Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843 – 1907) was a Norwegian
Romantic composer and pianist. Works such as the Piano
Concerto in A minor, the Lyric Pieces for Piano, his
songs and the Peer Gynt suites make him one of Norway's
most important composers. Grieg was also referred to as
"the Chopin of the North" by the influential conductor
Hans von Bülow. He descended from a family that was
Scottish in origin and was actually called Greig. His
great-grandfather Alexander Greig, an Aberdeen
merchant, had sett...(+)
Edvard Hagerup Grieg (1843 – 1907) was a Norwegian
Romantic composer and pianist. Works such as the Piano
Concerto in A minor, the Lyric Pieces for Piano, his
songs and the Peer Gynt suites make him one of Norway's
most important composers. Grieg was also referred to as
"the Chopin of the North" by the influential conductor
Hans von Bülow. He descended from a family that was
Scottish in origin and was actually called Greig. His
great-grandfather Alexander Greig, an Aberdeen
merchant, had settled in Bergen in 1746, more for
economic than political reasons. He changed his surname
to Grieg, according to the Scottish pronunciation of
the egg sound. His son John and his grandson Alexander,
father of Edvard Grieg, were both Consul in Bergen of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Edvard
was born in a musical family. His mother, Gesine Judith
Hagerup (1814 - 1875), was very artistic (and had also
studied piano and singing) and his father,Alexander
Grieg (†1875), merchant and British diplomat in Mons,
made music in his spare time. Grieg also had a brother
(John) and three sisters, who were also musically
gifted.
Grieg can for the most part be regarded as a
miniaturist - his great strength lay in writing small
forms of music with an often uncomplicated course,
which is especially expressed in his piano music. His
earliest work belongs to German Romanticism. His later
compositions are characterized by apparently simple
melodies with a subtle chromatic and harmonic style all
his own, often drawing on Norwegian folk music -
especially Norwegian folk songs and dances. X-ray
notes that the opinion that Grieg used folk music in
his compositions is based on a widespread
misunderstanding. Almost everything he composed was of
his own invention. With a few exceptions, he did not
compose great pieces of music such as symphonies and
operas, although he was ambitious enough to do so.
Much of his music - especially songs and the Lyrical
Pieces for piano - has found acceptance in many a
musical family. Partly because of this, his music has
become widespread. The Ballade, opus 24 - actually
variations on a Norwegian folk song - is one of Grieg's
largest and most important works for piano, which was
highly praised by Brahms. The work belongs to the
concert repertoire of many pianists.
"Ave maris stella" (Latin for 'Hail, star of the sea')
is a medieval Marian hymn, usually sung at Vespers. It
was especially popular in the Middle Ages and has been
used by many composers as the basis of other
compositions. Authorship of the original hymn has been
attributed to several people, including Bernard of
Clairvaux (12th century), Saint Venantius Fortunatus
(6th century) and Hermannus Contractus (11th century).
Probably originating in the 9th century, it appears as
a 10th century addition in two 9th-century manuscripts,
one from Salzburg now in Vienna and the other still at
the Abbey of Saint Gall. Its frequent occurrence in the
Divine Office made it popular in the Middle Ages, many
other hymns being founded upon it. The "Ave maris
stella" was highly influential in presenting Mary as a
merciful and loving Mother. "Much of its charm is due
to its simplicity".[The title "Star of the Sea" is one
of the oldest and most widespread titles applied to
Mary. The hymn is frequently used as a prayer for
safe-conduct for travelers.
Grieg wrote the original in 1893 for voice and piano
accompaniment. A second version followed in 1898 for
eight-part mixed choir, consisting of two soprano, two
alto, two tenor and two bass voices. This version was
released together with Ved and Hustrus Båre in To
religiøse kor. This collection of two songs is
dedicated to the Caeciliaforeningen, a choir from
Copenhagen, who first sang this a cappella version on
30 January 1899 under the direction of Fredrik
Rung.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Grieg).
Although originally composed for Mixed Choir(SSAATTBB),
I created this arrangement of "Ave maris stella" (EG
150) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon) &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION