Title page of the fourth volume of Lyric Pieces

Lyric Pieces (Norwegian: Lyriske stykker) is a collection of 66 short pieces for solo piano written by Edvard Grieg. They were published in 10 volumes, from 1867 (Op. 12) to 1901 (Op. 71). The collection includes several of his best known pieces, such as Wedding Day At Troldhaugen (Bryllupsdag på Troldhaugen), To Spring (Til våren), March of the Trolls (Trolltog), and Butterfly (Sommerfugl).

The theme of the first piece in the set, Arietta, was one of the composer's favorite melodies. He used it to complete the cycle in his very last lyric piece, Remembrances (Efterklang) — this time as a humorous waltz.

In 2002, Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes recorded a CD with 24 of the lyric pieces on Grieg's own 1892 Steinway grand piano at Troldhaugen, the composer's residence. Among other notable pianists to make recordings of the collection are Walter Gieseking, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Eva Knardahl, Andrei Gavrilov, Håkon Austbø, Einar Steen-Noekleberg, and Gerhard Oppitz. A few recordings and piano rolls of Grieg himself performing also exist, and they have been published by the Norwegian record label Simax.

Four of the six pieces from Book V, Op. 54, were orchestrated under the title of Lyric Suite. Both Grieg and Anton Seidl had a hand in the orchestrations. Grieg also orchestrated two of the pieces from Book IX, Op. 68.

Complete listing[link]

	Grieg plays his butterfly. Recorded 1906 Grieg plays his Wedding day. Recorded 1903
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Book I, Op. 12 (composed 1866-7?; published 1867):

• No. 1, Arietta
• No. 2, Vals (Waltz)
• No. 3, Vektersang (Watchman's song, after Macbeth)
• No. 4, Alfedans (Elves' dance)
• No. 5, Folkevise (Popular melody)
• No. 6, Norsk (Norwegian melody)
• No. 7, Albumblad (Albumleaf)
• No. 8, Fedrelandssang (National song)

Book II, Op. 38 (composed 1883 except where noted; published 1883):

• No. 1, Berceuse
• No. 2, Folkevise (Folk-song)
• No. 3, Melodi (Melody)
• No. 4, Halling (Dance)
• No. 5, Springdans (Spring dance)^[1]
• No. 6, Elegi (Elegy)
• No. 7, Vals (Waltz, originally composed 1866; revised 1883)
• No. 8, Kanon (Canon, composed ca. 1877-8?; revised 1883)

Book III, Op. 43 (composed probably 1886; published 1886):

• No. 1, Sommerfugl (Butterfly)
• No. 2, Ensom vandrer (Solitary traveller)
• No. 3, I hjemmet (In my homeland)
• No. 4, Liten fugl (Little bird)
• No. 5, Erotikk (Erotikon)
• No. 6, Til våren (To spring)

Book IV, Op. 47 (composed 1886-8 except where noted; published 1888):

• No. 1, Valse-Impromptu
• No. 2, Albumblad (Albumleaf)
• No. 3, Melodi (Melody)
• No. 4, Halling
• No. 5, Melankoli (Melancholy)
• No. 6, Springtanz (Spring dance^[1], composed 1872?; revised 1888)
• No. 7, Elegi (Elegy)

Book V, Op. 54 (composed 1889-91; published 1891; Nos. 1-4 later orchestrated as Lyric Suite):

• No. 1, Gjetergutt (Shepherd's boy)
• No. 2, Gangar (Norwegian march)
• No. 3, Trolltog (March of the Trolls)
• No. 4, Notturno [2]
• No. 5, Scherzo
• No. 6, Klokkeklang (Bell ringing)

Book VI, Op. 57 (composed 1890?-3; published 1893):

• No. 1, Svundne dager (Vanished days)
• No. 2, Gade
• No. 3, Illusjon (Illusion)
• No. 4, Geheimniss (Secret)
• No. 5, Sie tanzt (She dances)
• No. 6, Heimweh (Homesickness)

Book VII, Op. 62 (composed 1893?-5; published 1895):

• No. 1, Sylfide (Sylph)
• No. 2, Takk (Gratitude)
• No. 3, Fransk serenade (French serenade)
• No. 4, Bekken (Brooklet)
• No. 5, Drømmesyn (Phantom)
• No. 6, Hjemad (Homeward)

