{{short description|Incidental music by Edvard Grieg to Ibsen's play}} {{italic title}} {{Redirect|Anitra's Dance|the 1909 sculpture by Edith Maryon|The Dance of Anitra}} {{Infobox musical composition | name = ''Peer Gynt'' | type = Incidental music and Suites | composer = <br />{{nowrap|Edvard Grieg }} | image = Edvard Grieg (1888) by Elliot and Fry - 02.jpg | image_upright = | caption = Photograph of Grieg, 1888 | opus = {{ubl | 23 | 46 (Suite No. 1) | 55 (Suite No. 2)}} | text = from Ibsen's ''Peer Gynt'' | composed = {{start date|1875}} | performed = {{start date|1876|02|24|df=y}} Oslo | scoring = {{hlist | SATB soloists and choir | orchestra }} }}
'''''Peer Gynt''''', Op. 23, is the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play ''Peer Gynt'', written by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in 1875. It premiered along with the play on 24 February 1876 in Christiania (now Oslo).<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Peer-Gynt-by-Grieg Peer Gynt (work by Grieg)], on Encyclopedia Britannica</ref> Grieg later created two suites from his ''Peer Gynt'' music. Some of the music from these suites has received coverage in popular culture.
==Background== Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) was one of the definitive leaders of Scandinavian music. Although he composed many short piano pieces and chamber works, the work Grieg did for this play by Ibsen stood out. Originally composing 90 minutes of orchestral music for the play, he later went back and extracted certain sections for the suites. Peer Gynt's travels around the world and distant lands are represented by the instruments Grieg chooses to use.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Music Listening Today, Cengage Advantage Edition|last=Hoffer|first=Charles|publisher=Cengage|year=2015|pages=244}}</ref>
When Ibsen asked Grieg to write music for the play in 1874, he reluctantly agreed. However, it was much more difficult for Grieg than he imagined, as he wrote to a friend: {{quote|"Peer Gynt" progresses slowly, and there is no possibility of having it finished by autumn. It is a terribly unmanageable subject.|Edvard Grieg (August 1874)<ref name=ClassicFM>{{Cite web | url=http://www.classicfm.com/composers/grieg/guides/story-behind-griegs-peer-gynt/ | title=The Story Behind Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt | publisher=Classic FM | access-date=2015-02-21}}</ref>}}
thumb|Letter from Henrik Ibsen to Grieg, January 23, 1874.
Nina Grieg, his wife, wrote of Edvard and his music:
{{quote|The more he saturated his mind with the powerful poem, the more clearly he saw that he was the right man for a work of such witchery and so permeated with the Norwegian spirit.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Goulding|first1=Phil G.|title=Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works|date=1992|publisher=Random House|isbn=0307760464|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vGLL4fEE08sC|access-date=2015-02-21 }}</ref>}}
Even though the premiere was a "triumphant success", it prompted Grieg to complain bitterly that the Swedish management of the theatre had given him specifications as to the duration of each number and its order:
{{quote|I was thus compelled to do patchwork... In no case had I opportunity to write as I wanted... Hence the brevity of the pieces.<ref name=ClassicFM />}}
For many years, the suites were the only parts of the music that were available, as the original score was not published until 1908, one year after Grieg's death, by Johan Halvorsen.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Edvard Grieg – Thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis'', ed. by Dan Fog, Kirsti Grinde and Øyvind Norheim. Henry Litolffs Verlag Frankfurt/Main Leipzig London New York 2008</ref>
==Original score, Op. 23== Various recordings have been made of this music. Some recordings that claim to contain the complete incidental music have 33 selections;<ref name=Selections>{{Cite web|url=http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=647428|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015025700/http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=647428|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-10-15|title=Grieg, E.: Orchestral Music, Vol. 5 – Peer Gynt (complete incidental music)|publisher=Classics Online}}</ref> the recording conducted by Ole Kristian Ruud is split into 49 items.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-SACD-1441-42| title=Grieg – ''Peer Gynt'' (The Complete Incidental Music)| publisher=BIS Records| access-date=2009-08-09| archive-date=2016-07-08| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708063151/http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-SACD-1441-42| url-status=dead}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> Both recordings include several verses from the drama, read by actors.
The original score contains 26 movements:<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Movements indicated in '''bold''' were extracted by Grieg into two suites.
