12 Tremendous Composers 12 Composers    

Lesson 34: Peer Gynt Suite no. 1, Op. 46 - I. Morning Mood

by Edvard Grieg

Performer: Musopen Symphony

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Listen to the music daily.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The final tremendous composer is the Norwegian Edvard Grieg. The title of his story is 'The Story of the Boy Who Made Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun' by Thomas Tapper. 'The Land of the Midnight Sun' refers to Norway as parts of Norway are so far north the sun never sets on some summer days. Grieg based his composition, 'Peer Gynt Suite no. 1, Op. 46,' on the similarly titled play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play features the wanderings of its aimless, ignoble antihero, Peer Gynt. This lesson features the first movement of the suite, 'Morning Mood.' In the accompanying scene from 'Peer Gynt' (Act 4, Scene 4), Peer Gynt's friends have abandoned him in the exotic deserts of Morocco. The play describes the scene as: 'Dawn. Acacias and palm trees. Peer [Gynt] is sitting in his tree using a wrenched-off branch to defend himself against a group of monkeys.' Peer Gynt has been adapted into multiple movies over the years.

Vocabulary

Antihero: A protagonist who does not possess the typical characteristics of a hero and proceeds in an unheroic manner.
The Land of the Midnight Sun: Refers to the country of Norway, where in some far-north places the sun never sets during part of the summer.
Fjord: A long, narrow, deep body of water between cliffs.
Peer Gynt: Refers to the name of a five-act play, its main protagonist, and/or its accompanying music.

Composer

1. This is the picture of the boy Edvard Grieg, who was born in Norway, in the north of the world. He loved his mother country and the music which the people sang.

2. But little Edvard Grieg had music, all his own, that sang and sang in his heart. It was happy music and sad; solemn and joyous. You will hear it someday and love it all.
3. Even when Edvard Grieg was in the primary school, the music knocked at his heart's door as if it would say: 'Let me out into the world so that people may hear me.'
4. When Edvard Grieg was twelve years old, he started out one morning as usual, but instead of taking his school books he took with him his music writing book which contained what he termed 'Variation on a German Melody Op. 1.' Can you not imagine how proud he must have been of his Op. 1?

5. Here is Edvard Grieg's signature.

6. Edvard Grieg's schoolmates were very proud to see the music of their companion. But alas! While they were looking at it and talking about it, whom do you think came creeping up behind them? Why, the schoolmaster, to be sure.
7. The schoolmaster gave little Edvard Grieg a rough shaking up and told him how severely he would be punished if ever again he brought such nonsense to school.
8. Poor old schoolmaster! He did not know what Edvard Grieg would one day mean to the land and people of Norway. For Edvard loved not only the music that kept singing in him, but he loved Norway and all its people. Do you think anyone could help loving the mountains of Norway such as these?

9. But all the grown-up folks of Edvard Grieg's world did not call his music rubbish. His mother loved music and played beautifully. It was from her that Edvard had his first lessons, just as German composer and musician Felix Mendelssohn was first taught by his mother.
10. Then one day something wonderful happened. A great violinist, Ole Bull by name, visited the Grieg family in the country. He was so kind to the little composer that the boy Edvard Grieg just loved him.

11. Ole Bull had traveled the world over playing the violin. He looked over Edvard Grieg's compositions and made the boy play them to him. You can imagine him nodding his head in pleasure as he listened. His fine eyes lit up. He told the boy composer that his music was quite good, but that there was a lot for him to learn yet. So he must study earnestly and make many sacrifices.
12. Then Ole Bull sat down and talked with Father and Mother Grieg. It was a serious talk, as one can envision.
13. Finally, when the talk was finished, Ole Bull took the wondering boy by the hand and said to him: 'You are going to Leipzig to study and become a fine musician.'
14. So Edvard Grieg left his home city, Bergen, its mountains, its fjords, its people, his father and mother. Here is a beautiful Bergen Fjord. Imagine how hard it was for Edvard to leave his beautiful homeland behind.

15. Edvard Grieg traveled south through Norway, across the water and into Leipzig, Germany. No doubt he was a lonesome boy. Life had become serious all at once and there was much to be done. It was all strange and new. Instead of hills and the waters of the fjords, there were tall, dark houses, gloomy streets, and such a lot of hurrying people. This is a scene in Leipzig.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Composition Information

• Recite the name of the composer and the composition.

Activity 2: Study the Music Timeline

Examine the music timeline to answer the following questions.

• What is the year of birth of the lesson composer?
• What is the year of death of the featured composer?
• How old was the composer upon death?
• Which composer (if any) directly precedes the studied composer by date of birth?
• Which composer (if any) directly succeeds the lesson composer by date of birth?
• Which other timeline composers were alive at the same time as the studied composer?

Activity 3: Map the Music

• Edvard Grieg was born in Norway.
• Find Norway on the map of Europe.

• During 'Morning Mood,' Peer Gynt finds himself abandoned in Morocco. Find Morocco on the map of Africa.

Activity 4: Study Facts About Composer Name

• Edvard Grieg was born June 15, 1843, near Bergen, Norway.
• His father's ancestors were Scotch folk who went to Norway after the Battle of Culloden, in 1745.
• It was Edvard Grieg's mother who gave him his first lessons.
• One of his best friends—and one who did much for him—was Ole Bull, the great violinist.
• Edvard Grieg studied at the Leipzig Conservatory.
• His teachers were the Bohemian composer Ignaz Moscheles, German composer Moritz Hauptmann (who liked his music), German musical theorist Ernst Friedrich Richter, and German organist Robert Papperitz.
• Sir Arthur Sullivan, who composed the opera, Pinafore, was one of Edvard Grieg's fellow students at Leipzig. Dudley Buck, the American composer, was there at the same time.
• Among Edvard Grieg's friends were Gade, Nordraak, Henrik Ibsen, Bjornson and Svendsen.
• He married his cousin, Mina Hagerup, who was a fine singer.
• Edvard Grieg composed for the piano, voice, violin, and for the orchestra.
• Edvard Grieg wrote music to Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, at the poet's request.
• The Norwegian Government granted Edvard Grieg a pension, so that he could be free to devote himself to composition.
• Edvard Grieg died September 3, 1907.

Review

Question 1

When and where was Edvard Grieg born?

1 / 3

Answer 1

Edvard Grieg was born June 15, 1843, near Bergen, Norway.

1 / 3

Question 2

Who was Edvard Grieg's first teacher?

2 / 3

Answer 2

Edvard Grieg's first teacher was his mother.

2 / 3

Question 3

Through whose advice did Edvard Grieg go to the Conservatory at Leipzig?

3 / 3

Answer 3

Edvard Grieg traveled to Leipzig Conservatory on the advice of the great violinist, Ole Bull.

3 / 3

❮ ❯

1. When and where was Edvard Grieg born? Edvard Grieg was born June 15, 1843, near Bergen, Norway.
2. Who was Edvard Grieg's first teacher? Edvard Grieg's first teacher was his mother.
3. Through whose advice did Edvard Grieg go to the Conservatory at Leipzig? Edvard Grieg traveled to Leipzig Conservatory on the advice of the great violinist, Ole Bull.

References

Tapper, Thomas. Edvard Grieg - The Story of the Boy Who Made Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Philadelphia, PA. Theodore Presser Co., 1921.

'Peer Gynt (Grieg).' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Morning Mood.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.