk-songs - came to play a decisive role in Grieg's development
as a composer. Nordraak's influence is most obvious in the Humoresques for
piano, Op. 6, which was considered a turning-point in Grieg's career as a
composer.
In the autumn
of 1866, Grieg settled in Christiania (Oslo). In 1874 Norway's capital
was the centre for his activities. During this time he also wrote the majority
of the works which laid the foundation for his steadily increasing fame. In
spite of his poor health -he had had a defective lung ever since childhood -he
was constantly on concert-tour as a pianist or as a conductor, always with his
own works on the programme. After his last concert-tour in 1907, he wrote to
his friend Frants Beyer:
This Tour has
been strange. The Audiences have been on my Side. In Germany I have
received more ac claim for my ART than ever before. But the Critics both in Munich and in Berlin have let me
know in no uncertain terms, that they think I am a dead Man. That is my
punishment for my lack of Productivity in these last Years, which my wretched
physical condition has caused. It is a hard and undeserved Punishment
-but I comfort myself with the thought that it is not the Critics, who govern
the world. (Letter to Frants Beyer, 5th March, 1907)
More clearly
than anything else, this letter shows a trend which Grieg experienced in his
later years in relation to his music. It was also a development which would
continue internationally until long after his death. Within the musical
"establishment", there were increasing numbers of people who were
gradually becoming more critical of Grieg's music and of his abilities and
talent as a composer. In the meantime his popularity among music-loving
audiences increased in inverse proportion. Grieg enjoyed some of his greatest
popularity with the general public during the last years of his life, when, in
spite of his greatly weakened health, he was continually on tour, in popular
demand from concert-managers all over the world. The critics, however, were sceptical
and condescending, and there is no doubt that Grieg felt hurt by their
attitude:
I cannot be
blamed if my music is played in third-rate hotels and by school-girls. I could
not have created my music any other way, even though I did not have my audience
in mind at the time. I guess this popularity is all right, hut it is dearly
bought. My reputation as a composer is suffering because of it, and the
criticism is disparaging.'
From early on
Grieg was labelled a composer of small forms. His indisputable lyrical ability
and talent were never doubted, but apart from some very few works such as the Piano
Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, and the String Quartet in G
minor, Op. 27, the Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7,
the three Violin Sonatas, Op. 8 in F major, Op. 13 in
G major and Op. 45 in C minor, and the Cello
Sonata in A minor, Op. 36, he was not able, in spite of his many
desperate attempts to do so, to feel completely at home with more extended
ihUSicil:1 forms. He felt that this was a short-coming, and unfairly blamed his
education at the Leipzig Conservatory. Nevertheless, he also showed that he
could master these f6rMs when on rare occasions he found raw musical material
that could be reworked and treated within the traditional structure of
sonata-form. The only problem was that the musical material to which he felt
closest and that most fascinated him, was of another quality and character.
Grieg's
encounter with Norwegian folk-music, and his assimilation of essential features
from this music, released certain aspects of his own creativity that soon led
to his music being, for many, identified with folk-music. By some he was
considered more or less simply an arranger of folk-music, and that hurt him
very deeply:
In my Op. 17 and
Op. 66, I have arranged folk-songs for the piano, in Op. 30, I have freely
rendered folk-ballads for the male voice. In three or four of my remaining
works, I have attempted to use Norwegian songs thematically. And since I have
published up to seventy works by now, I should be allowed to say that nothing is
more incorrect than the claim from German critics that my so-called originality
is limited to my borrowing from folk-music. It is quite another thing if a
nationalistic spirit, which has been expressed through folk-music since ancient
times, hovers over my original creative works.'
Much
instrumental Norwegian folk-music is built from small melodic themes, units
which are repeated with small variations in appoggialuras and sometimes with
rhythmic displacements. Sections are then joined together to form larger units.
We seldom find any true development as it is understood in traditional
classical music. It gradually became clear to Grieg that he felt the greatest
affinity with this music. That is why it also became so difficult to
distinguish between what in Grieg's works came originally from folk-music, and
what was his own composition. This must also have been especially difficult for
foreign critics and audiences.
In Grieg's
music there are two features which particularly attract our attention, rhythm
and harmony. In many instances Grieg's rhythm in his piano compositions is
taken from the folk-dance, as well as from compositions which are not based
upon folk-music. He placed great emphasis on the rhythmic element, and considered
it paramount in the presentation of his works which have dance as the point of
departure. He was of the opinion that in order to be able to play one of his
compositions, one had to know and feel the dance rhythm. Characteristic of his
understanding of the rhythmic element is the story about the meeting between
Grieg and Ravel in Paris, in 1894, at the home of William Molard:
While the
bright-eyed company discussed music, Ravel quietly went over to Molard's
piano and began to play one of the master's Norwegian Dances. Grieg listened
with a smile, but then began to show signs of impatience, suddenly getting up
and saying sharply: "No, young man, not like that at al1. Much more
rhythm. It' s a folk-dance, a peasant dance. You should see the peasants at home,
with a fiddler stamping in time with music. Play it again! And while Ravel
played, the little man jumped up and skipped about the room to the astonishment
of the company.'
