Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 34: Lyric Pieces, Op. 54 - IV. Notturno (Night)

by Edvard Grieg

Performer: Edward Rosser

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Each day, listen to the musical selection.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer and practice reciting his or her name and the composition title.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Between 1867 and 1901, Grieg published 66 short solo piano compositions called 'Lyric Pieces.' Romantic, passionate, and varied in tempo, Grieg's beautiful 'Notturno' (Night) swells with emotion.

Vocabulary

Romantic: Characterized by the expression of love.
Passionate: Showing or caused by strong feelings
Tempo: The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.
Night: The period of darkness in each twenty-four-hour period; the time from sunset to sunrise.

Composer

1. Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg was born in 1843. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Grieg's country of birth on the map of Europe below.

3. His mother taught him piano starting when he was six.
4. As a boy, he was miserable in school due to cruel bullying by his schoolmates.
5. At the age of 15, he enrolled in the Leipzig Conservatory to study piano.
6. During his career, he composed and played as a concert pianist.
7. Grieg stated, '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.'
8. He died in Norway at age 64 from heart failure.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Describe the Music

Listen to the music, and close your eyes and let yourself imagine. What do you picture as you listen to the music?

• After listening to the music, describe and discuss what you heard.
• Does the music sound happy or mournful? Is it fast or slow? Does the music convey motion or stillness? Does the music change over time as the piece progresses?

Read the list of adjectives. Select those that describe the music or think up additional adjectives.

• Cheerful
• Mournful
• Soft
• Noisy
• Vivacious
• Soothing
• Eerie
• Threatening
• Surreal
• Whimsical
• Rhythmic
• Grand

Activity 2: Study the Painting, Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night Over the Rhone'

As you listen to the music, find the following in the painting:

• Stars
• Sky
• Water
• A Couple
• Beach
• Boats
• City Lights
• Reflections of City Lights
• Buildings

After you study the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Describe how the painting relates to the music.

Activity 3: Read About the Painting, Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night Over the Rhone'

Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night Over the Rhone' captures the same romantic nocturnal feeling as the music. The Rhone is a European river that flows through Switzerland and southern France.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the music?

1 / 3

Answer 1

The title is 'Night.'

1 / 3

Question 2

Who composed the music?

2 / 3

Answer 2

The composer is Edvard Grieg.

2 / 3

Question 3

What is the Rhone?

3 / 3

Answer 3

The Rhone is a river that flows through Switzerland and southern France.

3 / 3

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'Night.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is Edvard Grieg.
3. What is the Rhone? The Rhone is a river that flows through Switzerland and southern France.

References

'Edvard Grieg.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Lyric Pieces.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.