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Among living composers gifted with musical wives, the most preëminent is Richard Strauss. As Clara Schumann could perform her husband's works, so the wife of Strauss, who is an excellent singer, is at her best when giving her husband's songs. Like Grieg's wife, she is more successful than all other singers in this rôle of domestic devotion.
The human voice is still the finest instrument that we possess. We have allowed it to rust, the better to hear clever manipulators blow through tubes and twang wires. The musical world might have been a literal expression. Civilisation has contracted it to designate a coterie." "By the way," said the Woman of the World, "talking of music, have you heard that last symphony of Grieg's?
Whereupon she played, with considerable skill, one of Schumann's simpler compositions, one of Schubert's, and one of Grieg's. Then, turning around on the piano-stool, she asked me, "Do you like Debussy?" I thought of what my neighbor had prophesied concerning "The Maiden's Prayer." Debussy!
Indeed it was more cordially received than the drama, as is indicated by this criticism by Hanslick: "Perhaps in a few years Ibsen's Peer Gynt will live only through Grieg's music, which, to my taste, has more poetry and artistic intelligence in every number than the whole five-act monstrosity of Ibsen."
Those with whom he came into collision were less pleased, which was their affair. He was greatly put out when the music ceased; they were only just getting into swing, but he was obliged to put her down at the compulsory stopping-place. Shortly afterwards there was some more singing, first by the Society alone, then they and Aarö together sang Grieg's "Landfall."
The fine depth of tone in the exordium of Struensée and the fugue development in the main theme are also not to be despised. But all that, we are told, is lacking in elevation and depth. Possibly; but it is not always necessary to descend to Hell and go up to Heaven. There is certainly more music in these overtures than in Grieg's Peer Gynt which has been dinned into our ears so much.
He was very unhappy, and whenever he was very unhappy he went to the piano, or took up his violin, as the case might be . ... This time he sat down at the piano, with a vague notion of playing the sonata in E minor, Grieg's, of course, which had been her favourite, and was the best and finest, in his opinion, after Beethoven's sonata in D minor; not because E comes after D, but because it was so.
It was the melody of Grieg's "An den Frubling" played upon a violin, and it had stolen into Helen's heart and become part of her own stormy emotion before she had even thought of what it was or whence it came. The little piece is the very soul of the springtime passion, and to the girl it was the very utterance of all her yearning, lifting her heart in a great throbbing prayer.
'What did Wilenski play? he asked confusedly, as they moved towards the staircase. 'Something of Grieg's Mr. Wilbraham is going to sing "Wie bist du, meine Koniginn" Brahms, you know. But you don't really care for music. 'What an astounding accusation! 'You don't really care for it. I've known that since we were at Leipzig. 'I have never pretended to appreciate music as you do.
He is the highest representative of the Norse element in music, "the great beating heart of Norwegian musical art." Grieg's genere pieces represent the pearls of his compositions. Grieg wrote one hundred and twenty-five songs, most of which take high rank. Finck is of the opinion that fewer fall below par than in the list of any other song writer.
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