Nationalism in Edvard Grieg’s Original Harmonic Language

Introduction: Grieg and Nationalism

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), one of Norway’s most famous composers, conveyed his love for his homeland through his music. This type of national pride in music is known as nationalism, where composers use musical ideas (themes/motifs, melodies, rhythms, harmonies, etc.) that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity. Grieg’s music is stuffed full of nationalism. In fact, he invented a distinct harmonic language that showcases the spirit of Norway.

Grieg’s harmonic genius allowed him to build new and surprising chord progressions based on Norwegian folk music traditions. He employed characteristics of Norwegian musical instruments to recall and invent folk music harmonies. Grieg’s use of light and dark harmonies also reveal the national Norwegian spirit, as the constant battle of emotion is an integral part of Norway’s culture and history. His masterful harmonies also evoke the wild Norwegian landscape.

Grieg crafted a unique nationalist harmonic language through his application of church modes, the evocation of Norwegian musical folk instruments, and the use of light and dark harmonies.

Church Modes

In contemporary music, we are all familiar with two different modes of music: major and minor. But did you know that there are actually 8 different modes, each with different sounds and scales? They are known as church modes due to the fact that they originated from Medieval era church music. Learn more about them here.

So. Church modes permeate Norwegian folk music, and Grieg took advantage of their unique sounds in his harmonic language.

The raised fourth and sixth and lowered seventh scale degrees gave Grieg an entirely new, Norwegian-sounding set of chords to play with in his music. These new chords helped Grieg expand minor keys and invent some stunning harmonies. One example of these modes occurs in the final bars of Grieg’s Op. 51, Old Norwegian Melody with Variations, shown in example 1.

The resulting chord progression, based on the lowered seventh, conjures a sense of Norway through Grieg’s unexpected use of minor chords.

Folk Instruments

Besides church modes, these Norwegian modal harmonies also originated from folk instruments. The lur, for example, is a Norwegian musical instrument that naturally has three-quarter intervals instead of semitones; as a result, the lur clearly sounds modal. Check it out:

In turn, the harmonies of the lur lead to that of the most popular Norwegian string instrument: the Hardanger fiddle. Grieg used this fiddle to build harmonies around the raised fourth, raised sixth, and lowered seventh tones¹.

The Hardanger fiddle added to Grieg’s box of harmonic nationalistic qualities in its own way. Beryl Foster, singer and Grieg scholar, says: “The Hardanger fiddle is also distinguished by its four sympathetic strings and the drone effect produced by them . . . [This] is also reflected in Grieg’s frequent use of pedal notes.”²

In addition to pedal notes, Grieg used open fourth and fifth intervals as well as parallel fifth intervals and octaves to convey the idea of Norwegian fiddle playing. The left hand in Melodie, Op. 47 No. 3 is full of open fifths that serve as pedal tones and is shown in example 2.

Norwegian Peasant Dances (op. 72)

Slåtter, Op. 72, also known as Norwegian Peasant Dances, combines many of these Norwegian harmonic qualities. For example, the Slåtter’s “complex mixture of diatonic and modal harmonies, [and] the polyphonic textures resembl[e] the sympathetic strings of the Hardanger fiddle.”³ Grieg reproduces the drone-like quality of the fiddle along with the fiddle’s signature Lydian mode in Gangar (from Myllarguten), Op. 72 No. 6 (see example 3). Classical Norwegian composer and musicologist Ståle Kleiberg believed that because Grieg composed the Slåtter using these specific characteristics of the Hardanger fiddle, Grieg “uncovers the ‘hidden harmonies of folk music.’”⁴ Any listener familiar with this fiddle could not help but hear the droning bass with the raised fourth and instantly imagine Norway.

Light and Dark Harmonies

Light and dark harmonies constantly struggle throughout Grieg’s music. What might come across as a cheerful piece can suddenly, fleetingly, switch to a minor mode. Foster comments: “There is something in the Scandinavian psyche which appears to regard being happy as tempting fate and so often a darker [tone] is to be detected behind the seemingly innocuous.”⁵ Even Norwegian composer Gerhard Schjelderup agreed that “a Norway without tragedy is not a complete Norway.”⁶ Grieg embodied this idea in his music by creating emotions, sometimes conflicting ones, through his shifting harmonies.

