E is for Edvard Grieg, and IWSG Day

 

              I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and my theme this year is classical music. Check out the list of other participants by clicking here! Since it is the first Wednesday of the month, I have another double post with the letter E and the monthly Insecure Writers Support Group. If you are here with the IWSG, just scroll on down, but maybe enjoy listening to a little Morning Mood on your way :)

 

            Letter E is for Edvard Grieg. He was a Norwegian composer and pianist who lived from 1843 to 1907. Today’s featured videos is from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite 1, Op.46. This movement is called Morning Mood, and I think it suits its name. You can find another movement from this suite in my playlist below.

 

Video link: https://youtu.be/-rh8gMvzPw0

   ·   Peer Gynt was originally written in 26 movements as incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's play. The music and play released on February 24, 1876. Grieg later picked out eight movements, including Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King, and divided them into two suites.

   ·   Edvard Grieg was influenced by his Norwegian culture and he once said, “The traditional way of life of the Norwegian people, together with Norway's legends, Norway’s history, Norway’s natural scenery, stamped itself on my creative imagination from my earliest years.”

   ·   After marrying Nina Hagerup and the birth of their daughter, Alexandra, Edvard Grieg was highly inspired and wrote his first masterpiece, the Piano Concerto in A Minor.

 

Edvard Grieg Museum in Troldhaugen

   ·   Music from Peer Gynt has made numerous appearances in commercials, TV shows, movies, and video games.

   ·   His hometown of Bergen, Norway has many places named after him, including the largest building, largest hotel, a music school, and a museum in his childhood home.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Grieg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_Gynt_(Grieg)
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/grieg/guides/grieg-facts/

            Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach had struggles with his vision. He was going blind, and the cause of his death has even been attributed to complications with an unsuccessful eye surgery.

            For this challenge, I’m keeping a playlist of the videos I’m using plus some extras for anyone who wants to hear more. I will update with the latest letter each day. Today's extra video is from the fourth movement from the Peer Gynt Suite 1, Op. 46; it's called In the Hall of the Mountain King. If you are wearing headphones, I would advise you to beware of the volume, this piece starts out fairly quiet, but does not stay that way! :)

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            The Insecure Writers Support Group was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and is there for those who struggle with insecurity in their writing and to share our struggles and advice with one another the first Wednesday of each month. The co-hosts this month are Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne, and I commend any of them who are co-hosting and participating in the A to Z Challenge!

            The Blogging from A to Z Challenge has been very inspiring for me this year. I want to thank the IWSG site admins for featuring writing resources as their theme; it has been helpful so far! Posting daily and keeping up with visits to other blogs is a challenge, but it is also a rewarding experience. I do feel more inspired to get into a daily habit of writing, and I hope the inspiration lasts until next month when I will have more time! I already have an idea for a writing-centered A to Z theme next year, except it will require a lot of preparation. I won’t share my idea now, but if I decide to go with it, I will let you know :) Other than that, I am still saving websites I come across with writing contests and resources, and I hope to start tackling those next month.

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Trivia question (answer tomorrow): What type of creature was the Mountain King in the Peer Gynt play?

Do you remember hearing either of these Peer Gynt pieces before? Where? Anyone feeling insecure from the A to Z Challenge?