Lyric Pieces

Lyric Pieces, series of collections of short songs for solo piano by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, often considered his most characteristic work.

Some of Grieg’s solo piano pieces were based upon Norwegian folk songs; others are entirely his own work, though often flavoured by the rhythms and harmonies of Norway’s traditional music. For the most part, he used descriptive titles—such as “At the Cradle,” “Solitary Traveler,” “Homesickness,” “Little Brook,” and “Little Troll”—to suggest his musical intentions. These short songs were collected into sets of Lyric Pieces for publication.

Ultimately, 10 sets of Lyric Pieces were produced: opus numbers 12 (8 songs), 38 (8), 43 (6), 47 (7), 54 (6), 57 (6), 62 (6), 65 (6), 68 (6), and 71 (7). They are varied in character—some gently reflective, others strongly dynamic. All but the first set were written after Peer Gynt (1875), his incidental music for a play of the same name by his countryman Henrik Ibsen; the music and the play were first performed together in 1876. Taken together, these dozens of varied pieces provide a fine survey of Grieg’s pianistic style at its most mature.