Four Movements from the "Holberg Suite"

Edvard Grieg

Edvard Grieg (arr. Melanie Thorne)

The underlying Grieg work bears the designation Opus 40.

General Info

Year: 1884 / 2010
Duration: c. 19:30
Original Medium: Piano/String Orchestra
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Sempre Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $16.95

Movements

1. Praeludium
2. Sarabande
3. Gavotte; Musette
4. Rigaudon

Instrumentation

Full Score
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II-III
B-flat Tenor Saxophone I-II
E-flat Baritone Saxophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The Holberg Suite, Op. 40, more properly From Holberg's Time, subtitled "Suite in olden style" is a suite of five movements based on eighteenth-century dance forms, written by Edvard Grieg in 1884 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Dano-Norwegian humanist playwright Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754).

It exemplifies nineteenth-century music which makes use of musical styles and forms from the preceding century. Although not as famous as Grieg's incidental music from Peer Gynt, which is itself usually performed as arranged in a pair of suites, many critics regard the works as of equal merit.

The Holberg Suite was originally composed for the piano, but a year later was adapted by Grieg himself for string orchestra. The suite consists of an introduction and a set of dances. It is an early essay in neoclassicism, an attempt to echo as much as was known in Grieg's time of the music of Holberg's era.

Media

None discovered thus far.

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Lee Hartman, conductor) – 27 February 2022

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• In the Hall of the Mountain King (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1876/2005)
• Norwegian Songs (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Haan) (1999)
• Puck and Elfin Dance (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Marlatt) (2020)

All Wind Works

• Air (arr. Hautvast)
• Anitra's Tanz (arr. Williams) (1875/1965)
• Concerto for Piano and Symphonic Band, 1st Movement (arr. Bain) (1946)
• Concerto for Piano and Symphonic Band, 1st Movement (arr. Oliver) (1946/2006)
• Four Movements from the "Holberg Suite" (arr. Thorne) (1884/2010)
• Funeral March ("Sørgemarsch Over Rikard Nordraak") (arr. Andersen) (1866/2010)
• Funeral March ("Sørgemarsch Over Rikard Nordraak") (arr. Emerson) (1866/1971)
• Funeral March ("Sørgemarsch Over Rikard Nordraak") (arr. Erickson) (1866/xxx)
• Funeral March ("Sørgemarsch Over Rikard Nordraak") (arr. Fennell) (1866/1989)
• Grieg Highlights (as arranger) (2018)
• In My Native County (Karrick) (1886/1999)
• In the Hall of the Mountain King (arr. Conley) (1876/1983)
• In the Hall of the Mountain King (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Thorp) (1876/2005)
• Kantate ved Afsløringen af Christies Monument i Bergen (1868)
• Last Spring, The (arr. Curnow) (ca. 1880/1997)
• March of the Dwarfs (arr. Story) (1891/2014)
• March of the Trolls (arr. Beck) (1891/2010)
• Norwegian Dance no 2 (arr. Story)
• Norwegian Dances (arr. Litago) (1883/)
• Norwegian Legend (arr. Forsblad) (1876/)
• Norwegian Songs (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Haan) (1999)
• Peer Gynt Suite (adapt. Sousa) (1875/1892)
• Peer Gynt Suite no 1 (arr. Tobani) (1875/1898)
• Peer Gynt Suite II (arr. Van Mever) (1891/1958)
• Puck and Elfin Dance (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Marlatt) (2020)
• Solvejg’s Lied (arr. Hautvast) (1891/2008)
• Symphonic Dance No. 1 (arr. Ragsdale) (1896-98/2005)
• Temple Dance from "Olav Trygvason" (arr. Ragsdale) (1872/2008)
• Wedding Day at Troldhaugen (tr. Dubois) (1896/2019)

Resources

• Grieg, E.; Thorne, M. (1999). Four Movements from the Holberg Suite: Saxophone Septet [score]. Sempre Music: [Moniaive, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire].
• Holberg Suite. Wikipedia. Accessed 21 December 2022
• Perusal Score