Grieg and his music

Front matter

eee eee pn i aby omy Pe a Teoh,

PORTRAIT OF GRIEG

By William Peters Etched from Life in Christiania, 1903, and exhibited in the Paris Salon of that year.

Index

PAGE

304 308

ILLUSTRATIONS

EpvarD GriEG. By William Peters . . Frontispiece

FACSIMILE OF AN INVITATION (Post-card)

GRIEG AS A Boy oF FIFTEEN

GRIEG AND SVENDSEN

Mr. AND Mrs. GRIEG AND Hej AND eee pascenvoe

A Group oF DISTINGUISHED SCANDINAVIANS .

WHERE GRIEG WROTE “PEER GYNT”’ .

NATIONAL THEATRE, CHRISTIANIA

PEASANTS MOVING GRIEG’s Music-HouseE .

PEASANTS LISTENING TO GRIEG’s Music

GRIEG WALKING TO HIS Music-HousE

A Room IN GriEc’s HousE AT TROLDHAUGEN

Two Views oF GriEc’s HousE AT TROLDHAUGEN

VILLA TROLDHAUGEN AND GRIEG’sS STUDIO

TROLDHAUGEN

GRIEG FISHING ON THE ito laaen Fons

Mr. AND Mrs. Griec, LONDoN, 1888 .

EDVARD GRIEG :

A HARDANGER WEDDING; ae Tay nase Figen

GRIEG’s SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY ‘

BJORNSON AND GRIEG AT VILLA uoniedess 4

EDVARD GRIEG, May, 1904 ; :

Mr. Griec, Mrs. Grirec, PERCY ey Rantern

LAST PHOTOGRAPH OF GRIEG

GRIEG ON HIS DEATHBED

GriEc’s Toms

GRIEG AND DE GREEF, THE emerth Pian

FACSIMILE OF GRIEG’s Sonc, “A SWAN” . ;

FACSIMILE OF A NOTE ABOUT PADEREWSKI .. .

Two PicTURES OF GRIEG AND BEYER Rosa taau la gee vii

TO FACE PAGE

XViii

“; 2

tha

INTRODUCTION, WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG

N 1899 Messrs. Charles Scribner’s Sons asked me to contribute a volume on violinists and violin music to their Music Lovers’ Library.

I replied that I would rather prepare one on songs and song-writers, not merely because the subject interested me more, but because, strange to say, there existed no book on that important branch of music in English, or, in fact, in any language. ‘They promptly assented, and I began to collect my material When I came to one of my favourites, Edvard Grieg, I was unable to find any facts relating to his songs, so I wrote to Bergen asking if he would not kindly give to the world, in my book, some information concerning their origin, such as we possess regarding many of those of Schubert, Schumann, Franz, and other composers. At the same time I sent him a copy of the German translation of my Wagner biography.

His reply, dated Copenhagen, February 23, 1900, was as follows: ‘‘Accept my best thanks for the kind gift of your book on Wagner. Asa matter of course, ix x INTRODUCTION your name as that of an excellent writer on music had been familiar to me for many years. In addition to this, I had, before my article on Mozart was printed, a very special reason to be grateful to you, because you prevented the appearance in it of an - erroneous assertion on my part regarding Wagner.'

‘“‘Some time ago a new method of carrying out contracts was introduced in America, in consequence of which my works are reprinted there in a way which affects me grievously. The thought of becoming popular in America therefore has for me, as you see, exclusively an ideal charm. But in order to give expression to the feeling of gratitude which, as just stated, I entertain toward you, I take great pleasure in meeting your wishes to the best of my powers. Now, however, comes a ‘but.’ I read very little about music—my poor health makes the greatest possible concentration imperative — and of the things written about me most of those I have seen were quite too stupid and ignorant to be of any use. Consequently, I regret that there is nothing of this nature that I could recommend to you. ... 1 am very glad, indeed, to have my faults and weaknesses censured if I can only detect at the

1In the Century Magazine. I had been asked by the editor to translate Grieg’s article from the German, and had suggested the omission of the error referred to by Grieg.