Book VIII, Op. 65 (composed 1896; published 1897):

• No. 1, Fra ungdomsdagene (From early years)
• No. 2, Bondens sang (Peasant's song)
• No. 3, Tungsinn (Melancholy)
• No. 4, Salong (Salon)
• No. 5, I balladetone (Ballad)
• No. 6, Bryllupsdag på Troldhaugen (Wedding day at Troldhaugen)

Book IX, Op. 68 (composed 1898-9; published 1899; Nos. 4 and 5 were orchestrated in 1899):

• No. 1, Matrosenes oppsang (Sailor's song)
• No. 2, Bestemors menuet (Grandmother's minuet)
• No. 3, For dine føtter (At your feet)
• No. 4, Aften på højfjellet (Evening in the mountains)
• No. 5, Bådnlåt (At the cradle)
• No. 6, Valse mélancolique (Melancholy waltz)

Book X, Op. 71 (composed and published 1901):

• No. 1, Det var engang (Once upon a time)
• No. 2, Sommeraften (Summer's eve)
• No. 3, Småtroll (Puck)
• No. 4, Skogstillhet (Peace in the woods)
• No. 5, Halling
• No. 6, Forbi (Gone)
• No. 7, Etterklang (Remembrances)

	Notturno Op 54 No 4 by Edvard Grieg noicon Performed live by Mark Gasser
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References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Grieg, Edvard (2008): Thematisch-Bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis, ed. Dan Fog, Kirsti Grinde and Øyvind Norheim. Frankfurt/Main Leipzig London New York: Henry Litolffs Verlag
• Horton, John and Nils Grinde, "Edvard Grieg," Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 25 May 2008) [3]
• Krellmann, Hanspeter (2008): Griegs lyrische Klavierstücke: Ein musikalischer Werkführer. München: C.H. Beck

External links[link]

• Lyric Pieces Op. 12, 38, 43, 47: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Lyric Pieces Op. 54, 57, 62, 65: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Lyric Pieces Op. 68, 71: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Edvard Grieg (1876)

Edvard Grieg (1891)
portrait by Eilif Peterssen

Edvard Grieg and Nina Hagerup. (1899)

Edvard Hagerup Grieg /ˈɛdʋɑɖ ˈhɑːgəɾʉːp gɾiːg/ (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (which includes Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King), and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.^[1]

Biography[link]

Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway on 15 June 1843. His parents were Alexander Grieg (1806–1875), a merchant and vice consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judithe Hagerup (1814–1875), a music teacher and daughter of Edvard Hagerup.^[2][3] The family name, originally spelled Greig, has Scottish origins. After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather traveled widely, settling in Norway about 1770, and establishing business interests in Bergen.

Edvard Grieg was raised in a musical area. His mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play at the age of 6. Grieg studied in several schools,^{[clarification needed]} including Tank's School.^[4] He often brought in samples of his music to class.^{[citation needed]}

In the summer of 1858, Grieg met the eminent Norwegian violinist Ole Bull,^[5] who was a family friend; Bull's brother was married to Grieg's aunt.^[6] Bull recognized the 15-year-old boy's talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory,^[5] then directed by Ignaz Moscheles.^{[citation needed]}

Grieg enrolled in the conservatory, concentrating on the piano, and enjoyed the many concerts and recitals given in Leipzig. He disliked the discipline of the conservatory course of study, but he achieved very good grades in most areas. An exception was the organ, which was mandatory for piano students. In the spring of 1860, he survived a life-threatening lung disease. The following year he made his debut as a concert pianist, in Karlshamn, Sweden. In 1862, he finished his studies in Leipzig and held his first concert in his home town, where his programme included Beethoven's Pathétique sonata. (Grieg's own recording of his Piano Sonata, made late in his life, confirms that he was an excellent pianist).

In 1863, Grieg went to Copenhagen, Denmark, and stayed there for three years. He met the Danish composers J. P. E. Hartmann and Niels Gade. He also met his fellow Norwegian composer Rikard Nordraak (composer of the Norwegian national anthem), who became a good friend and source of great inspiration. Nordraak died in 1866, and Grieg composed a funeral march in his honor.