Harmony is at
the heart of his work. Often it is the harmony itself which is the basis of the
composition. Grieg pointed this out emphatically in a letter to his biographer,
Henry T. Finck:
The realm of
harmony, has always been my dream world, and my relationship to this
harmonious way of feeling and the Norwegian Folk-songs has been a mystery even
for me. 1 have I understood that the secret depth one finds in our Folk-songs
is basica/1y owing to the richness of their untold harmonic possibilities. In my
reworking of the Folk-songs Op. 66, but also I elsewhere, l have attempted to express
my interpretation of the hidden harmonies in our Folk- I songs.'
Grieg's
interest in harmony had become obvious to others already while he was at the
Conservatory. At that time it was first and foremost a desire to experiment.
Later harmony became his way of bringing forth the very "soul" of the
folk-tunes. Among other things, he deliberately used unfamiliar,
"radical" chord progressions in order to suggest the vague tonality (sotto
voce half tones, vague thirds) such as one finds in many of the songs, a
melodic characteristic which would otherwise be impossible from an instrument
like the piano.
Grieg's
instrument was primarily the piano. From his earliest years to the concert-tour
in the year he died, he performed as a pianist his own compositions. He was not
a virtuoso, but his intimate familiarity with the piano allowed him to present
his own music in such a way as to leave a deep and lasting impression upon
everyone who heard him play. According to contemporary reports he had a marveilous
ability to bring out the best, the very essence, of his own piano pieces. When
he took his place on the platform, the atmosphere became electric, and the
critics emphasized his refined touch, tone quality, and the complete absence of
superficial gestures.
Grieg's music
contributed very modestly to the development of piano technique. Most of his
piano pieces are technically speaking within the abilities of competent
amateurs. This, together with musical characteristics which seem to have a
stimulating and refreshing effect, contributed to the fact that he was one of
the most played, and respected composers in Europe-popular, if not with the
critics, then at least with the majority of those interested in music.
Grieg's
compositions were written in the epoch of the piano. Music and piano-playing in
the average home were at a peak during the last half of the nineteenth century
and the first decades of this century. Cyril Ehrlich has calculated that in
1910 alone more than 600,000 pianos were produced. To know how to play the
piano was part of the general education in most middle-class families,
especially for girls. No wonder the music publishers C. F. Peters hoisted the
flag in London and Frankfurt every time
Grieg delivered a manuscript for a new album of piano pieces. It is also
understandable that Grieg sometimes experienced the demand for new piano pieces
as a strain. There were also times when he felt that the production of piano
pieces was a sort of bribe, or indulgence, to make sure that the publishing-house
issued his other works as well. Nevertheless, in general, Grieg had an
excellent relationship with his publisher in Leipzig. He was
particularly dose to Dr Max Abraham (1831 - 1900), who became editor at Peters
in 1863. This is dearly shown by the abundant correspondence that has been
preserved. Verlagsbuchhandlung C. F. Peters Bureau de Musique,
was the full name of the publishing- house that acted as Grieg's exclusive
publisher from 1890 and agreed to pay him 4000 Marks every year, a sum which
was adjusted to 6000 Marks in 1901. In return, Grieg was to offer Peters all of
his future compositions with rights, für allen Länder (for all
countries), for a certain fee.
Grieg
experienced a great deal of adversity during certain periods of his life, but
he also had more success than most other composer colleagues of his time.
Nevertheless he never lost the feelings of unrest, of not having developed his
talent to the full degree, of having left something undone, something
unfulfilled within himself. Throughout his life, Grieg was a restless soul. He
never felt completely at peace anywhere. When he was in Bergen, he longed
for Olristiania, and when he was there he longed for Copenhagen and the
continent. When he was abroad, he longed to be back home, but no sooner had he
arrived in Bergen than he felt
oppressed and restless and wanted to go off again. There were perhaps only two
places where he really felt at home and satisfied, on the concert- platform and
in the Norwegian mountains, especially Jotunheimen. When he was in the presence
of his audience or experiencing the powerful and free nature of the western
part of Norway, he felt
whole and complete.