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG x same time some comprehension of my intentions. Wagner says somewhere that one must feel sympathy with him in order to understand him. I have often thought this over and asked myself if Wagner does not here invert cause and effect. Well, however that may be, I shall be glad to make some jottings for you regarding my songs. The matter seems, however, intime and I feel sure | may take it for granted that what I have to say will be used with the greatest circumspection and friendly tact (Pietdét). I regret to say that at present I am too busy to be able to promise that my notes will reach you as early as the end of April. I shall do the utmost —that I can promise you. It will be a pleasure for me to do anything that will help along your work.

‘America I shall probably never visit. I cannot endure the sea voyage, nor perhaps the climate. The many invitations to give concerts in America, some of which are very tempting, I am therefore obliged to decline without hesitation.

‘Should you actually come to Norway this summer, I would be very happy to meet you and your wife.”

The next letter is dated Copenhagen, April 13: “T wanted to write to you, but fell ill seriously of xi INTRODUCTION influenza and am far from well now, which, I regret very much to say, has prevented me to this day from writing anything about my songs, and very probably will continue to prevent me. For some weeks I am not permitted to do any mental work, and late in April I have some concerts to conduct in Christiania. Not till the middle of May shall I be back in my home near Bergen. But that would leave me only eight days for the work, if it is to be in your hands by the middle of June. It is too bad. Now comes another thing, I have read Waldmann’s Conversations with Franz [to which I had called his attention] and have become quite perplexed. For, that sort of thing I cannot do. I am simply sorry that I read the book. Even a master of song like Franz ought not to talk about Schubert, Schumann, and Mendelssohn as he has done, and especially about his own points of superiority to these masters. If he was not privileged to see that Schubert and Schumann possessed much greater powers of imagination than he did, then he will appear in my eyes —I regret to say this— somewhat less great than heretofore. His horizon must have been limited. How great were Liszt and Schumann for the very reason that, beside their other geniale qualities, they also

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG Xill possessed a wide horizon, purified chemically, as it were, from all one-sidedness and overestimation of self. All that is great is great! That is and remains my motto! However, I am going astray —it is due to the influenza-affected head! I am very sorry you are not coming to Europe this summer. You might then have played the rdle of Waldmann so nicely — better, in any case, than he did!

“To sum up: I cannot at this moment make you a promise. But should circumstance permit my doing something to meet your wishes, I shall certainly do it.”

In a postscript he adds: ‘‘I almost forgot to tell you that I entertain the greatest respect and sympathy for your book on Wagner, not only because it is planned and executed in a masterly way, but because it is written with a rare freedom from bias. You are, like myself, one of the greatest admirers of the incomparable master, but not one of the Wagnerites! In my opinion this rabble constitutes his worst enemies!”

Three months later I was surprised and delighted to get from him a letter of thirty-six pages, dated Troldhaugen, July 17, and containing an abundance of most interesting facts regarding his

XIV INTRODUCTION songs and certain episodes in his life. He concluded by saying: ‘“‘I have, as you see, made the same reflections as those which have found such remarkably eloquent expression in the chapter on singers and songstresses in your excellent work on Wagner. Why should I hesitate —and_ particularly in this instance where my communication is made with the object of revealing to you the secret source of my songs. And yet I would never have dared to do this had not your Wagner book filled me with absolute artistic faith in you. This Privatmonolog may tell you as much as is essential for an estimate.of my songs. Much more might be said: but I feel a disinclination to say more.

‘“‘In sending you these notes as a source of information to be used by you, I do it under these express assumptions: (1) that you return them at once after making use of them. (2) That you take only what you need for your purposes; in other words, that you avoid as much as possible — to use my own words, and never cite me as the © speaker. (3) That, as I take for granted in the — case of an author of your position, my communi- — cations are to be regarded as being of an entirely © confidential nature, especially where they are obvi- — ously of a subjective nature. (4) That you will ©

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG XV send me, in accordance with your promise, a copy of the pages relating to me in your manuscript or the proof-sheets, for my inspection. _ “Pardon me if I am occasionally too diffuse. It is sometimes difficult to know where to stop. Above all things I beg you to excuse my bad German. In the use of der, die, das I am always a bungler.t That I look forward to your book most eagerly I need hardly add. You have undertaken a task which hitherto has not been solved. But to a man who has written about Wagner with such deep comprehension as you have shown, one may say what Liszt said to me at Rome in 1870: ‘You have just the qualities called for.’”’

