Grieg's Peer Gynt - How to Create a World in 4 Bars

How Grieg uses 4 bar melodies, with continuous development and variation, to create the vibrant world of Peer Gynt - a narrative exploration of Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite #1 - including discussions of Morning, In the Hall of the Mountain King, and other famous moments from the suite.
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Script by Lee Yan Xing
Narrated by Oscar Osicki

[@josefkrenshaw179]

The melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" was whistled and became a plot point in Fritz Lang's "M". A very early sound film. It is said to be the first time sound was used to convey something that would be difficult to convey in a silent film.

[@Gabriel-jx4or]

That's a really cool fact!

[@scottgates6993]

I never knew that Edvard Grieg had such a sense of humor. Thank you for bringing that out.

[@wesleyc.4937]

He makes the Leipzig Conservatory sound like a weekend fling, "I came out just as stupid as I went in". ha! ha!

[@yanxinglee_music]

Thank you for all the support! Had a lot of fun writing this script :)

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Great job! 😌🙌🏻

[@Hailey_Paige_1937]

Ahhhh, hi! Nice to meet someone else on the team. ☺️ Yes, your script was amazing! ❤️

[@svenlima]

Fantastic script ! 👍

[@surr3al756]

I never knew Grieg had such a great personality. That's why these videos are great, I learn a lot about not only the music, but the composer as well.

[@rogerlie4176]

Morning Mood is supposedly depicting a Moroccan dawn, but it's just about the most Nordic sounding music I know.

[@gaopinghu7332]

6:23 "doloroso" doesn't mean sorrowful, it means painful

[@Ruho_ami]

When used as a direction in music it means sorrowful or plaintive.

[@DrMephistopheles]

I’m so glad to see you posting again! This channel is amazing and I hope your wonderful uploads are more frequent.

[@BsktImp]

Frank: _Suggest how you might resolve the staging difficulties inherent in a production of Ibsen's Peer Gynt?_ Rita: _Do it on the radio._

[@olavtryggvason1194]

Grieg adopted a basic principle from traditional Norwegian folk music. There - often 2-bar motives are repeated, then changed slightly, then repeated, then changed slightly again. The Norwegian national dance, the "Halling", is based on this principle, often played on the hardanger fiddle. The Norwegian folk musik - or large parts of it - is based on short phrases, variation and repetition.

[@alvaromedinagarcia]

I suggest listening not only to the suites but to the incidental music as well. There's an album conducted by Kurt Masur and the music following the well known "Mountain King" movement is amazing. Reminds me of some of the best John Williams (or the other way around, of course).

[@BennoWitter]

It's always amazing what great composers can do with very little. A tiny theme or motif, a few lines of text. One of my favorite opera choruses is "Freudig begrüßen wir die edle Halle" from Richard Wagners Tannhäuser. It has 4 lines of text: Freudig begrüssen wir die edle Halle Wo Kunst und Frieden immer nur verweil' Wo lange noch der frohe Ruf erschalle: "Thüringens Fürsten, Landgraf Hermann, Heil!" But with instrumental sections it has been stretched to a little under 7 minutes. But, it doesn't get boring, because those lines are mixed in different variations and with a female and male choir, it doesn't repetitive.

[@jesustovar2549]

Yeah I like that chorus too, it's one of my favorite opera choruses and I rememeber whistling to it, humming it and even singing the lyrics, GLORIOUS AND BRILLIANT, even with a military band arrangement, a wind or bass band, just saying.

[@d4rkness455]

My favorite composer is Grieg thanks for covering him

[@stekeln]

5:43 aase ~ arse Really pronounced or-suh (non-rhotic) or au-suh. (IPA /oːsə/)

[@thavibu]

Yes. Åse = ohsuh

[@ConanQT]

Grieg is so beloved in Norway that the ice cream truck that goes around selling ice cream in the summer plays the melody of Grieg's Norwegian dance 2.

[@Daimoth1]

The joke writes itself: only Grieg's music could sell ice cream in Norway.

[@ze_rubenator]

Such a lovely song, thoroughly raped by those awful ice cream truck speakers.