Musical editor and author Hubert Foss believes that “Grieg had an acute sense of harmony as an emotional element in music,” and Grieg himself loved beautiful sounds and creating the overall line and color of a piece above every other musical element.⁷

Harmonies in Humoreske, Op. 6

Musicologist Kathleen Dale says of Grieg’s Humoreske, Op. 6 No. 4, “A chiaroscuro effect is produced by . . . a rocking bass with a bare fifth on the weak beats [that] lends grace; a mounting crescendo above a dominant pedal heightens the excitement of the coda which, though in the major mode, ends surprisingly with a rapidly ascending melodic minor scale resolving on a major triad.”⁸ (Chiaroscuro: an effect in art with the use of strong, bold contrasts between light and shadow.)

In the same set of pieces, Op. 6 No. 3 similarly has a joyfully pleasant exterior with surprisingly fleeting hints of sadness through the use of minor chords. Example 4, from Op. 6 No. 3, shows a soft cadence in G major followed by a brief interruption in G minor before the soft return to the major key:

Even though the third Humoresker ends in C major, two unexpected minor chords just before the final cadence dampen the sunny piece, as shown in example 5.

Harmonies in Ballade in the Form of Variations (op. 24)

Another composition that demonstrates emotional and dark harmonies is Grieg’s Op. 24, Ballade in the Form of Variations. The piece is in G minor and, according to Norwegian pianist Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, there is something unearthly about the main theme. He said, “[T]he theme can only really achieve its full potential if you’re aware of the descending bass line, which warns of gloom, of despair, of the possibility of drama.”⁹ The wandering harmonies do not fully establish the key of G minor until the end of the opening theme, which adds to the sense of uncertainty (see example 6).

Harmonies as Emotions and Images of Norway

Not only did the “Scandinavian psyche” influence emotion through light and dark harmonies in Grieg’s music, but it also helped the composer create crisp, Norwegian images through his harmonies. Because of Grieg’s harmonic intricacies, it is imperative for one to “be very alert to the harmony and the chromaticism in Grieg’s textures. . . . And this is always very much a part of the character and colour of the composition.”¹¹ Steen-Nøkleberg declares, “[N]o composer depicted both the landscape and the very atmosphere of Norway more variedly, or vividly, than [Grieg] did. The weather! And the light!”¹² Grieg’s “evocative” colors and harmonies allow one to “visualize beautiful Nordic landscapes – delicate, yet radiating pure sunlight, made all the brighter by the reflections off snow and ice, as well as the ocean surface.”¹³

Violin Sonatas

These characteristics are not limited to Grieg’s piano pieces. His violin sonatas also create strong images and feelings of Norway through Grieg’s use of color and harmony. In his first violin sonata, Op. 8, he evokes unrestrained light through harmonies.

The opening bars of the first movement demonstrate these light and dark qualities (see example 7). The piece itself is in a mobile F major, yet the quiet opening chord is in E minor; Grieg dampens the sunny exterior of the piece through this unexpected opening. He uses large intervals, like the eleventh interval outlined over both instruments in the second measure of the main theme, to give the impression of expansion, calling up an image of the beautifully vast Nordic country.

Grieg’s second violin sonata, Op. 13, similarly cries with deep emotion and is reminiscent of “a man who has also shivered in the cold mists of night, and has learned the meaning of grief and disappointment.”¹⁰ In particular, this dark violin sonata heavily contrasts with the lighter first violin sonata, Op. 8. The opening measures of the first movement, shown in example 8, introduce an unrestricted, passionate introduction in G minor.

The first main theme in G major varies the mood yet again with its lyrical, dramatic opening. The rhythms are crisp, like in a Norwegian folk dance. The accents on the dissonant harmonies recall grand impressions of Grieg’s home country (see example 9)

The opening theme of the second movement, shown in example 10, clearly demonstrates his nationalistic harmonies by relying on alterations of light and dark harmonies and the raised sixth scale degree:

Surprisingly, Grieg uses this particular chord progression: i – III – VI – i – VI^M7 followed by a modal section. These folk-tune harmonies evoke images of Norway through the simplicity of the color and texture.

Another way Grieg created strong nationalistic imagery is through “the use of discords which apparently see no resolution.”¹⁴ An example of these particular harmonies, in addition to the use of open fifths as pedal tones, is the opening harmonic structure of Grieg’s Melodie, Op. 47 No. 3 in A minor (see example 11).

These unresolved chords portray the longing and emotion that infuse the Norwegian entity. The yearning melody and the droning pedal tones in the bass create a nostalgic atmosphere while the floating dissonances provide an ethereal quality. The unexpected ending in A major, shown in example 12, is a small burst of sunlight in an otherwise melancholy piece.