On 11 June 1867, Grieg married his first cousin, Nina Hagerup. The next year, their only child, Alexandra, was born. She died in 1869 from meningitis. In the summer of 1868, Grieg wrote his Piano Concerto in A minor while on holiday in Denmark. Edmund Neupert gave the concerto its premiere performance on 3 April 1869 in the Casino Theater in Copenhagen. Grieg himself was unable to be there due to conducting commitments in Christiania (as Oslo was then named). ^[7]

In 1868, Franz Liszt, who had not yet met Grieg, wrote a testimonial for him to the Norwegian Ministry of Education, which led to Grieg's obtaining a travel grant. The two men met in Rome in 1870. On Grieg's first visit, they went over Grieg's Violin Sonata No. 1, which pleased Liszt greatly. On his second visit, in April, Grieg brought with him the manuscript of his Piano Concerto, which Liszt proceeded to sightread (including the orchestral arrangement). Liszt's rendition greatly impressed his audience, although Grieg gently pointed out to him that he played the first movement too quickly. Liszt also gave Grieg some advice on orchestration, (for example, to give the melody of the second theme in the first movement to a solo trumpet).

In 1874–76, Grieg composed incidental music for the premiere of Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, at the request of the author. Many of the pieces from this work became very popular in the orchestral suites or piano and piano-duet arrangements.

Grieg had close ties with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Harmonien), and later became Music Director of the orchestra from 1880–1882. In 1888, Grieg met Tchaikovsky in Leipzig. Grieg was struck by the sadness in Tchaikovsky.^[8] Tchaikovsky thought very highly of Grieg's music, praising its beauty, originality and warmth.^[9]

Later years[link]

Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen

Grieg's later life brought him fame. The Norwegian government awarded him a pension. In the spring 1903, Grieg made nine 78-rpm gramophone recordings of his piano music in Paris; all of these historic discs have been reissued on both LPs and CDs and, despite limited fidelity, show his artistry as a pianist. Grieg also made live-recording player piano music rolls for the Welte-Mignon reproducing system, all of which survive today and can be heard.

In 1906, he met the composer and pianist Percy Grainger in London. Grainger was a great admirer of Grieg's music and a strong empathy was quickly established. In a 1907 interview, Grieg stated: “I have written Norwegian Peasant Dances that no one in my country can play, and here comes this Australian who plays them as they ought to be played! He is a genius that we Scandinavians cannot do other than love.”^[10]

Edvard Grieg died in the autumn of 1907, aged 64, after a long period of illness. His final words were "Well, if it must be so." The funeral drew between 30,000 and 40,000 people out on the streets of his home town to honor him. Following his wish, his own Funeral March in Memory of Rikard Nordraak was played in an orchestration by his friend Johan Halvorsen, who had married Grieg's niece. In addition, the Funeral March movement from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 was played. His and his wife's ashes are entombed in a mountain crypt near his house, Troldhaugen.

Music[link]

Grieg is renowned as a nationalist composer, drawing inspiration from Norwegian folk music. Early works include a symphony (which he later suppressed) and a piano sonata. He also wrote three sonatas for violin and piano and a cello sonata.^[2] His many short pieces for piano – often based on Norwegian folk tunes and dances – led some to call him the "Chopin of the North".^{[who?][citation needed]}

Concerto in A minor: 1. Allegro molto moderato Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano) Concerto in A minor: 1. Allegro molto moderato Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen) Concerto in A minor: 2. Adagio Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano) Concerto in A minor: 2. Adagio Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen) Concerto in A minor: 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato Performed by the University of Washington Symphony, conducted by Peter Erős (Neal O'Doan, piano) Concerto in A minor: 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra (courtesy of Musopen) Notturno, Op. 54, No. 4 Performed live by Mark Gasser Grieg plays his butterfly. Recorded 1906 Grieg plays his Wedding day. Recorded 1903

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The Piano Concerto is his most popular work. Its champions have included the pianist and composer Percy Grainger, a personal friend of Grieg who played the concerto frequently during his long career. An arrangement of part of the work made an iconic television comedy appearance in the Christmas 1971 Morecambe and Wise Show, conducted by André Previn.