[@BarnieSnyman]

"Mary had a Little Lamb" fits the melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King." And now you won't be able to look/listen at either of these tunes the same way ever again. You're welcome. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHuUpa1_jZpjisU

[@N-JKoordt]

Wonderful - well done. 'Oh-sé' is approximately how 'Aase' is pronouced.

[@szilveszterforgo8776]

Would it be Åse in a more modern norwegian?

[@sigurdbrevik5774]

@@szilveszterforgo8776 yes

[@N-JKoordt]

@@szilveszterforgo8776 'Å' is the same as 'Aa'. Being Danish, I should think the latter is also an older form in Norwegian, as it is in Danish.

[@szilveszterforgo8776]

Tusen takk!

[@officialmozart]

@@szilveszterforgo8776 Aa is said as Å in modern Norwegian anyways

[@kenboydart]

Thank you for this, it adds icing to the cake of my enjoyment of this piece .

[@ericleiter6179]

Great video, he looks a bit like Mark Twain too!

[@bennypaulos2801]

i am really enjoying your videos , really watching you're videos inspire me to create music and i am really supporting your channel , keep it up and for next time would you talk about the bio and music of tchaikovsky

[@FougarouBe]

Yes ! I want more like this ! Even if your other videos are delightful as well. I want more of any kind ! Cheers ! :)

[@nicoledu]

i missed your fantastic videos! great that you are back

[@Vlessgorian]

I love that you're talking about Grieg! I feel that he tends to be a bit underrated and his music is so awesome!

[@dep7311]

After watching at least 2 more playlist you made in this channel about baroque to post romantic composers, I noticed how your video editing and narration improved a lot compared to the ones in 2018-19. Hope to see Chopin and Tchaikovsky videos!❤️

[@roberthunt1540]

How timely! I've been listening to the Symphonic Dances and Norwegian Folk Dances in my car during commute. Very informative, thank you.

[@nieuwegeljo5645]

I love this channel. It's so informative and opens a whole new world.

[@jeffwatkins352]

Love your evaluation of Grieg’s music, which has enchanted me since early youth (i.e. 5 or 6 years of age) and you’ve clearly researched the Ibsen play. Sorry to be a grammar policeman spoiler (my apologies) but some points. The correct Norwegian pronunciation of Peer Gynt is “Pair Goont” while his mother’s name is pronounced “Ow-zeh.” On a minor note, Anitra rides with Peer into the desert (no tent) where she dances for then robs him to ride off leaving him stranded, potentially to die.

[@zainab58]

Whew. I was afraid I was the only one who cringed at each iteration of “Oz”. But it isn’t Goont; it’s midway between Yünt and Yint (vowel that is rare outside Scandinavia).

[@qwaqwa1960]

His description of Mountain King is so in the spirit of his relative GG!!! OMD...

[@kirbyculp3449]

Look for the Line Rider moving illustration by DoodleChaos. Also I highly recommend the norsk movie 'Troll Hunter'.

[@TheMightyPika]

Bruh you are so much fun to listen to

[@PointyTailofSatan]

FYI: Glenn Gould was related to Grieg.

[@Richard.Holmquist]

Yes. More!

[@S255fjrbr]

Yes, you’re back!!!! I’m so glad

[@jeff__w]

1:19 “What’s the distiction between troll and man?” Men have spell-check but trolls don’t?

[@etherealtb6021]

Well, when you put the plot that way - it sounds like one of the sci-fi/fantasy shows I'm streaming! 😁

[@edmundomontoya7570]

Great description and analysis. Definitely adds depth to listening.

[@hippolytabaker9559]

Peer Gynt, the full incidental music, is absolutely incredible, to the point where the suites don't feel like they do the whole thing justice. The opening is marvelously entrancing and, barring the actual Hardanger fiddle solos just a bit later, feels the most Norsk of the entire work. Peer and the Dairymaids is raucous fun, the Dance of the Woman in Green is *gorgeous*, the 19 second fragment where Peer rides off towards the mountains on a pig is great, Hall of the Mountain King with the full chorus singing "Slay him! The Christian's son has tempted the fairest daughter of our king!" at full volume over the climax hits *real* different, the Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter is this drunken, heavy, loud number featuring a xylophone, it's just amazing and great and you should listen to a full recording of the incidental music at the utmost urgency Morning Mood also opens up the scene of Peer in the desert, right after the death of Åse, and it makes you wonder if this newest adventure is just a really really bad coping mechanism

