Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) wrote his five-act allegorical drama Peer Gynt in 1867 while living in Italy. It tells the story of the downfall and subsequent redemption of a Norwegian peasant anti-hero. Unlike Ibsen’s previous dramas, it was written in verse and wasn’t originally intended for stage performance. However, in 1874, Ibsen changed his mind and wrote to his friend and compatriot Edvard Grieg to ask if he would compose the music for a production of
the play. Flattered to have received the invitation, Grieg agreed at once, but doubt soon set in. Much as he admired the drama as a literary work, Grieg found composing for it a difficult task. “Peer Gynt progresses slowly,” he wrote to a friend in August 1874, “and there is no possibility of having it finished by autumn. It is a terribly unmanageable subject.” As work continued, Grieg began to be drawn into the drama and, as his wife noted, “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”. The music was completed in the autumn of 1875, and the play’s lavishly staged premiere took place on February 24, 1876 in the Mollergaden Theatre, Christiania (now Oslo), with the orchestra conducted by Grieg himself. Though a triumphant success, the performance prompted the composer to complain bitterly that the Swedish
management of the theatre had given him specifications as to the duration of each number and its order: “I was thus compelled to do patchwork… In no case had I opportunity to write as I wanted… Hence the brevity of the pieces,” he said. When Peer Gynt was revived in Copenhagen in 1885, Grieg took the opportunity to re-orchestrate much of the music. For both this and a subsequent revival in 1902, he added new pieces. The score was published in 1908, a year after Grieg died, with 23
individual numbers lasting a total of nearly 90 minutes. Not surprisingly, given the length of both drama and incidental music, full-scale productions are rarely mounted and the original score with soloists, chorus and melodrama is far less well known than the two suites that Grieg assembled in 1888 and 1893. Second to Grieg’s Piano Concerto, the Peer Gynt Suite No.1 is the composer’s most popular work, and of its four movements Morning and In The Hall Of The Mountain King are among the
most loved of all short orchestral compositions. Hear it on: Grieg Peer Gynt Did you know? The movements Grieg chose for his suites bear no relation to the chronology of the play: Morning, the first
piece in Suite No.1, is the prelude to Act 4; The Death Of Åse, second in Suite No.1, comes from the end of Act 3; Anitra’s Dance, third in Suite No.1, is from Act 4; and In The Hall Of The Mountain King’, fourth in Suite No.1, comes from Act 2. IV. IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 by Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg was born in 1843 in Bergen, Norway and died there in 1907. Grieg was both an outstanding pianist and composer and he expressed his love of Norwegian culture and the beauty of the Norwegian countryside in his compositions. In the Hall of the Mountain King was first written as incidental music for the premier of Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt in 1876. Grieg later created two orchestral suites from the incidental music. In the Hall of the Mountain King is a musical depiction of Peer Gynt being chased by trolls during his escape from the home of the Mountain King. Grieg spent his retirement making 78-rpm gramophone recordings of his piano works as well as recording player piano music rolls. Step 1. Watch the video to learn about the Timpani Step 2. Listen to the TSO recording of In the Hall of the Mountain King Step 3. Answer 10 questions Step 4. Download a Word Search
In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg Grieg's music drew on the Norwegian folk tunes of his homeland. He wrote many songs and piano miniatures. He was a leading composer of the Romantic era and brought the music of Norway to an international audience. Grieg's 'Peer Gynt Suite' tells the story of a young boy – Peer Gynt, who falls in love with a girl but is not allowed to marry her. He runs away into the mountains but is captured by trolls who take him to their King. Peer Gynt tries to escape but is chased by the trolls and runs into the troll King but eventually gets away. Listen out for: The strings that play the sounds of Peer tiptoeing and running to escape. The tiptoeing sound is an effect called pizzicato where string players pluck the strings of their instrument rather than use a bow. Watch the introduction film at the top of the page then starting exploring the music:
Watch the full orchestral performanceWatch the full performance of In the Hall of the Mountain King, played by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conducted by Thomas Søndergård: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
MP3s: Listen to the music or download the audio
Lesson plans: Activities and exercisesDownload classroom lesson plans to explore Grieg's music (available as PDFs). To save to your computer: PC - right-click and save, Mac - ctrl-click and save.
Suitable for:
Lesson plan 1 written by Ann Barkway. Lesson plan 2 written by Andrew Smith. Lesson plan 3 written by Rachel Leach.