It is easy to imagine the eagerness with which I read these thirty-six pages of autobiography addressed to me. I selected the brightest nuggets for my chapter on his songs (subsequently borrowing many of them for the present volume), and in doing so I could not resist the temptation to quote his own words here and there, regardless of the second of his four conditions. On September 24 he wrote to me:

“‘T have just received the proof-sheets, and hasten

1 All of Grieg’s letters to me were written in German — good, idiomatic German, with only an occasional slight error, ¥ se

XVi INTRODUCTION to return them. I need not tell you how I rejoice at your sympathy and your comprehension of my art. Hitherto I have always been, as regards critics, a great pessimist. Always these gentlemen have pointed out my least important things as my best, and unfortunately also vice versa. How happy I am that this is not the case with you. You have in the main dwelt on the very songs which I myself consider the best.

‘““Now, however, comes a big ‘But.’ You have, after all, cited my own words and very often, in fact, where it was not necessary. That must be avoided, and I have, as you see, indicated the way of doing so. I beg you urgently to carry out the changes I have marked with ordinary lead pencil (not blue pencil). Only in a few places have I

_ left myself as the speaker.”

The same letter contains a few paragraphs about — Gade, Ibsen, and Scandinavian composers which ~

I reserve for later pages in this volume. On the twenty-first of December he wrote again, from Christiania:

“Tf I had a catalogue of my books, your volume © on song writers would be marked with two stars. Higher praise I could not utter. And yet: everything in this world has its faults. I confess that

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG XVil your judgment of Brahms was a great disappointment to me. That you, with your great, wide horizon, have failed to discover the real Brahms, is really quite too extraordinary, and shows how the

most many-sided men have their limitations. For me there is no doubt concerning Brahms. A landscape, torn by mists and clouds, in which I can see ruins of old churches, as well as of Greek temples — that is Brahms. The necessity of placing him by the side of Bach and Beethoven is as incomprehensible to me as the attempt to reduce him ad absurdum. The great must be great, and a comparison with other great ones must always be unsatisfactory.

“That you have not only sympathy with my art, but a deep comprehension of it, is a real boon for my heart. Believe me I have hitherto nearly always fared badly with the so-called critics.

_ Where there was sympathy there was no compre-

hension, and for so-called comprehension without

sympathy I do not give a penny. As for America, I doubt if I shall ever see it. But I hope you will soon come to Norway so we can shake hands.

| “For reviews of your book in the local papers I

regret that no copies can be obtained here. Allow

_ Me to suggest that a copy be sent to our leading

_. xviii INTRODUCTION liberal paper, Verdens Gang (Course of the World), of which the editor is Mr. O. Thomassen.”

In July, 1901, I had the pleasure of paying the Griegs a visit at Troldhaugen, which is described in Chapter VI of the present volume. In the following year the Oliver Ditson Company asked me to make a selection of Grieg’s best fifty songs and edit it for their Musicians’ Library. I replied that I would gladly do so on condition that a royalty be paid to Grieg on every copy sold. Although the absence of a copyright agreement between the United States and Norway made it a legal act to reprint Scandinavian music, the Boston publishers promptly acceded to this request and furthermore asked me to offer Grieg in their name $1,000 for a dozen new songs and piano pieces. His answer, dated September 30, 1902, follows:

‘“‘T was glad to see your handwriting again. And I was egoistic enough to hope that’ you were going to write me this time about Seidl’s orchestration of the ‘Bell-ringing.’ Instead of that, it was something quite unexpected. It is indeed most kind of you to take my part in America, and that, too, in a purely business matter. I am, as you quite correctly say, not a millionaire. But I am not so poorly off as to be willing to take money from — freneg. me AK ee