Some of the Lyric Pieces (for piano) are also well-known, as is the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, a play that Grieg found to be an arduous work to score properly. In a 1874 letter to his friend Frants Beyer, Grieg expressed his unhappiness with what is now considered one of his most popular compositions from Peer Gynt, In the Hall of the Mountain King: "I have also written something for the scene in the hall of the mountain King – something that I literally can't bear listening to because it absolutely reeks of cow-pies, exaggerated Norwegian nationalism, and trollish self-satisfaction! But I have a hunch that the irony will be discernible."^[11]

Grieg's popular Holberg Suite was originally written for the piano, and later arranged by the composer for string orchestra. Grieg wrote songs, in which he set lyrics by poets Heinrich Heine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Henrik Ibsen, Hans Christian Andersen, Rudyard Kipling and others. Russian composer Nikolai Myaskovsky used a theme by Grieg for the variations with which he closed his Third String Quartet. Norwegian pianist Eva Knardahl recorded the composer's complete piano music during 1978 and 1980. The recordings were reissued in 2006 on 12 compact discs by BIS Records.

List of selected works[link]

• Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7
• Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8
• Concert Overture In Autumn, Op. 11
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13
• Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
• Incidental music to Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's play Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 22
• Incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, Op. 23
• Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song in G minor, Op. 24
• String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27
• Album for Male Chorus, Op. 30
• Two Elegiac Melodies for Strings, Op. 34
• Four Norwegian Dances for piano four hands, Op. 35 (later orchestrated)
• Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 36
• Holberg Suite for piano, later arr. for string orchestra, Op. 40
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
• Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
• Lyric Suite for orchestra, Op. 54 (orchestration of four Lyric Pieces)
• Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55
• Suite from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56
• Four Symphonic Dances for piano, later arr. for orchestra, Op. 64
• Haugtussa Song Cycle after Arne Garborg, Op. 67
• Slåtter (Peasant Dances) for piano, Op. 72
• Sixty-six Lyric Pieces for piano in ten books, Opp. 12, 38, 43, 47, 54, 57, 62, 65, 68 and 71, including: Arietta, To the Spring, Little Bird, Butterfly, Notturno, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, At Your Feet, Longing For Home, March of the Dwarfs, Poème érotique and Gone.

See also[link]

Biography portal

• Grieg's music in popular culture
• Song of Norway the operetta.

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

• Benestad, Finn; Schjelderup-Ebbe, Dag (1990) [1980] (in Norwegian). Edvard Grieg – mennesket og kunstneren (2 ed.). Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-16373-4. 

Further reading[link]

English[link]

• Grieg The Writer ed. by Bjarne Kortsen. Vol I: Essays and Articles, vol II: Letters to Frants Beyer (editio norvegica, Bergen/Norway 1972)
• Edvard Grieg in England by Lionel Carley (The Boydell Press 2006) ISBN 1-84383-207-0
• Grieg: Music, Landscape and Norwegian Cultural Identity by Daniel Grimley (The Boydell Press 2006) ISBN 1-84383-210-0
• Songs of Edvard Grieg by Beryl Foster (The Boydell Press new edition 2007) ISBN 1-84383-343-3
• Edvard Grieg by Henry Theophilius Finck (Bastian Books new edition 2008) ISBN 978-0-554-96326-6
• Grieg by John Horton (London 1950)

Norwegian[link]

• Benestad, Finn/Schjelderup-Ebbe, Dag (2007): Edvard Grieg – mennesket og kunstneren. H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo. ISBN 978-82-03-23459-0
• Bredal, Dag/Strøm-Olsen, Terje (1992): Edvard Grieg – Musikken er en kampplass. Aventura Forlag A/S, Oslo. ISBN 82-588-0890-7
• Johansen, David Monrad (1956): Edvard Grieg. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo.
• Bøe, Finn (1949): Trekk av Edvard Griegs personlighet. Oslo.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Edvard Grieg

• Grieg 2007. Official Site for 100th year commemoration of Edvard Grieg
• The Grieg archives at Bergen Public Library
• Troldhaugen Museum, Grieg's home
• Biography of Grieg by prof. Harald Herresthal
• Works by Edvard Grieg on Open Library at the Internet Archive
• Edvard Grieg statue by Sigvald Asbjornsen Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
• Films about Grieg's life: What Price Immortality? (1999), Song of Norway (1970)
• Edvard Grieg picture collection at flickr commons