Arrangements: Play the piece with simplified parts
Arrangements: Background notesFrom the arrangers: Notes on pre-Grade 1 and Grade 1-3 parts (Written by from Andrew Smith) All the beginner and Grade 1-3 arrangements are short excerpts of the work named in the title and complement the Grade 4-5 arrangements. This enables you to involve players of different abilities in one ensemble, all performing the same piece. Where as the Grade 4-5 arrangements are around 3 minutes each, the beginner parts are between 60-90 secs, allowing for the stamina of a young musician who is used to playing pieces of similar duration. The beginner and intermediate arrangements have been orchestrated for many different instruments, from flute to ukulele, however many different combinations of instruments can be used, even if your school has one or more that is not listen in the score! The standard of playing for the beginner parts is based around the first few notes I'd expect the musician to learn, and basic semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver rhythms. As much as possible, I have also tried to move to adjacent notes/strings, thus avoiding big leaps. The standard of playing for the intermediate parts is based around ABRSM Grade 1-3. In most cases, the Grade 4-5 optional piano accompaniment parts will fill in any gaps, and will be useful for rehearsals or even in performance alongside an ensemble performing entire beginner and/or intermediate parts. Notes on Grade 4-5 parts (Written by arranger Gareth Glyn) All the arrangements present a short (3-minute) excerpt or abridgment of the work named in the title, and have been conceived in such a way that many different combinations of instruments can be successfully employed in playing them, even if your school hasn't got one or more of the instruments shown on the score. The standard of playing necessary is about ABRSM Grades 4/5, though some parts may be marginally easier or trickier in places. Alternative notes have been provided for some more challenging situations. In most cases, the optional piano accompaniment will fill any gaps, and may well be useful for rehearsals, though in most cases it would be best to do without it for performance, if possible. Notes on orchestration Below, in bold print, are the instruments named on the score, followed in bold print by other instruments which can play the same part. Flutes - This line can also be played by violins. Because of the range of the flute, violinists attempting this line will find themselves playing in the higher positions. Violins also have their own dedicated part, so it's suggested that that part should have sufficient instruments on it before any are put on the flute line. Oboes - Any mid-range C instruments (i.e. instruments which play the written pitch) can play from this stave. This would include violins, recorders and flutes (especially if there is a surplus, after having placed some on the dedicated flute line). Clarinets in Bb - Other than soprano saxophones, which are highly unlikely to be found in a school orchestra, there are no obvious contenders to join the clarinets on this line. The writing, and the range, will generally be unsuitable for at-pitch Bb instruments such as the trumpet or cornet; and lower Bb instruments such as the euphonium shouldn't use this part as the sound will be muddied by the lower octave. Bassoons - Cellos can play from this part (though in the first instance they should use their dedicated part). Horns in F - This being a demanding instrument, rather rare in the school orchestra, it is generally doubled in the arrangements by the tenor horn in Eb, which has its own stave and part (see below). Tenor Horns in Eb and alto saxophones - These play from the same part, which generally doubles the part of the F horn (see above). There is, if required, a part for 2nd Horn in F, which duplicates that of the Tenor Horn. Trumpets in Bb - Their part can be played by cornets. Trombones - The trombone part is available in two notations - bass clef at pitch and treble clef (brass band notation). The former part can also be used by cellos (though they have their own dedicated stave too); the latter by euphoniums and baritones (ditto). Euphoniums and Baritones - Any spare trombones may be allotted this stave. A part in bass clef for this line is also provided; it's called '2nd trombone'. Bass in Bb - The part for this instrument is also provided in bass clef, for the orchestral tuba. A separate part is provided for the smaller Eb bass; the music is identical in pitch, except for the odd occasion where an upwards octave transposition has been necessary. Percussion - The name for this varies from piece to piece, but it is generally for any kind of large drum. If the part is called 'timpani', then of course those tuned drums should ideally be employed, but any percussive instrument will usually be quite effective. The percussion parts of all the pieces can be executed by one player, except for the Adams, which has a quick change in the middle; however, in this case, the instrument used at the start can just as well be used right through. Violins - This part could be doubled by flutes or oboes if there are enough of them to go around. Players who aren't comfortable out of 1st position should consider an alternative (see below). Violas - These aren't particularly prevalent in school orchestras, so a special violin part is provided. It's called 2nd violin, and is identical to the viola part except for passages which go below low G – these are either omitted in the special part or transposed upwards. Cellos - Their part can be played by bassoons, though they should in the first instance be placed on their dedicated line. Double Basses - Any other bass-clef C instrument (bassoons, cellos and the like) playing from this part will be doubling it an octave higher; this will do no harm at all, and often it would be better to have something on this line than nothing at all. Watch the full performanceAdditional resourcesAbout the composerEDVARD GRIEG
BORN: 1843 / DIED: 1907 / NATIONALITY: Norwegian Grieg was a composer who firmly put his country, Norway, on the musical map. Many of his pieces were based on Norwegian fairy stories and melodies, and over 100 years since his death he is still his country's most respected composer. Grieg was taught piano by his mother from the age of just 6 and then when he was a teenager, a famous violinist spotted his talent and persuaded his parents to send him to music school in Germany, and so his music career began. In the Hall of the Mountain King comes from undoubtedly his most famous work - Peer Gynt, which was written in 1875 as background music to a famous play. The character of Peer Gynt is even older and has been a Norwegian folk tale for many centuries. Grieg took the best bits of his background music and made an orchestral suite which is very well known and made the Peer Gynt character recognisable around the world. Grieg also wrote a lot of piano pieces which describe simple stories, places and events. Some of these Lyric Pieces are quite easy to play and are often used in grade exams. What was In the Hall of the Mountain King written for?In the Hall of the Mountain King was first written as incidental music for the premier of Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt in 1876. Grieg later created two orchestral suites from the incidental music.
What is the story behind Peer Gynt?Ibsen's Peer Gynt explores and satirizes Norwegian culture through the exploits of its charming, arrogant title character, a Norwegian peasant who impulsively abducts a bride from her wedding and then abandons her in order to travel the world on other adventures.
What is the story of Solveigs song?Jana sings the haunting song of the heroine, Solveig, who keeps Peer's soul safe in her heart. It's based on the original music by Grieg, who wrote the music to go with Ibsen's dramatic about Peer Gynt. You can hear the more operatic and original version here. Our own version is sung by our own Jana.
What did Edvard Grieg say about the Hall of the Mountain King?Grieg himself wrote, "For the Hall of the Mountain King I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I can't bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt." The theme of "to thyself be...
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What is the story behind the Hall of the Mountain King?
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