Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood” and “in the 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 firmly, but lovingly into the music field.  

At the age of fifteen in October of 1858, Grieg left to attend the Leipzig Music Conservatory.   He did not have an easy time at the conservatory.   During his time there, Grieg suffered an attack of pleurisy that caused permanent damage to one of his lungs.   He also had problems with the institutional nature of the school.   However, despite the hardships he faced, he graduated from Leipzig at Easter in 1862 with high marks.

After graduation, Grieg moved to Copenhagen to broaden his musical scope. While in Copenhagen he met people that would become life long friends and idols. One of Grieg’s first idols, which he met in Copenhagen, was Niels W. Gade, the first great Scandinavian...