Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg wrote eight pieces of incidental music plus opening fanfares for Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's historical play Sigurd Jorsalfar (Sigurd the Crusader) at three different points in his compositional career. The original five pieces of incidental music—the intermezzo "Borghild's Dream," "The Matching Game," "The Northland Folk," "The Homage March," and "The King's Song"—were composed in Oslo in spring 1872 for the premiere performance of the play on April 10 of that year. Thirty-one years later, Grieg added a further three pieces—the Prelude to Act I, two Interludes, and an opening fanfare—for the 1903 production of the play in Stuttgart. In between, Grieg prepared a concert suite in 1892 from the original music, which became the basis for his 1903 version. The music for the concert suite for Sigurd Jorsalfar consists of three pieces from the 1872 incidental music, but re-ordered and, in one case, greatly expanded. The suite starts with "The Matching Game"—a confident march that begins quietly for the winds, but builds to an impressive climax for full orchestra with a folksong-like trio—"Borghild's Dream"—an appropriately mysterious work with hushed two-part counterpoint for the strings giving way to frightening music for full orchestra—and the closing "Homage March." The latter was vastly enlarged for concert suite in 1892. The original 1872 version had consisted of a noble tune first stated by the solo cello and heroic tune given to the solo trumpet. In the 1892 version, Grieg added an opening fanfare and, more significantly, a spacious central trio with strummed chords in the harp beneath a yearning lyrical theme for the strings.

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