Recordings by Edvard Grieg[link]

• Papillon – Lyric Piece, Op. 43, no. 1 as recorded by Grieg on piano roll, 17 April 1906, Leipzig (Info)
• Legendary Piano Recordings: The Complete Grieg, Saint-Saëns, Pugno, and Diémer (Marston Records)
• Edvard Grieg: The Piano Music In Historic Interpretations (SIMAX Classics – PSC1809)
• Grieg and his Circle (Pearl, GEMM 9933 CD)
• Grieg spiller Grieg (Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen)
• Piano Rolls (The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation)

Music scores[link]

• Free scores by Edvard Grieg at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free scores by Edvard Grieg in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
• Free scores by Edvard Grieg in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Free scores at the Mutopia Project

polski:Edvard Grieg

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Eva Knardahl Freiwald (May 10, 1927 – September 3, 2006, Oslo) was a Norwegian pianist, with a noted career both as a child prodigy and adult performer.

Her debut with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 12, in which she played three concertos (those by Johann Sebastian Bach in F minor, Joseph Haydn in D major and Carl Maria von Weber in C major), was received with rave reviews. Knardahl was a student of Mary Barrat Due, who was educated in Italy. Idar Karevold, a music professor in Oslo, said that Knardahl's Italian style was unique in Norway.

She emigrated at 19 to the United States, where she had a distinguished career with the Minnesota Orchestra for 15 years, before returning to Norway in 1967. She became a popular fixture on the Norwegian music scene and was named the first professor of chamber music at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Knardahl was awarded the Norwegian Spellemanspris twice, and she also won the Norwegian Critics' Prize in 1968.

Knardahl is most known for her interpretations of the piano works of Edvard Grieg. She has recorded the composer's complete piano music during 1978 and 1980. The recordings were reissued in 2006 on 12 compact discs by BIS Records.

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Edvard Hagerup

Edvard Hagerup (1781–1853) was a Norwegian solicitor and politician. He was born in Kristiansand, the son of a bishop Eiler (Kongel) Hagerup b. 1718 and Edvardine Magdalene Margarethe Christie (b. 1755).

In 1801, he studied in Copenhagen with Wilhelm Frimann Koren Brodtkorp Christie (b. 1778). Both became "Stiftsamtmann", the King's representative in a county. During the formation of the Constitution of Norway signed at Constitutional Assembly on the 17th of May 1814, Christie was secretary to the delegates led by Christian Magnus Falsen and Hagerup was adviser to the Danish Prince Christian Fredrik who was present.

He was a member of the first Norwegian Parliament, in the year 1814. He was asked to accept the post of minister, but that would require him to live in Stockholm, and he abstained. At that time he worked as an assessor.^[1]

Hagerup was later appointed County Governor of Nordre Bergenhus amt (today named Sogn og Fjordane), serving from 1822 to 1831.^[2] Seated in Bergen, as Nordre Bergenhus was administrated from outside its territory, Hagerup was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from that city for the year 1824. In 1827 he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament for a third time.^[1]

From 1834 to 1852 he served as County Governor of Søndre Bergenhus amt (today named Hordaland).^[2]

Personal life[link]

He married well to Ingeborg Janson (b. 1786), the daughter of a wealthy estate owner and Supplier to the Court; Herman Didrik Jansen. His father-in-law saw in Edvard the most likely custodian to his vast fortune. His father in law financed the transport of representatives from Bergen to Eidsvoll in 1814. Hagerup died an extremely wealthy man.

Eight of nine children lived to maturity. He is grandfather to the composer Edvard Hagerup Grieg (b. 1843) and his wife Nina Hagerup (b. 1845).

References[link]

External links[link]

• Family genealogy

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Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (5 November 1895 – 26 October 1956) was a French-born German pianist and composer.

Biography[link]

Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction. His family travelled frequently and he was privately schooled.

From 1911 to early 1916 he studied at the conservatorium in Hanover. There his mentor was the director Karl Leimer, with whom he later co-authored a piano method. He made his first appearance in 1915, but was conscripted in 1916 and spent the remainder of World War I as a regimental bandsman. His first London piano recital took place in 1923, and as a result he acquired a reputation as an exceptional performer.