EU ee Remora Ae : o~ ee

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG XIX

American publishers who are inclined to reprint my works. Moreover, my relations to the Peters firm are such that for this reason alone I cannot entertain the offer made by Mr. Ditson. It will be different if Mr. Ditson makes an arrangement with Peters. Then it would perhaps be possible to have my works appear legitimately in America too. But if he is not willing to do this, things will have to remain as they are: the smart Messrs. Pirates reprint and enrich themselves without considering the composer. Well, I am glad at any rate that an American edition, if it cannot be avoided, is to be placed in your hands.

“It is possible that, as an American, you will not find my standpoint ‘smart’ enough. As a German, however (and especially as a German idealist), you will, I feel sure, agree with me.

“Tf I really told you that I was not composing any more, this must not be taken literally. Last Christmas there appeared the tenth volume of Lyric Pieces. Soon all the ten parts will be published in a sumptuous volume by Peters.

“Accept once more my best thanks for your ' kind intentions. With hearty greeting from house to house, Your most devoted Edvard Grieg.”

_ His loyalty to his German publisher is illustrated

XX | INTRODUCTION in another letter, dated January 16, 1903, in which he says:

“T told you [at Troldhaugen] what is a well-known fact, that C. F. Peters at one time reprinted pieces not protected by copyright, among them my own. But very many years ago Peters made an arrangement with the original publisher of these works by which he acquired all rights, except for Scandinavia. I should like to see the royalties offered me by an American publisher! Should such a thing come to pass, I shall promptly inform C. F. Peters. The only correct thing would be a direct arrangement with Peters, without whose agreement I would in no case accept a royalty. You may think this is foolish. But I happen to be so foolish.”

A deep and sad insight into Grieg’s life is given in a letter he wrote me in reply to one in which I had informed him that I had been asked to write a book of 20,c00 words on his life and works by John Lane for the series of Living Masters of Music, and begged him to assist me with any material he could call my attention to or place at my disposal temporarily. His answer is dated Copenhagen, May 2, 1905:

“YT would have written you long ago to thank

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG XXi you for the excellent photographs of yourself and your wife. (What a pity I cannot show yours to any one because of the extravagant words on my art which you wrote on it.) What prevented me from writing was—illness and always_ illness.

_ Hardly had I arrived here toward the end of December when I was confined to my bed (influenza, bronchitis, asthma), and I have not recovered. More recently a complicated stomach trouble was superadded which brought on such complete prostration that I am good for nothing, unable either to write or to make music. Even the writing of this letter is a colossal effort for me. I am much grieved to be obliged to tell you that for this reason with the best intentions I cannot comply with

_ your wishes. In connection with this I must tell you that a German publisher has offered me a brilliant honorarium for an autobiography, a work which, for the reasons just given, I have not begun, nor am likely to begin for some time and probably never will begin. | “But now arises the question: In what way can

I be of use to you in your task? How gladly I would help! Unfortunately, since the days of my youth I have saved hardly any of the articles written about my works, my concerts, etc. I cannot, xxii INTRODUCTION therefore, refer you to the periodicals containing them. The article on me in the so-called ‘Scandinavian’ number of Die Musik is by reason of its lack of understanding and its superficiality sheer nonsense. Its author contents himself with designating me as a ‘Kleinkiinstler’ (miniature artist) and acts as if I had written only short things, although he ought to know that as a matter of fact I owe my name to my larger works. It is unheard © of that a serious periodical not only is so unjust but in addition indulges in cheap witticisms like this, that I ‘never reached the ocean but stuck in © the fjord.’

