Grieg, Edvard

Grieg, Edvard (Hagerup)

(born June 15, 1843, Bergen, Nor.—died Sept. 4, 1907, Bergen) Norwegian composer. His parents were persuaded by violinist Ole Bull to send Grieg to Leipzig for music study, and he later studied with Niels Gade and others in Copenhagen, where he became inspired with the ideal of a Norwegian national music. He frequently performed as a pianist and often accompanied his wife in recitals of his songs. His incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (1875) became, with his piano concerto (1868), perhaps his best-known work. Highly popular in his time, he is still regarded as Norway's greatest composer. His other works include Symphonic Dances (1897), Lyric Suite (1904), more than 150 songs, and many works for piano, including 66 Lyric Pieces (1867–1901) and From Holberg's Time (1884).