Essential Repertoire,
Piano Sheet Music Essentials: Edvard Grieg
In our Piano Sheet Music Essentials series, we aim to offer recommendations for some of the most popular piano pieces by a selection of celebrated composers, broken up into general difficulty level, so pianists of all ages and abilities can begin to explore the works of great classical composers. This article focuses on the work of Romantic era composer Edvard Grieg.
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist born in 1843 in Bergen, widely considered as one of the prominent Romantic era composers. He was influenced by Schumann and Mendelssohn in the time he spent studying at the Leipzig Conservatoire, and he later became interested in Norwegian folk tunes as an inspiration for his music. His use and development of Norwegian folk music in his compositions brought Norwegian music to international recognition, as well as helping to establish Norway's national identity. Grieg died in Bergen in 1907.
Easy - Intermediate Pieces
The pieces listed below are suitable for beginner to early intermediate pianists. As with all sheet music, some basic music theory, and an understanding of how to read and interpret sheet music is required. Including arrangements of more difficult pieces, this collection provides accessible choices for beginners and offers an introduction into the world of Edvard Grieg.
The lyrical melodies have vibrant rhythmic figures that give them sparkle and vitality. Although the forms are simple, the fresh sounding harmonies and shifting tonalities make the works sound more complex. Exciting tempo changes and unexpected accents will appeal to younger pianists. The editor has included helpful performance suggestions.
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Contains a selection of pieces that Grieg wrote based on historical Norwegian folk music. The editor Peter Roggenkamp explains: "Arrangements of such folklore are among the most valuable works of the composer".
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Easy piano arrangement by Alexander Cole of Grieg's popular In The Hall of the Mountain King.
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My First Grieg contains a selection of the easier to moderately difficult Lyric Pieces from Op. 12, 38, 43, 47, 54, 68 and 71 as well as three pieces from the Peer Gynt Suites Op. 46 and 55. Including the famous Morning Mood in the original duet version by the composer. Ideal for music lessons and for playing at home. Great works for little masters!
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Intermediate – Early Advanced Pieces
The following pieces are suitable for intermediate to early advanced pianists. Some publications will include pieces that are easier to master, and some that are much more advanced. Our selections below include popular works such as Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, Nocturne Op. 54, No. 4, and Arietta Op. 12 No. 1.
Selected primarily from Grieg's Lyric Pieces, these twenty-two works illustrate the composer's mastery of the piano miniature, including the Elfin Dance, and Watchman's Song. Halford's foreword includes a facsimile of the Album Leaf included in the collection, as well as a discussion of his stylistic traits.
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This volume brings together two early collections by Grieg to form an attractive first book of characterful piano pieces. The Lyric Pieces, published when the composer was twenty-four, are amongst the easiest pieces Grieg wrote for the piano, and represent a conscious attempt to provide accessible and tuneful music for beginners.
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This collection contains the easiest piano pieces in their original form by Edvard Grieg. These miniatures form a useful addition to piano lessons and offer valuable insights into the range and variety of Grieg's music.
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Piano arrangement of Grieg's iconic Morning Mood from Peer Gynt.
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more than the score… is a series of classic piano music, covering much of the essential repertoire. Each volume focuses on one piece, with written masterclasses and background information encouraging an exploration of the music beyond the printed score.
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At The Piano
Fifteen well-known original pieces in progressive order of difficulty with practical comments
Edvard Grieg was a master of the Romantic miniature for piano, and with his ten volumes of Lyric Pieces he more or less created a new genre all on his own. These works offer an abundance of wonderful pieces that are ideal for a guided return to the piano. Naturally they are presented superbly in true Urtext.
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Grieg's signature Norwegian folksong. This soothing Nocturne written in C Major is accessible for the late intermediate level pianist. Rhythmic variety in the right hand carries the romantic melody, and you will hear the Nightingale's call in several places. This edition is based on Grieg's first autograph version, with subsequent revisions notated in the footnotes. Editorial fingering and performance suggestions are included.
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Advanced – Professional Level Pieces
Lastly, these selections are most suited for advanced to professional level musicians and contain some of the most challenging Grieg compositions. The publications below include complete works, and collections of popular pieces.
The melodies, harmonies, moods, and rhythms of Norwegian folk songs and dances, even the sounds of old Norwegian folk instruments, inspired and filled the music of Edvard Grieg. These distinctive influences, combined with the composer's deeply poetic nature and sensitive pianistic craft, produced a rich treasury of short compositions for piano. Eighty of the best of these pieces have been selected for this outstanding collection.
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From Edvard Grieg: Complete Works, edited by the Edvard Grieg Committee, Oslo.
Suite No. 2 is available here.
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One of the most enchanting and popular piano concerti ever written, this is for many the epitome of nineteenth-century Romanticism, showing the great influence of both Schumann and Liszt, as well as Grieg's own fascination with Norwegian folk melodies. This concerto is less demanding than many of the big Romantic concerti, and more accessible to the serious student.
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Grieg's Thirty-eight Pianoforte Pieces are published as part of ABRSM's Signature Series - a series of authoritative performing editions of standard keyboard works, prepared from original sources by leading scholars. Includes informative introductions and performance notes.
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From Edvard Grieg: Complete Works, edited by the Edvard Grieg Committee, Oslo.
Volumes two and three are available here.
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The Great Piano Works Of Edvard Grieg is one of sixteen books in the popular Warner Bros. series of Great Piano Works. This series features a variety of works by master composers for the piano. Included in each volume is a preface about the composer and a wide selection of pieces.
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Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite Op. 40. 'Suite in the Old Style' for piano. Grieg wrote the piece in 1884 to celebrate the 200th birthday of the Danish poet and playwright Ludvig Holberg.
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The Op. 7 Sonata was Grieg’s first major piano work. While traditional in form and structure, its originality is expressed through the incorporation of elements from Scandinavian dances and folk tunes. A recording of the piece made by Grieg himself in 1903 shows the virtuosic manner in which the composer approached his task: the tempi of the outer movements are markedly brisk, the whole performance bright and vivacious.
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With his Lyric Pieces, Edvard Grieg was writing a kind of poetic piano diary: between 1867 and 1901 he composed sixty-six short character pieces, published in ten books. Pieces such as Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, March of the dwarfs or To the spring are among Grieg’s best-known works. Alongside these fairly virtuosic pieces there are also numerous simpler dances and melodies that can be played at an early stage when learning the piano. This is the complete collection in one collected volume, with fingerings by the Norwegian pianist and Grieg specialist Einar Steen-Nøkleberg.
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Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