“T shall inform Peters that you intend to apply to him, and shall ask him to send you the necessary material. The few things that I possess are in my villa ‘Troldhaugen’ near Bergen, which I shall probably not reach till the beginning of June. A few years ago there appeared here in Copenhagen a book on me in the Norwegian language written by the Norwegian composer Gerhard Schjelderup. — He asked me for contributions to his book but I had to refuse them firmly. The book consequently contains many erroneous details. ‘The author was compelled, too, to prepare it for the publisher in a short time. Yet it is written by a sympathetic

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG xiii and genuine artist hand, and while I do not agree with all of the author’s views, his book contains much that must be of interest for your purposes. Perhaps you can also use the illustrations. The letter to my parents relating to Liszt (of the year 1870 from Rome), which was printed in 1892 at Bergen, in a festival book issued on the occasion of my silver wedding, will also interest you. A translator you will easily find in New York. I shall do my best to-morrow to get a copy and will send it to you at once.‘ Whatever I can find in Troldhaugen I will send you from there as soon as possible. Pardon me, however, if I unfortunately cannot comply with your request that I should send my photographs direct to Mr. Lane. Such things I avoid as a matter of principle. In fact I have for many years refused without exception all requests for biographic material and photographs from persons unknown to me and especially from publishers. I simply have neither time nor desire for this. And in the latest years the wan thing, illness, has been added. I shall, however, make an exception from this philistine ‘without exception’ in favour of the esteemed and excellent

1 He did so, after writing in it a number of marginal comments and further details which were of much use to me.

XXIV INTRODUCTION author of the book on Wagner and ‘Songs and Song-Writers,’ out of gratitude for his sympathetic feeling for my art, and shall gladly send you what I have when I get home.

“But now I am done! Completely exhausted by this exertion. The parole now is: go to sleep. I hope soon to write you more, from Troldhaugen.”’

Seven weeks later (June 22) he wrote again: “Hardly had I got home when I fell ill seriously and not till to-day have I been able to delve among my papers. Without result, I regret to say. Newspaper clippings of value there are none. ‘Those of my early days are too stupid, and the later ones I did not save.”’ While he was writing these words his wife was still hunting for photographs: “At this moment,”’ he says, “‘my wife has found some interesting pictures.” The rest of this four-page letter is devoted chiefly to remarks about the pictures he is about to send me and to references to a few reliable sources of information, notably Almar —

Groénvold’s book and Holter’s article in Salmonsen’s Konversationslexicon, which, he says “‘is written in many respects with intelligence.”

Three months later, from Christiania (September 29): ‘‘I feel very guilty! But it was quite impossible for me to answer your two letters at once.

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG XXV

Then came another journey, followed by the political excitement, which still continues. In short, I must beg your pardon.” [I had told him that I had suggested to Mr. Lane that the medallion to be stamped on the cover of my book should represent the Norwegian flag. Regarding this, Grieg wrote: ‘“‘Your idea about the Norwegian flag is, I think, a very good one. But I hope the right one has been chosen and not the old one with the Swedish colours in the corner. That would never do (das jehlte noch)!

“Yes, I did write articles on the Bayreuth performances in August, 1876; they appeared in the Bergenposten, a newspaper which does not exist any more. To-day I can only say this, that I was at the same time wildly enthusiastic and strongly inclined to criticise. The undue lengthening of

some of the scenes affected me very unpleasantly; so did the dialogue, which is often fashioned too much after a theory. In other words, without _ being a Wagnerite, I was at that time already what I am still: an adherent, nay a worshipper, of that mighty genius. | “Apart from articles on Mozart, Schumann, and Verdi I have not written anything worth men- | tioning, only here and there a short paper in the

XXVI INTRODUCTION journals, which I have never gathered together. You express surprise that I endured all the stupidities of the critics so patiently instead of laying about with a club long ago. Well, had I done that, I would, in my opinion, have lost all that remained of my artistic pride. If there is in my music anything of lasting value it will live; if not, it will perish. That is my belief, for I am convinced that truth will prevail ultimately.”

As the main object of writing my book on Grieg was not to make money, but to do missionary work for a great genius not fully understood by his contemporaries, I wrote to Bjornson, asking if he would not write a few introductory words. Concerning this, Grieg wrote: ‘It is not probable that you will hear from Bjérnson. He seems to be in a bad humour, and apart from that I cannot, for obvious reasons, appeal to him personally. .. .

