As a miniaturist, Grieg was a master. In particular, some of his most characteristic work can be found in the ten volumes of Lyric Pieces for piano. These short, attractive gems reveal a strong national flavor, combining the mildly chromatic style of nineteenth-century salon pieces with elements of Norwegian folk music. They are also relatively easy to play, being tuneful and rather accessible in style. Such a winning combination delighted the public and publisher alike, and almost singlehandedly assured Grieg a comfortable old age.

Book One, Op. 12 opens with a delicate "Arietta," a cantabile melody accompanied by rippling arpeggios divided between the two hands. Subsequent sections include a "Waltz," characterized by a recurring stacatto passage; "The Watchman's Song," an unpretentious theme presented in repeated two-bar cells, surrounding a faster, more propulsive middle section; a lilting "Fairy Dance"; a mazurka-like "Folk Tune"; a vigorous "Norwegian Melody," which contains a deep, drone pedal point; "Album Leaf;" and "National Song."

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1.Arietta

The ten books of Lyric Pieces were begun in 1867 with this work and concluded in 1901 with Remembrances, the last of the seven in the final volume, Op. 71. In all, there were 66 Lyric Pieces, comprising the composer's most popular works for piano. Yet in 1895, Grieg, half-jestingly, half-seriously referred to them as "lice and fleas" that flock around him. Of course, he was aware of their overall quality, but he often viewed them as obstacles that prevented him from composing larger works. Grieg, however, was quite at home with the piano miniature, and Arietta, though it is an example of his early style, clearly divulges his immense talent for melody and mood, even if it also displays a measure of immaturity. The work presents a bright theme that mixes Schumann and Chopin to produce an artless confection of utter charm. While the music has a nostalgic, slightly melancholy air, its lightness and simple harmony—mostly a four-note figure that rises and falls with the melody—give it an almost childlike innocence. The piece runs less than a minute-and-a-half, but will appeal to most fanciers of nineteenth century piano music.

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2.Vals (Waltz)

Grieg's first book of Lyric Pieces came as his Op. 12 and was published in 1867, while his tenth and concluding book bore his Op. 71 and appeared in 1901. This charming Waltz was thus the second of this series' 66 works, all of which are quite typical of Grieg's piano music in their lightness and melodic appeal. This lively Waltz is one of the more popular pieces in the series, not least because of its catchy, folk-like main theme, whose jaunty, somewhat exotic manner brims with Norwegian pastoral colors and an infectious sense of joy. The piece opens with this bouncy, effervescent melody, a typically Griegian creation whose second half breaks from the waltz rhythm and lively gait and briefly turns playfully reflective. The short middle section features an enchanting and subdued variant on the melody. The main theme is then reprised, but the work closes with a brief recollection of the variant from the middle section. This utterly charming work, usually having a duration of just under two minutes, will have wide appeal for piano music lovers.

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4.Alfedans (Fairy Dance)

This is the fourth piece in Book I of Grieg's nearly career-long series of piano works called Lyric Pieces. The first volume of the eventual ten in the collection of 66 pieces was published in 1867 and the last in 1901. This attractive work, Elves' Dance, is one of several in the series mixing fantasy with folk-like music, as in the more famous later example from Book V, March of the Trolls, Op. 54. This earlier piece is one of the shortest in any volume, generally having a duration of a bit less than a minute. That brevity does not limit its appeal, however—this is simply one of the more charming works in Book I. The piece opens in a playful mood, sounding more like a chase than a dance. There is a mixture of mischief and merriment here, of humor and high spirits, all to yield a colorful, lively work of great appeal. The theme consists of five rapidly played chords answered by playful swirling notes, the two elements exchanging volleys throughout the piece. The music is always graceful in its playfulness, delicate in its menace, and masterfully atmospheric in its deft sense for fantasy.

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5.Folkevise (Folk-song)

Of the 66 pieces contained in the ten volumes of Grieg's Lyric Pieces, many were intended for student and amateur performers, but a good portion for virtuosos, too. A third group, usually not requiring a great keyboard technique, are adaptations of Norwegian folk songs. This piece, simply titled Folk Song, falls into the latter category. As a composer, Grieg was not as devoted to collecting folk music as was Bartók or Kodály, but his interest in the genre was strong nevertheless. Here, he brilliantly adapts a lovely, somewhat nostalgic folk song to the piano in fairly simple writing. Folk Song's melody is lovely in its melancholy manner, exhibiting a touch of exoticism mixed with a hint of Chopin-esque darkness. Yet Grieg also imparts a lightness to the music by giving it a slightly playful manner and less dense harmonies, the main line mostly in the upper register and often played in single notes. Still, the music never veers from its sweet gloom, remaining in the doldrums throughout its approximately two-minute length. This little gem is a masterful example of Grieg's ability to deftly adapt a simple melody by adorning it with imaginative and subtly atmospheric harmonies.

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