Peer Gynt Suite No 1, op 46:1. Morning Mood

Edvard Grieg was born on June 15, 1843 in Bergen, a coastal city in Norway. His father is the British consul in Bergen, and his mother is Norwegian and a pianist. Grieg began studying piano with his mother at the age of 6, and Mozart was his childhood idol.

In 1858, Grieg came to Germany to study at the Leipzig Conservatoire. The Leipzig Conservatory of Music in the 1850s no longer had the atmosphere created when Mendelssohn founded it, and the education was conservative and messy. Rather than school education, Grieg was more influenced by the cultural atmosphere of Leipzig, the city where Bach, Schumann, and Mendelssohn lived.

In 1863, Grieg came to Copenhagen, where he met the outstanding poet and fairy tale writer Andersen, who guided him to grow and develop along the path of national culture. Grieg began composing music based on Andersen's poetry.

In 1874, Grieg received a letter from Ibsen requesting him to score the play "Pier Gynt". Grieg was delighted. He has always been fond of this talented Norwegian writer. He said that he is an avid reader of Ibsen, especially "Pier Gynt". With great interest in this work, Grieg completed the score of this work that year.

Grieg loved nature very much. He once lived alone in Trodhaugen, also known as "Giant Mountain", not far from his birthplace. Grieg said living in the mountains could heal and rejuvenate, as well as develop new ideas. This also led him to create a series of melodies related to nature.

At the end of his life, Grieg still insisted on creating. In April 1907, he performed in Norway, Denmark and Germany. In September of this year, he died in the place of his birth and was given a state funeral. After his death, he and his wife were buried in the middle of a steep cliff at the foot of the hillside in front of their former home, facing the sea and the sunset.

The wooden building where Grieg once lived, located on the top of the hill in front of the center of the Bergen Fish Market, has become the place where people commemorate him today. Everything here remains as it was when Grieg lived there, even the framed photos of Grieg’s mother and wife placed on the piano remain exactly as they were before. Norwegians come here every year to commemorate the anniversary of Grieg's death.

This piece is "Peer Gynt" Suite No. 1 (No. 46), Act 4 Morning Song - describing the beauty of Morocco in the morning.

Music is like a cool spring, setting off the beauty of the morning sun breaking through the clouds in a quiet pastoral atmosphere, trembling with the vibrant pulse of nature.

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)

Norway’s most outstanding composer, born in Bergen, 15 When he was young, he went to study at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music in Germany. Later he went to Copenhagen and studied under Gade. After getting acquainted with the composer Richard Nodrak in 1864, they both engaged in the study of Norwegian folk music. In 1867, he founded the Norwegian Music School, created unique lyrical songs based on Norwegian poetry, and compiled and adapted folk songs. His wife, the singer Nina, is the best interpreter of his works. He can skillfully combine the theme with classical structure and realistic traditional tones, making it indistinguishable from real folk music.

Edvard Grieg

Peer Gynt Suite

Morning Mood