Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

Album: Wedding Day At Troldhaugen / Peer Gynt Suites No. 1+2 (1897)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This comes from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg's solo Lyric Pieces (Norwegian: Lyriske stykker), a collection of 66 small-to-medium sized pieces for solo piano. The works were published across ten volumes between 1867 and 1901. This piece in Book VIII bears the name Opus 65, No.6.
  • Originally called "Gratulanterne kommer" (The well-wishers are coming), Grieg wrote this happy-sounding celebration of marital bliss in 1896 as a 25th anniversary present for his soprano wife, Nina. The anniversary celebration had been held in the Fossli Hotel near the Vøringsfossen waterfall four years earlier. Grieg gave the work its final title the following year when he compiled Book VIII of his Lyric Pieces.
  • Grieg married his cousin Nina Hagerup on June 11, 1867. A concert singer, she helped to make his music known throughout Europe. Nina was the inspiration for many of the Norwegian composer's best songs.
  • Troldhaugen was the home of Edvard Grieg, located in his hometown, Bergen The couple first moved into their new home in 1885. It was Nina Grieg's suggestion that he called it Troldhaugen ("The Hill of the Trolls").
  • The ashes of Grieg and his wife both rest inside a mountain tomb near their Troldhaugen villa.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.