[@Emanuel-oz1kw]

This video is on another level, keep it up

[@bigogle]

"flirtatiously lasered his feet" - well that escalated quickly :D

[@studentofstones7212]

This is an absolute masterpiece of an analysis, great job!! Fun fact: morning mood from the first suite is also the first little melody i played on the piano around 5 or 6 years old, and played it by ear after hearing it on my grandparents radio, who always listend to classical music. still can't explain how i did it, but the melody makes me pretty wistfull and nostalgic :)

[@eckligt]

You should have looked up the pronunciation of "Aase". It is not difficult for English speakers, but you need to know that a final "e" is always pronounced in Norwegian (and in most languages), and that a double-A is the same as the letter Å, which is pronounced like the English word "awe". So in summary, it is approximately "AWE-seh".

[@InsidetheScore]

I did! The video I used was wrong too! Hahaha sorry if I offended!

[@eckligt]

@@InsidetheScore Scandalous! You can make amends by also making a video about Harald Sæverud's competing incidental music to Peer Gynt :-)

[@steveeliscu1254]

Have you heard "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with the choral part included?

[@etherealtb6021]

So mind blowing!

[@kirbyculp3449]

I wish!

[@hoangkimviet8545]

I think Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" is also a good music machine.

[@Hailey_Paige_1937]

Ravel himself stated that Bolero was meant to sound mechanical. He actually wanted the premier to be performed in a factory! 😂

[@kirbyculp3449]

I have always enjoyed recordings of Bolero. The one time that I have been fortunate to attend a concert the effect of the music wending it's way from instrument to instrument was magical. I can describe the concert as being like a musical detective story.

[@simongross3122]

Brilliant! I really enjoyed that.

[@ronricherson6685]

A world in 4 bars...well done!

[@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj]

Thank you,ITS🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@biomuseum6645]

mate, please, continue with your series of "why listen to x composer" 😇

[@LCMM2150]

[@WilliamPetrauskas]

Fantastic!!!

[@paulybarr]

AWE-seh.

[@thechrisricci]

Fascinating

[@saltburner2]

Leipzig is pronounced so that the first syllable rhymes with 'stripe': as a general rule in German, in the diphthongs ei and ie, only the second vowel is pronounced. And 'Aase' has two syllables, not one.

[@idraote]

To the best of my knowledge, standard German is always pronounced like you would pronounce English < bye (bye) >, both vowels very audible. On the other hand is not a diphtong but a digraph, pronounced like English < bee > Those two pronounciations will sound slightly different in non standard German varieties.

[@mdrakic]

"Aa" was, with time, in Norway, replaced with the character Å/å, and it's, in both writings pronounced as the "o" in "horn". In Denmark 'aa' is still widely being used, while in Norway, if my memory serves me well, it's been replaced with time. Also, Kristiania was the old/former name of Oslo, named after the Danish King Christian IV. The name was re-adopted in 1925. Not odd it's unknown to many.

[@dr1303]

@@mdrakic In Denmark Aa (Å) and aa (å) is only used in names for places and people.

[@mdrakic]

@@dr1303 yes.

[@svenlima]

My favorite "classical" cd

[@ilrassoemil9854]

Great stuff here!

[@danayang7712]

I really enjoyed this! You have a real talent of telling stories, making it exciting to listen to! And even if Aase wasn't pronounced right, as I can see some comments about below, I was impressed by all the other norwegian pronounced correctly! 👍😁 excellent! Thank you for this video!! (And all of the others, you're great! Greetings from Norway.

[@rachmusic9873]

also - Glenn Gould was related to Grieg. Pretty cool

[@stvp68]

A Stephen King movie trailer used this song’s acceleration brilliantly

[@samarthur1847]

Did John Williams take inspiration from Hall of the Mountain King for the Jaws theme?