During World War II Gieseking continued to reside in Germany, while continuing his career in Europe. Because he performed in Nazi-occupied countries such as France, he was later accused of having collaborated with the Nazi Party. Like many German artists, Gieseking was blacklisted during the initial post-war period. By January 1947, however, he had been cleared by the U.S. Military Government and was able to resume his career. Nevertheless, his initial U.S. return, scheduled for January 1949, was cancelled owing to the protest of a number of organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the American Veterans Committee. Although there had been other protests (in Australia and Peru for example), his 1949 American tour was the only group of concerts actually cancelled because of the outcry. He continued to play in a great many other countries, and in 1953 he returned to the States. His concert at Carnegie Hall was sold out and well received, and Gieseking was more popular than ever.

Because of his gifts — he had a natural technique, perfect pitch, and an abnormally acute faculty for memorisation — Gieseking was able to master unfamiliar repertoire (however difficult) with relatively little practice. As taught in the Gieseking-Leimer method, he usually studied new pieces away from the piano. Consequently, it became well publicised that he often committed new works to memory while traveling by train, ship, or plane. Sometimes, according to Harold C. Schonberg's book The Great Pianists (1963), he could learn an entire concerto by heart in one day.

Gieseking had a very wide repertoire, ranging from various pieces by Bach and the core works by Beethoven through to the concertos of Rachmaninoff (the composer was impressed with his traversal of the Third)^{[citation needed]} and more modern works by the likes of Busoni, Hindemith, Schoenberg, and the lesser-known Italian Petrassi. He gave the premiere of the Piano Concerto by Pfitzner in 1923. Today, though, he is primarily remembered as one of the greatest interpreters of two French composers in particular: Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

His recording of the complete solo piano works of Debussy was the first such undertaking and has been re-released on CD, as have his traversals of the complete solo piano works of Mozart and Ravel. Gieseking's historic 1944 performance of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto, in which anti-aircraft fire is audible, is one of the earliest stereo recordings. His last recording project was the complete cycle of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. Gieseking suddenly fell ill in London, however, during a recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 15 for HMV. He had completed the first three movements and, the following day, was due to record the fourth. He died a few days later due to post-operative complications. HMV released the unfinished recording, and since then broadcast recordings of Gieseking playing all of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas (with the exception of Op. 54) have been issued. Although some of his readings - particularly the live ones - can at times be erratic and marred by wrong notes, when Gieseking was in form he exhibited superb technical equipment.^[1] The subtle shadings of his playing, at its finest, seemed extraordinary in so physically huge a man.

Running parallel to Gieseking's performing activity was his much lesser known work as a composer. Even in his own lifetime his original creations were hardly known, and he made no attempt to give them publicity. A few of them have, nevertheless, been recorded on CD in recent years.

Baronia brevicornis of the Coll. Gieseking, Museum Wiesbaden, Germany

As Gieseking's father had earned a living as a lepidopterist, Gieseking, too, devoted much time to the collecting of butterflies and moths throughout his life. His private collection is deposited in the Natural History Collection of the Museum Wiesbaden.

Notable students[link]

• Mary Louise Boehm
• Albert Ferber
• Marian Filar
• Werner Haas
• Hans Otte
• Peter Schmalfuss
• Ward Swingle
• Narciso Yepes
• Stewart L. Gordon

References[link]

1. ^ Dean Elder, Pianists at Play, Kahn & Averill, 1989

Bibliography[link]

• Gieseking, Walter: So wurde ich Pianist (autobiography), Wiesbaden, Brockhaus 1963
• Leimer, Karl and Gieseking, Walter: The Shortest Way to Pianistic Perfection, Philadelphia, Presser 1932
• —, Rhythmics, Dynamics, Pedal and Other Problems of Piano Playing, Philadelphia, Presser 1938
• Leimer, Karl and Gieseking, Walter: Piano technique, New York, Dover 1972 (contains both books of 1932 and 1938)
• Schonberg, Harold C.: The Great Pianists, 1963

External links[link]

• Youngrok Lee's appreciation pages
  • Biography
  • Recordings & Discography - Walter Gieseking(1) from J.S.Bach to Debussy
  • Recordings & Discography - Walter Gieseking(2) from Dvorák to Trapp
• Piano Rolls (The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation)
• Free scores by Walter Gieseking at the International Music Score Library Project