Grieg History | secondary-general

Birth

Edvard Grieg was born in 1843 in Bergen, Norway to Hiemlik (a merchant) and Gesine (a music teacher). He grew up in a musical home. In fact, his mother was his first piano teacher (he started at the age of 6).

During His Lifetime

Grieg realized his national loyalties while in college and began composing music that reminded him of Norway - either using Norwegian folk tunes or images from the landscape. However, Grieg went through several periods where he doubted his abilities as a composer - he truly didn't think his compositions were very good! Fun fact: During Grieg's later life he had an uncanny resemblance to another famous individual... Albert Einstein.

Several things happened during Grieg's lifetime that you might have heard about before today.

Death

Edvard Grieg died in 1907 at age 64 after a long period of ill health. His funeral drew tens of thousands of mourners to Troldhaugen, Norway. As per his wishes, Grieg's own Funeral March was played and his ashes were entombed in a mountain crypt near his Troldhaugen home.

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Type of Music

Grieg was a composer during the Romantic Period. He is also considered a Nationalist Composer; that is, he drew inspiration from Norwegian folk music. Most of his compositions contain ideas and/or music from Norway.

Most Famous Music

In the Hall of the Mountain King and Morning Mood are Grieg's most famous pieces of music, both of which come from a larger work entitled Peer Gynt. The below gives more detail about Grieg and his music (microphone icon) and Peer Gynt synopsis (book icon).

Music in Pop Culture

In the Hall of the Mountain King can be found quite frequently in popular culture. Click Grieg's pop art portrait to see videos, or click the soundbar for audio examples.