Description
"March of the Trolls," the third piece of Book V of the Lyric Pieces, Op. 54, written in 1891. It is the most played piece in a collection that eventually ran to ten books and sixty-six pieces, and Grieg orchestrated four of Op. 54 himself as what became known as the Lyric Suite.
In D minor and duple time, fine figuration beginning in the bass grows steadily louder like a procession approaching from a distance. The middle section turns aside into a long, calm melody suggesting Nordic folk music before the march returns and hurries away. Nearly 2,200 notes fill a little over three minutes.
It is rated intermediate, but it does not ask little. The march needs light staccato held at speed; force it and the sound thickens until the trolls become giants. Keep the fingers near the keys and resist pushing the volume up. Switching colour completely in the middle section — a stillness that hardly sounds like the same piece — is what makes the contrast tell.
A lifelong project by Grieg spanning 10 books and 66 pieces, reflecting Norwegian landscapes and folk music throughout.
Browse all songs in Lyric Pieces →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Edvard Grieg was a composer from Bergen, Norway, and a leading figure of musical nationalism who drew on Nordic folk music. Widely known for his incidental music to Peer Gynt and his Piano Concerto in A minor, he also wrote the Lyric Pieces, a lifelong series of intimate, folk-inspired piano miniatures. This site includes 6 of his works, such as "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen" and "March of the Dwarfs."
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