Trolling Around with Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No 1
II. Åse's Death
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
I'm Edvard Grieg, and I'd like to explain II. Åse's Death, the second movement of my Peer Gynt Suite No 1. You'll follow the quiet, crooning strings as they say farewell to Peer's mother, and you'll find out how much sorrow a hushed, simple melody can hold. Afterwards, pay the Trainer a visit , because this site is where my fellow composers and I teach you to recognize our work when you meet it.
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Sit Down, Slow Down
Before you press play, I'd ask you to stop waiting for something to happen, because this music is about a feeling and not about action. I marked it Andante doloroso, which means a walking pace with sorrow in it, and it moves at about fifty beats a minute. Listen above all to the strings, since they carry the whole piece in a quiet, crooning voice, and follow that one melody as it rises and falls. The key is B minor, and you'll hear its dark color from the first note to the last.Why It Carries Her Name
I called it Åse's Death because it depicts the death of Peer's mother, and I wanted the music to say so without a single word. In the play it begins and ends Act III, so it holds the whole act between its hands like a candle carried through a dark room. I wanted a farewell that felt private, so I kept the music simple and tender instead of grand. Once you know it is a mother being sung away, the crooning of the strings starts to sound like a lullaby for the very last time.Neither Sonata Nor Rondo
Choosing the form was an adventure, because a sonata, with its themes arguing it out, and a rondo, with its tune coming back again and again, didn't suit a farewell. I settled on something closer to a song: one long arc that rises out of silence and sinks back into it. I'll divide that arc into four sections, and in the next paragraphs I'll take them one at a time. For now, think of it as a single breath, with a slow breath in, a long moment at the top, and a slow breath out.Section 1: A Whisper Clears Its Throat
The music begins very softly, at the slow Andante doloroso pace, with the strings singing a plain, mournful melody in B minor. Nothing here is in a hurry, and nothing is decorated, so you can hear every note of the tune clearly. The mood is quiet sadness, the kind you feel in a room where people speak in low voices. Pay attention to how simple the tune is, because everything that follows grows out of it.Section 2: The Feeling Grows Legs
Now the melody climbs, and the strings press a little harder, so the sadness is no longer held back. The tempo stays slow and steady, which is what makes the growing weight so noticeable. The tune reaches upward, as if it wanted to hold on to something that is already slipping away. Listen for the way the sound swells gradually and not in sudden jumps, because the whole movement is built on that patience.Section 3: The Loudest Quiet Piece You Know
Here the music reaches its peak, the fullest and most intense moment of the movement. The mood changes from quiet grief to open anguish, even though the pace barely moves. It's the one place where the strings sing out with their whole voice, and I wanted you to feel the weight of the loss here. Notice that even at its loudest the music stays dignified, since it never turns into a scream.Section 4: The Candle Goes Out
After the peak, the music slowly sinks back, and the sound thins until it is almost nothing. The melody returns to the hushed, crooning manner of the opening, but it now sounds like the same tune seen through tears. The key is still B minor, so no bright light comes in to comfort anyone. Let the final notes fade out completely before you move, because the silence afterwards belongs to the music too.Your Turn, Press Play
Now it's time to hear Åse's Death for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you. While it plays, keep in mind what we talked about, the plain tune, the slow rise, the peak and the quiet ending. You don't need to know anything about classical music for this one, because the feeling comes through on its own. I hope the journey moves you as much as it moved me when I wrote it.---
I hope you enjoyed learning about the listen guide for II. Åse's Death. Now that you've heard how quietly this music says goodbye, you may find it stays with you a little longer than you expected. I wrote it in B minor for hushed, crooning strings, and I wanted it to feel like a held breath rather than a grand farewell. There's still a good deal more to discover in my Peer Gynt Suite No 1. The other three movements each have their own story, from a calm sunrise to the dark, rising theme of the Mountain King. Behind them sits the whole play by Henrik Ibsen, which began as a request I took on reluctantly and which grew into music people still love. If you'd like to keep exploring, click on the links provided and wander through the rest of the suite at your own pace. I'd be glad to have you along.