Grieg was born in Bergen in 1843, and his mother was his first piano teacher. He showed talent almost immediately, to the point where famous violinist Ole Bull said that Edvard should attend the Leipzig Conservatory. He did so, and did well. Grieg's concert career started in 1861, and soon he was composing as well as writing. Edvard piled up the credits from there. His best known work comes from "Peer Gynt," which has been used in cartoons for decades. Grieg died in 1907.
But before that, he had become considered the musical voice of his country, Norway. This is where the timing comes in. That nation finally split apart from Sweden in 1905, and certainly there was a great deal in anything Norwegian at that time. Grieg's music was one of the country's most popular exports. Certainly that fact helped his reputation in and out of Norway for years to come.
Edvard and Nina had a nice house, and you can still go through the bottom floors of it. In fact, his piano from those days is still on display. You can see Eddie standing at the end of the patio in the photo; based on what I've read, he was a little challenged in the height department. The area has an admissions area/small museum/cafe by the entrance. Interestingly, it also has a nice concert hall built into the grounds, as to not detract from the scenery. It holds perhaps 500 people, and the museum brings in pianists to play Grieg's music only a short walk from his final home and his grave. It really should be part of any visit.
One other note: Originally, the tour company wanted to charge us $140 for the trip to the Museum and its grounds. However, the opportunity was cancelled. We ended up going by taxi, and spent $40 each for the entire trip. Keep that in mind, please.
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