Conclusion: the Nationalist Harmonic Language of Edvard Grieg

While Grieg used emotional, light-filled harmonies as part of his nationalistic style, all aspects of his harmonies work together to invent his musical language. Understanding how Grieg draws from Norwegian folk music is important in order to comprehend his nationalist musical style. Modes, instrumental influences, and deep emotions all produce colors and images of Norway in the music, and Grieg used these tools to infuse his harmonies with Norwegian characteristics and conjure the Nordic spirit. As he is the face of Norwegian classical music, it is fitting for his harmonies to profoundly demonstrate nationalistic qualities. Grieg’s beautiful, Norwegian harmonies refresh and inspire musicians as they delve into his musical Norwegian world.

---

Bibliography

Abraham, Gerald, ed. Grieg: A Symposium. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1971.

Finck, Henry Theophilus. Grieg and His Music. New York: Benjamin Blom, 1910.

Foster, Beryl. The Songs of Edvard Grieg. Aldershot, Hants, England: Scolar Press, 1990.

Grieg, Edvard. Ballade in the Form of Variations Op. 24, Edited by Hermann Kretzschmar. Leipzig: C. F. Peters, 1902-07. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Humoreske, Op. 6 No. 3, Edited by Hermann Kretzschmar. Leipzig: C. F. Peters, 1902-07. Reprint, Mineola: Dover Publiations, 1993. Accessed February 19, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Gangar (from Myllarguten), Op. 72 No. 6, First Edition. Leipzig: C. F. Peters, 1895. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Melodie, Op. 47 No. 3, Edited by Hermann Kretzschmar. Leipzig: C. F. Peters, 1902. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Old Norwegian Melody with Variations Op. 51, First Edition. Leipzig: C. F. Peters, 1890. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Violin Sonata No. 1 Op. 8, Edited by Finn Benestad. Frankfurt: C. F. Peters, 1979. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Grieg, Edvard. Violin Sonata No. 2 Op. 13, Edited by Finn Benestad. Frankfurt: C. F. Peters, 1979. Accessed February 28, 2015. imslp.org.

Horton, John. Grieg. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1974.

Kleiberg, Ståle. “Grieg’s Slåtter, Op. 72: Change of Musical Style or New Concept of Nationality?” Journal of the Royal Musical Association 121, no. 1 (1996): 46- 57. Accessed February 28, 2015. jstor.org

Sawyer, Frank J. “The Tendencies Of Modern Harmony As Exemplified In The Works Of Dvořák And Grieg.” Proceedings of the Musical Association 22 (1896): 53- 88. Accessed February 28, 2015. jstor.org.

Siepmann, Jeremy. “The Sound of Light.” International Piano, May 2014, 47-51.

Volioti, Georgia. “Reinventing Grieg’s Folk Modernism: An Empirical Investigation of the Performance of the Slåtter, Op. 72, No. 2.” Journal of Musicological Research 31, no. 4 (2012): 262-96. Accessed February 28, 2015. ebscohost.com.

Footnotes

1 Beryl Foster, The Songs of Edvard Grieg (Aldershot, Hants, England: Scolar Press, 1990), 5.
2 Foster, The Songs of Edvard Grieg, 5.
3 Georgia Volioti, “Reinventing Grieg’s Folk Modernism: An Empirical Investigation of the Performance of the Slåtter , Op. 72, No. 2.” Journal of Musicological Research 31, no. 4 (2012): 263.
4 Ståle Kleiberg, “Grieg’s Slåtter, Op. 72: Change of Musical Style or New Concept of Nationality?” Journal of the Royal Musical Association 121, no. 1 (1996): 53.
5 Foster, The Songs of Edvard Grieg, 11.
6 Henry Theophilus Finck, Grieg and His Music (New York: Benjamin Blom, 1910), 195.
7 Gerald Abraham, ed., Grieg: A Symposium (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1971), 18-19.
8 Abraham, Grieg: A Symposium, 49.
9 Jeremy Siepmann, ed., “The Sound of Light.” International Piano (2014): 48.
10 Finck, Grieg and His Music, 195.
11 Siepmann, “The Sound of Light,” 49.
12 Siepmann, “The Sound of Light,” 48.
13 Siepmann, “The Sound of Light,” 48.
14 Sawyer, “The Tendencies of Modern Harmony,” 69.