Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist born on June 15, 1843, in Bergen, Norway. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. Grieg’s use of Norwegian folk music in his compositions brought the music of Norway to fame and helped develop a national identity, much like Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia.

Grieg was raised in a musical family; his mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play when he was aged six. He studied in several schools, including Tanks Upper Secondary School. During the summer of 1858, Grieg met the eminent Norwegian violinist Ole Bull, who recognized the boy’s talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory.

Grieg’s later years were marked by his establishment of a home called “Troldhaugen” near Bergen, where he spent much of his time composing. He made several tours in Scandinavia, on the Continent, and in England, playing his piano concerto in London in 18882. Grieg passed away on September 4, 1907, in Bergen.

Originally composed as incidental music to Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt, and subsequently included in Suite No.1 Op.45, The Hall of the Mountain King is one…