The
incidenta1 music for Sigurd Jorsalfar, which Grieg wrote in 1872 for the
historica1 drama by Bjemsteme Bjornson (1832-1910) was originally for orchestra
and consisted of five numbers. Three of these rearranged for piano and they
were published by the Danish publisher, Lose, in 1874. Grieg revised the music
for Sigurd Jorsalfar in 1892 and the orchestra1 score of the revised
version was published by Peters in 1893 as Opus 56. At the same time a
revised edition of the piano arrangements was issued. This last is recorded
elsewhere in the present series. The second of the three pieces, Ved mannjevningen
(Trial of Strength), is based on a Gavotte for violin and piano
written in 1867.
Grieg's
collaboration with Bjornson during the years from 1871 to 1874 was intense,
inspiring and stormy and resulted in several dramatic and melodramatic
compositions that are considered to be among the best things that Grieg wrote (Olav
Trygvason, Op. 50 and Bergliot, Op. 42). Together they planned with Olag
Trygvason to create a nationa1 Norwegian opera. Work on this had started,
when Grieg accepted are quest from another writer, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) to
write music for a new drama, Peer Gynt. The sketch of the opera was laid
aside and this effectively ended the relationship between Grieg and Bjornson.
Once the music for , Peer Gynt was finished, Grieg was ready to resume
work on the opera, but by this time historica1 drama was already a thing of the
past for Bjornson, who was now absorbed in contemporary drama and realism. It
is probable that Bjornson never really forgave Grieg for setting aside their
plans for a great opera in order to write music for a play by Ibsen. Towards
the end of 1876 contact between them was completely broken. Bjornson had
suggested that Grieg write the music for one of his plays on a contemporary
subject, but the composer felt that this was not for him:
One cannot
manage to
overcome Everything in this World, and I am pursuing other ideals. To paint
Norwegian Nature, Peasant Life, History and the Poetry ~ of the People in Notes,
is where I feel I have a contribution to make, and what you are talking about
has my full Sympathy, but I am not the Man to do it, at .least not at this point
in my Life, I am still infatuated by Romanticism in all its vigorous abundance.
(Letter
to Bjornsteme Bjornson, 21st February, 1875)
The
separation between Grieg and Bjornson lasted until 1888, when Grieg once again
took out the sketches for Olag Trygvason and wrote a work for orchestra.
The same year a piano excerpt was published with the number Opus 50 and
under the title Scenes from Olav Trygvason, consisting of seven numbers.
The orchestral score was published by Peters in 1890. Later, probably in 1893,
Grieg reworked for piano two of the pieces, the second and sixth of the
orchestral version. These were published under the title of Gebet und Tempeltanz
aus Olav Trygvason. These pieces had originally been written for a
four-part mixed choir and orchestra.
In connection
with the first performance of the operatic fragment in Christiania (Oslo) in
autumn 1889, Grieg wrote to Bj0mson suggesting that they forget their earlier
difference and inviting him to the first performance, while seeking his
permission to give him credit for the work. Bj0mson accepted the gesture
wholeheartedly, but nonetheless their relationship was never as it had been.
The melodrama
Bergliot, Op. 42, was written in 1871 for Bjornson's poem, first
published in 1862. Bergliot is also a character from an early heroic epic. She
was married to the nobleman Binar Tambarskjelve, when he and their san Bindride
were killed by the king, Harald Hardrade. In his poem Bjornson tries to express
Bergliot's inner struggle and suffering, how she w avers between despair and
the desire for revenge and how the king's treadtery has made her feel stronger
rather than, subservient. For this poem Grieg w rote intense and powerful
music, reflecting the drama. The music was performed for the first time in
"' Christiania in 1885 with
Laura Gundersen in the leading role. When the , work was published two years
later, the orchestral score and piano , excerpts, it was dedicated to her.
In the end,
however, it is the music for Peer Gynt that more than any other work has
contributed to Grieg's international reputation. The incidental music was first
heard at the first performance of the play at the Christiania Theatre on 24th
February 1876 and was a great success. Grieg, however, was not present and was,
in fact, often absent at first performances of several of major works. One
month later he managed to have same of the pieces published by Lose in Copenhagen, but the
music only became famous when he published his orchestral Peer Gynt Suite
No.1, Op. 46. At the same time he published a piano arrangement of
the suite. Five years later he followed this with a piano arrangement of Suite
No.2, Op. 55. The orchestral Suite No.2 was originally
published in January 1893 with five movements but this was withdrawn after
Grieg had had the opportunity of hearing it at a concert in Leipzig that he
conducted. He was convinced that the fifth piece, Dance of the Mountain
King's Daughter, should only be played in the theatre:
I have now
heard the piece... I have even conducted it... and with all respect and love to
all the trolls, in the final analysis we must show no mercy and cut it out.