GRIEG Edvard (Grieg Edvard Hagerup)

(1843-1907)
Born June 15, 1843 in Bergen. His father, a merchant and British consul in Bergen, came from a Scottish kind Greig (Greig). At the age of six years, Edward began studying music with his mother. On the advice of the famous Norwegian violinist William Bull fifteen Grieg was sent to study at the Leipzig Conservatory. Conservatory classes did not have a decisive influence on the artistic individuality of the musician, much greater importance was the acquaintance with the young Grieg Norwegian composer, . author of the national anthem R. Nurdrokom (1842-1866), . Held in 1863, . after his return from Germany,
. 'Robes slept with my eyes - told Grieg later - and only because Nurdroku I met with Norwegian folk music, and recognized himself'. United, . young musicians began a campaign against the 'weak' Scandinavian music N. Gade, . being under the influence of Mendelssohn, . and made it their aim to create a more powerful and original 'northern style'. In 1865, Grieg contracted tuberculosis and was forced to go to Italy,
. There he regained power, but the rest of his life did not differ in good health. In Rome, Grieg made friends with an elderly already at that time, Franz Liszt, who expressed his full enthusiasm for the magnificent Norwegian composed Piano Concerto in A minor (1868). On his return to Greg for some time he conducted symphony concerts in Christiania (now Oslo), founded the Norwegian Academy of Music (1867). Since 1873 he has gained financial independence through government grants and fees for the works and was able to fully devote himself to creative. In 1885 he settled in 'Troldhaugen' - a beautiful suburban villa at Bergen, which left only during concert tours. Greg has performed in France, Britain, Germany, Poland and Hungary, and enjoyed great respect both abroad and at home,. Cambridge and Oxford University awarded him an honorary doctorate of music, he was elected a member of the Institute of France and the Berlin Academy. In 1898, Grieg's first organized in Bergen, Norwegian music festival, which had great success. Grieg's death on Sept. 4, 1907 mourned the whole Norway. His remains were buried in a rock not far from the beloved home of the composer.
Grieg was a composer of vivid national type. He not only used folklore as trying to capture in his work environment of Norway, its landscapes. He has developed specific melodic and harmonic techniques, which, perhaps, sometimes abused. Is therefore particularly checkered Grieg small, predominantly lyrical instrumental forms, in which it is written, the majority of his piano and orchestral pieces, as well as the song genre. Ten notebooks Lyric Pieces for Piano (Lyriske Stykker, 1867-1901) - the top of the composer's. Songs by Grieg, number 240, were written primarily for the composer's wife, Nina Hagerup, excellent singer, sometimes acting in concert with her husband. They differ in the depth of expression and subtle transfer of the poetic text. Although Grieg's most convincing in miniature, he showed his talent as a chamber instrumental loops and created three violin sonatas (op. 8, F major, 1865; op. 13, G minor, 1867; op. 45, C minor, 1886-1887), cello sonata in A minor (op. 36, 1882) and String Quartet in G minor (op. 27, 1877-1878).

Among the most famous works by Grieg - Piano Concerto mentioned above and the music to Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (Peer Gynt, 1876). It was originally designed for piano duet, but was later orchestrated and collected in two suites, consisting of small characteristic pieces (op. 46 and 55). Such parts as Esker Death, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Arabic dance and Solveig's Song, of exceptional beauty and perfection of artistic form. Among the compositions, which, like the music to Peer Gynt, there are two versions - the piano (four hands) and colorful orchestral, can be called a concert overture fall (I Hst, op. 11, 1865; new orchestration - 1887), three orchestral pieces of music to the tragedy B. Bjц?rnson Sigurd Crusader (Sigurd Jorsalfar, op. 22, 1879; op. 56, 1872, second edition - 1892), Norwegian Dance (or.35, 1881) and Symphonic Dances (Op. 64, 1898). Arrangements Grieg's most famous melodies were used appeared in the 1940's popular operetta Song of Norway, based on the history of the composer.