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Edvard Grieg (1843—1907)

1. Born on June 15, 1843, Edvard Grieg is Norway’s most famous musical son, although the Scots lay claim to him being one of their own. His Scottish great-grandfather immigrated to Scandinavia after the Battle of Culloden.

2. A fortuitous encounter with a family friend, the violin virtuoso Ole Bull, resulted in the 15-year-old Grieg’s immediate transfer to the Leipzig Conservatory. Yet in his own words, he left the Conservatory “as stupid as when I entered it.”

3. Grieg did not particularly enjoy his time away from Norway, but he did gain the opportunity to hear performances from the likes of Clara Schumann and Richard Wagner.

4. In 1866 Grieg gave a concert of his own music, including some piano miniatures and the First Violin Sonata, which proved to be a sensation.

5. Following Grieg’s 1867 marriage to his cousin Nina Hagerup and the birth of their baby daughter, Alexandra, he composed his first and most enduring masterpiece, the A minor Piano Concerto, in a flurry of inspiration.

6. Grieg was determined to make his mark on the world with his first full orchestral piece. The Piano Concerto was an instant success and many expected Grieg to follow it up with a second. But he never composed another.

7. In 1874—76, Grieg composed incidental music for the premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt, at the request of the author. The opening movement, Morning, and In the Hall of the Mountain King have become staples of the concert repertoire and have featured in many TV commercials.

8. In 1885 the family took up residence in Troldhaugen near Bergen, where Grieg was to stay for the next 20 years. His piano piece Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, taken from the Lyric Pieces, was written to commemorate his and Nina’s own silver wedding anniversary.

9. Grieg was given an honorary degree by Cambridge University in 1894. Straight after the ceremony he rushed to the post office and sent a telegram to a friend, a physician in Bergen who shared his surname. He signed his telegram “Doctor Grieg.”

10. In the summer of 1906 Grieg penned his final composition – the Four Psalms – and then, seriously weakened, left for the comparative warmth of a hotel in Christiana. He was on the verge of undertaking a journey to Britain in the autumn of 1907 when he suffered a massive heart attack, dying in hospital shortly after arrival.