From Peer Gynt: trolls in the halls under a Norwegian mountain. The tune creeps up and back, over a left hand that pulses like footsteps. Speed up the second time if you dare.
The story
Henrik Ibsen asked Grieg to write music for his play Peer Gynt, which opened in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1876. In this scene, the reckless Peer has wandered into the hall of the troll king, and the trolls close in on him.
The music is one short tune, repeated over and over, getting faster and louder until it explodes. It is a simple trick, and it never fails.
Grieg himself was not proud of it. In a letter he joked that he could hardly bear to hear it, because it reeked of cow-pies, Norwegian nationalism and trollish self-satisfaction.
Three things to know
- The tune is repeated again and again, always the same length, only faster and louder each time.
- It has appeared in countless films, adverts, video games and rock songs.
- Grieg is Norway’s best-loved composer; his home near Bergen is now a museum.
How to play it
Start very quietly and sneakily. The fun of the piece is the slow build, so save your loudest playing for the end.