EDVARD GRIEG
Born June 15, 1843, in Bergen, The United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway.
Died September 4, 1907, in Bergen, Norway.
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (20’)
1. Preludium (Allegro vivace)
2. Sarabande (Andante)
3. Gavotte (Allegretto)
4. Air (Andante religioso)
5. Rigaudon (Allegro con brio)
Last performed by the Wichita Symphony on January 25 and 26, 1997, Zuohuang Chen, conductor
For most classical music enthusiasts, Edvard Grieg is the Norwegian composer. His fame rests curiously on just a handful of symphonic works – the A minor Piano Concerto, two suites of incidental music for the play, Peer Gynt, and the work heard this evening, the Holberg Suite. The son of a British diplomat serving in the Bergen consulate and a Norwegian mother who was a piano teacher, Edvard showed considerable musical talent at an early age. Upon reaching the age of 15, he was packed off to the Leipzig Conservatory to study piano and absorb the influences of German Romanticism.
The Holberg Suite, or From Holberg’s Time: A Suite in Antique Style as it was originally titled, was composed in 1884 to commemorate the bicentennial of the birth of Ludwig Holberg (1684 – 1754), a philosopher and playwright regarded as the founder of modern Danish-Norwegian literature. Originally composed for solo piano, Grieg orchestrated the Suite for string orchestra in 1885.
The important thing to take away from the Holberg Suite is its descriptive “in antique style.” For his Suite, Grieg modeled each of his movements on types of dances popular in 17th and 18th-century keyboard suites that were contemporaneous with Holberg’s time. Not just an imitation, each dance is graced by the harmonies and lyricism of 19th-century flavored with some elements of Norwegian folk music.
Influenced by the short piano works and songs of composers like Mendelssohn and Schumann, Grieg was a master of small musical forms that he wrote for piano and voice. The Holberg Suite, with its Prelude and dances, is an example of Grieg’s talent as a miniaturist.
In looking backward to earlier music for inspiration, the Holberg Suite is a forerunner of neo-classicism that would emerge as a musical style in the early 20th century. One finds suites inspired by the music of the 18th century in the works of Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and others.
Grieg’s Suite begins with a rigorous Prelude with a galloping rhythm that evokes a technical study. Over this active rhythm, a lyrical melody emerges and soars in the violins. The Sarabande was a stately dance of Spanish origins in a three-beat pattern, often emphasizing the second beat. This movement is in binary form, a musical form of two related sections, which usually repeat as an AABB, or simply AB, structure. A beautiful but brief cello ensemble in the second half is a moment to listen for in the music. The third movement, Gavotte, is a dance with French origins. We hear a lightly skipping tune (A) with accented notes that convey a rustic flavor. The middle section is a somewhat faster Musette (B), named
for a type of French bagpipe. Listen for the droning bagpipe effect in the cellos and basses. The Gavotte (A) returns and gives the dance an ABA structure. The fourth movement, Air, is the emotional core of the Suite and is reminiscent of Bach’s Air on a G String. A lyrical melody in the violins begins and passes to the cellos and basses. Listen for the richness of the climax followed by the soulful return of the opening theme when it appears in the cellos. The concluding Rigaudon is another dance from the French Baroque, but Grieg imbues it with elements of Norwegian folk music. The opening is a brisk and frolicking duet for solo violin and viola accompanied by the string ensemble. The music draws upon traditional Norwegian fiddle style, which features a raised fourth pitch of a major scale, lending a folklike element. A slower middle section marked by melodic lyricism provides contrast to the opening. The fiddle style returns and brings the work to its cheerful and energetic conclusion.
--Note by Don Reinhold ©2021.
