Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" & "Hall of the Mountain King
When one thinks of the Romantic composers, the names Beethoven, Wagner, Chopin, or Liszt come to mind. Looking even further into the period one sees the names of nationalist composers like Glinka, Tchaikovsky, and Smetana. Unfortunately, there are still many composers of the Romantic era whose music is known, but for some reason there names have grown apart from there music. Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian nationalist composer, is one of these men. Many people would know Grieg's work "In the Hall of the Mountain King" if they heard it, but would be unable to tell you who had written it or where the work originates from. Despite his lack of fame in today's world, his music still is a prime example of the Romantic period and tendencies. Two works in particular are "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King", both from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, despite their very conflicting styles Edvard Grieg is thought of in the music field as a symbol of Norway. He was born in Bergen, Norway on June 15th, 1843 the fourth of five children. Music interested Grieg from a young age and at the age of six he began piano lessons with his mother. His mother, Gescine Hagerup, was known as the best piano teacher in Bergen and led him firm
Grieg thought the task would prove to be relatively easy, but it ended up taking two years to complete the composition. The melody is then repeated using different instruments. Despite the very different approaches, such as the use of a very legato style in "Morning Mood" versus the staccato style of "In the Hall of the Mountain King", both pieces use the dynamics, tempo changes, articulation, and instrumentation to achieve the painting of the scene. " The first piece "Morning Mood" is played when Peer wakes in the Arabian desert, robbed and deserted by the Anitra. Ibsen felt that Grieg had unusual musical and intellectual capacities and asked him to write music to his dramatic poem Peer Gynt. The contrast of the beautiful sunrise in the morning to the panic of trying to escape from the lair of the trolls can clearly be distinguished in the two pieces. Even though the dynamic is still piano there is a slight build in the sound due to an increase in the number of instruments playing. At the age of fifteen in October of 1858, Grieg left to attend the Leipzig Music Conservatory. He leads a life of self indulgence and infidelity, ruining young maidens, escaping trolls and dealing with slaves. In the same year that another Norwegian, Henrik Ibsen, wrote Peer Gynt. The rhythms in this piece are made up of eighth notes and sixteenth notes usually all tied together to give a smooth flowing legato feeling. In the next section of the piece the dynamic markings fluctuate greatly as well as the tempo which is continually affected by diminuendos. One of Grieg's first idols, which he met in Copenhagen, was Niels W. Unfortunately, upon returning home he discovers his true self is gone due to his self indulgent lifestyle. Even without knowing the story behind the pieces, one can still come up with an accurate picture of what Grieg was trying to portray.
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Acceptance Essays