[@TheMarcHicks]

Whilst I definitely love his Peer Gynt Suite, this will always remain my favourite Grieg piece: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJytlIicetKjlZo

[@d4rkness455]

The nocturne is so beautiful. One of the best pieces of lyric pieces

[@musicplaylists64]

Most people are not even familiar with this piece. This one is my favorite. kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLaZapvjMyLmbM

[@evanlawrence]

This will always be mine kzbin.info/www/bejne/sH2UaqiDqNOjibc

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

💜🙌🏻

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

FWIW I lived among Norwegians for several years. After you finish your plate, the host or hostess will ask if they want more. They will always say no for 3 times. And then they will accept and scarf down a generous helping. I had to learn to ask four times, otherwise I was considered rude.

[@thebigmacd]

You should watch "How to Talk Like a Minnesotan", they got their customs from Norway. It's a hilarious video.

[@cantkeepitin]

Please upload again with voice 6dB lower and music 6dB loader😢

[@octavioquartio]

Aase is pronunced Aw-seh. AA = Å = the wowel in war. And we pronounce the E at the end of the words. Otherwise, great!

[@TristanMA]

Peer Gynt, an event in history of Halloween Art Music, a favorite of Little Einsteins.

[@gauravrajghimire6396]

No offence to Edvard, but Korsakov's Easter Overture is equally Morningy compare to Morning mood... 😁

[@lundsweden]

Grieg could give Einstein's hair a run for its money!

[@MystearicaClaws]

Little Einsteins has ruined me... "I lost my baton... I-i lost my baton... Have you seen the bald EAGLE who has my baton?" TBF my girls would watch that episode on repeat >.

[@romanumeralz]

Why does this guy look like Mr. Feeny? 🍎

[@Youtube_Stole_My_Handle_Too]

Dobble AA in Norwegian sounds like oh. So Aase becomes "Oh-se" and e sounds like actual Latin e, not Latin i. E as in let.

[@eirintowne]

Mother Aase's name is pronounced "awe-seh" ;)

[@3dbadboy1]

My guess is the melody in the last song was repeated 44 times (probably wrong tho haha).

[@Kraflyn]

df?

[@imcameronlee]

Am I the only one who always felt Morning Mood in 3/4, not 6/8?

[@thavibu]

Excellent! Just a pity that the troll doesn't look like a Norwegian troll ;)

[@user-vl8yc1jj7g]

We cannot hear music. It would be better your voice sound is a little quiet.thank you.

[@vivianamora7505]

17 times?🤷🏻‍♀️

[@globetrotterdk]

Excellent analysis, but talking over the music that you are referencing doesn’t do it for me.

[@WetaMantis]

The stock footage feels a little out of place.

[@svergurd3873]

5:45 Disaster. "Aase" is pronounced like 'aw-se'. Double a (aa) in (older) Norwegian and Danish is pronounced as 'aw' in e.g. awesome. It is the same as the letter å in Swedish, which is nowadays also largely used in Danish and Norwegian. And it is two syllables, the last vowel 'e' is pronounced (with some stress). The mother's name is the same as Åsa in Swedish. Åsa is a rather common woman's name, which btw comes from the As gods (or Æsir gods). Furthermore, the name of the son, Peer, is of course pronounced like 'pear' in English, not like 'peer'.

[@ruramikael]

Grieg should have studied longer with Gade and skipped Leipzig.

[@layanglayang8918]

Now if only you could GET RID OF THAT CAPS LOCK, it might actually be a worth-while video!

[@consonaadversapars]

Someone hyped Ibsen's Peer Gynt up so I read it, it's quite meh, mainly about a guy wanting to bang a fairy chick. I was expecting something way deeper based on how "significant" the work is, it felt so mundane and boring. Grieg's music is very enjoyable though.

[@robertgreene2684]

Her bane Aase is pronounced Oh-seh. One really should find out such things before presenting something to the public

[@birgerwessel]

Love the script and video. But I do feel like this is over edited, it's not necesarry with a new picrure/video for every sentence, in my opinion, just ends up getting distracting and stressfull.

[@behnamashjari3003]

What a long-winded crappy description of a play! Why does this speaker talk so much!?

[@xironel]

Albert Einstein 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@shonnyNOR]

Mother's name Aase is pronounced 'ause' with a long 'au'. Otherwise excellent presentation.

[@snoopenny]

Interesting and enlightening, but can’t hear much of the music over your narration.