I love Edvard Grieg. He was a truly gifted composer. His lyric pieces for piano are among some of the best at capturing the emotion(s) of what he was writing about. It is almost as if you can close your eyes and see him painting a scene with notes.
The short run down on my man, Edvard Hagerup Grieg (June 15, 1843 - September 4, 1907). He was a Norwegian composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He and his wife were barely five feet tall. He was raised in a musical home and studied in several schools during his youth. He even attended the prestigious Leipzig Conservatory, which was directed at the time by Ignaz Moscheles.
In June of 1867, he married his first cousin, Nina Hagerup. The following year, their only child, Alexandra, was born. She died only a year later from meningitis. They made their home at Troldhaugen, Norway.
He was responsible for many familiar piano compositions including Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Puck, Butterfly, March of the Trolls, and Berceuse. In fact, many of Grieg's lyric pieces may be familiar to you from movies and tv shows over the years. In my opinion, though, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, is probably his most recognizable work. These lyric pieces were composed in the 1890s during his nationalist phase.
Although he was in failing health in 1900, he continued to undertake long concert tours. He loved the public spotlight and could not stay away from his adoring fans. He actually passed away suddenly in 1907 getting ready to depart for a concert tour in England.
For a more detailed run-down of EHG, please visit the following websites:
http://www.mnc.net/norway/EHG.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/grieg.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_grieg
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