“Fortunately I am now getting along somewhat better here in Christiania. But creative work is still out of the question.

“Tf you have really succeeded in correcting the many erroneous current notions regarding my works, you will have done me and my country a great service and I shall take pleasure in thanking you therefor cordially. Unfortunately I am some-

WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG _ xxvii what pessimistic; yet I am none the less cordially obliged to you for your good and artistically correct intentions.”

On the eighth of October he wrote again, from Christiania:

“Yesterday I received from Mr. Lane the proof-sheets of your book, which have occupied me uninterruptedly (excepting a few intervals for my meals and sleep). In consequence of my imperfect command of the English language it was a great exertion and I have just finished the task. I admire the keen scent with which you track facts — like an expert hunter pursuing his quarry. But so far as your estimate of my works is concerned I must echo the words of our poet A. O. Vinje in his ‘The Last Spring’: ‘More I got than I deserved —and everything must end.’ There are certainly passages in which you have done yourself and me a questionable service by an excess of superlatives! ? But the many truths which you did not hesitate to express bluntly have gladdened my heart.

“Somewhere in your book you express the in- _dubitable truth that in art quality is more important than quantity. From this point of view I am much surprised that you make no mention at all of a short composition which to me is of the greatest

XXVIli INTRODUCTION importance: I mean ‘Der Bergentriickte,’ for baritone solo, string orchestra, and two horns. The text follows some very old specimens of folklore which greatly absorbed me during my stay at Lofthus. This piece contains drops of my heart blood. Schjelderup speaks of it in his book. Apart from this I have nothing to add. The political situation takes up much of my attention.

“The compositions of mine that are about to appear in print are: op. 73, Moods, piano pieces; op. 51, Old Norwegian Romance for orchestra, and op. 54, Lyrical Suite (from the Lyrical Pieces. ©

“T am of course delighted that you, who have so much sympathy with my art, were asked to write a book about me, and I am under great obligations to you because you are endeavouring to carry out your task with so much interest and carefulness. At the same time I wish, and cannot refrain from saying so, that you might have had four times as much time at your disposal, so that you might have written a complete and definitive record of my career. This wish you will easily understand.

“Those musk melons I envy you! They ar my favourite food! We have them here, too, i

“WITH LETTERS FROM GRIEG xxix great abundance, moreover, and very cheap. You are wise in devoting as much time as possible to your garden. That keeps the mind fresh and preserves the love of nature!”’

In a postscript he asks: ‘“‘Have you seen in the North American Review, edited by George Harvey, September, 1902, an article by A. M. Wergeland: ‘Grieg as a National Composer’? It was written by a woman who was born in Norway, and contains much that is good and true.”

He refers again to the question of a medallion for the book cover in his next letter (September 4): “T greatly regret that I do not possess my complete family crest, yet I am really glad, because I do not like the idea of using that. The flag would be a thing that has special interest at this moment, and, like my music, it points directly at my nationality. Why not simply use a portrait? ... The interview you referred to is, like all interviews, incorrect. .. .

“T hope Mr. Lane will send me a few copies of your book, and I regret that it does not appear simultaneously in a Norwegian version.”

“Katholisches Hospital” — these ominous words are at the head of the last letter I received from Grieg; it is dated 30/r2/5 — December 30, 1905:

XXX INTRODUCTION

‘As you see, I am in a hospital because of my sins. I have had a bad time with my disordered organs of digestion and my whole nervous system. But for this, I would have written to you long ago, to express my most cordial thanks to you for your book on me. I have now read it again in as sober - a mood as possible. I still must reproach you with having placed me too high. But the whole book breathes sympathy and love for my art, and you have made excellent use of the material. Of most particular importance is the chapter on the relation of Norwegian folksongs to my originality. — For this I must express to you my gratitude in the highest degree. You have succeeded brilliantly in — rehabilitating me in face of the many unjust and ignorant foreign’ criticisms.