* Act I ** Prelude: At the Wedding (''I brudlaupsgarden'') ** The Bridal Procession (''Brudefylgjet dreg forbi'') ** Halling (''Halling'') ** Springar (''Springdans'') * Act II ** Prelude: '''The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid's Lament''' (''Bruderovet / Ingrids klage'') ** Peer Gynt and the Herd-Girls (''Peer Gynt og seterjentene'') ** Peer Gynt and the Woman in Green (''Peer Gynt og den grønkledde'') ** By His mount You Shall Judge Him (''På ridestellet skal storfolk kjennes'') ** '''In the Hall of the Mountain King''' (''I Dovregubbens hall'') ** Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter (''Dans av Dovregubbens datter'') ** Peer Gynt hunted by the trolls (''Peer Gynt jages av troll'') ** Peer Gynt and the Boyg (''Peer Gynt og Bøygen'') * Act III ** Prelude: Deep in the Forest (''Dypt Inne I Barskogen'') ** '''Solveig's Song''' (''Solvejgs sang'') ** '''The Death of Åse''' (''Åses død'') * Act IV ** Prelude: '''Morning Mood''' (''Morgenstemning'') ** The Thief and the Receiver (''Tjuven og heilaren'') ** '''Arabian Dance''' (''Arabisk dans'') ** '''Anitra's Dance''' (''Anitras dans'') ** Peer Gynt's Serenade (''Peer Gynts serenade'') ** Peer Gynt and Anitra (''Peer og Anitra'') ** Solveig's Song (Solvejgs sang) * Act V ** Prelude: '''Peer Gynt's Homecoming''' (''Peer Gynts heimfart'') ** Shipwreck (''Skipsforliset'') ** Day Scene ** Solveig sings in the hut (''Solvejg syngjer i hytta'') ** Night Scene (''Nattscene'') ** Whitsun Hymn (''Pinsesalme'') ** Solveig's Cradle Song (''Solvejgs vuggevise'')
The complete score of the incidental music includes several songs and choral pieces. The complete score was believed to be lost until the 1980s and has been performed in its entirety only since then.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/aug/11/artsfeatures.proms2001 | title = Prom 27: ''Peer Gynt'' | access-date = 2012-01-02 | last = Jeal | first = Erica | date = 2001-08-11 |work=The Guardian|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131002145937/http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2001/aug/11/artsfeatures.proms2001 | url-status = live | archive-date = 2013-10-02}}</ref> (See the article on Ibsen's play for a list of notable productions, including concert performances of the incidental music.)
It was originally orchestrated for: one piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in A, two bassoons, four horns in E, two trumpets in E, three trombones, a tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, triangle, harp, and strings.
== Suites == Over a decade after composing the full incidental music for Peer Gynt, Grieg extracted eight movements to make two four-movement suites. The ''Peer Gynt'' suites are among his best-known works, although they began as incidental compositions. Suite No. 1, Op. 46 was published in 1888, and Suite No. 2, Op. 55 was published in 1893.<ref name=ClassicFM /> A typical rendition of both suites lasts 20 to 35 minutes.
===Suite No. 1, Op. 46=== {{Listen | image = none | help = no | type = music | filename = Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - I. Morning Mood (Musopen Symphony).flac | title = 1. Morning Mood | filename2 = Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - II. The Death of Aase (Musopen Symphony).flac | title2 = 2. The Death of Åse | filename3 = Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - III. Anitra's Dance (Musopen Symphony).flac | title3 = 3. Anitra's Dance | filename4 = Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King (Musopen Symphony).flac | title4 = 4. In the Hall of the Mountain King | description4 = Performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra }} {{Ordered list|type=decimal | Morning Mood (''Morgenstemning'') (E major) :450px|page=287 | The Death of Åse (''Åses død'') (B minor) :450px|page=288 | Anitra's Dance (''Anitras dans'') (A minor) :450px|page=289 | In the Hall of the Mountain King (''I Dovregubbens hall'') (B minor) :450px|page=290 }}
===Suite No. 2, Op. 55=== {{Ordered list|type=decimal | The Abduction of the Bride. Ingrid's Lament (''Bruderovet. Ingrids klage'') (G minor) :450px|page=291 | Arabian Dance (''Arabisk dans'') (C major) :450px|page=292 | Peer Gynt's Homecoming (Stormy Evening on the Sea) (''Peer Gynts hjemfart (Stormfull aften på havet)'') (F-sharp minor) – Compared to the one in the ''Peer Gynt'' Incidental Music (Op. 23), Grieg added an extra coda that ended this movement with an imperfect cadence in A minor. :450px|page=293 | Solveig's Song (''Solveigs sang'') (A minor) :450px|page=294 }}
Originally, the second suite had a fifth number, ''The Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter'', but Grieg withdrew it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.570236&catNum=570236&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English|title=Grieg, E.: Orchestral Music, Vol. 4 – Peer Gynt Suites / Orchestral Songs (Malmo Symphony, Engeset) – About this Recording|last=Engeset|first=Bjarte|publisher=Naxos|others=Translated by David Gallagher|access-date=2018-04-29|quote=[Grieg] wanted an alternative to the first Suite for the concert programmes he conducted. At first he used ''The Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter'' to end the second Suite, and he also wondered about including Solveig's Lullaby and/or Peer Gynt's Serenade, but finally he decided to bring in the Arabian Dance and drop ''The Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter''. So he ended up with a kind of chronological miniature version of the drama.|archive-date=2017-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926193802/https://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.570236&catNum=570236&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Peer Gynt (Grieg)}} * {{IMSLP|work=Peer Gynt, Op.23 (Grieg, Edvard)|cname=Edvard Grieg: ''Peer Gynt'', Op. 23 |work2=Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46 (Grieg, Edvard)|cname2=Suite No. 1 |work3=Peer Gynt Suite No.2, Op.55 (Grieg, Edvard)|cname3=Suite No. 2}} * [https://archive.org/details/VrsAcoustics-88508-LuisaTetrazzini "Solveig's Song"] performed by Luisa Tetrazzini
{{Edvard Grieg}} {{Peer Gynt}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Peer Gynt (Grieg) Category:Incidental music Category:1875 compositions Category:Stefan Zweig Collection Category:Orchestral compositions by Edvard Grieg