Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer. He studied with E. F. Wenzel at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he got to know the early romantic music (especially Schumann's) intensively, gained further experience in Copenhagen and was supported by Niels Gade.

 

It was not until 1864/65, when he met the Norwegian nationalist Rikard Nordraak, that he achieved his stylistic breakthrough, particularly in the popularly inspired humoresque for piano op.6. In addition to promoting Norwegian music through concerts of his own works, he received pupils, became the conductor of the Harmoniske Selskab, planned a Norwegian music academy and helped found the Christiania Musikforening (1871), meanwhile composed his piano concerto (1868) and the important piano arrangements of 25 of Lindeman's folk songs (op.17, 1869). Collaborating with Bjørnson at the opera didn't work, but his incidental music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1875), the largest and most famous of his great compositions, produced some of his best works.

 

Despite chronic illness, he continued to tour as a conductor and pianist and carried out assignments from his base in Troldhaugen (from 1885); he received numerous international honors.