Edvard Grieg was a significant composer for Bax, the influence of the earlier composer clear in works like Bax's Symphonic Variations (1917 - 1918). The short encore piece Hardanger was composed in 1927, "with acknowledgements to Grieg" as noted in the printed score. Hardanger was one of the Bax compositions taken up by the piano duo of Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson, a married couple for whom Bax composed several pieces.

The hardingfele or hardanger fiddle, known as the national instrument of Norway, is a violin with four sympathetic strings under the fingerboard, the buzzing of which gives the instrument its distinctive sound. Bax's lighthearted and lively piece, while not specifically evoking the sound of the hardanger fiddle, does conjure up a folk music-like atmosphere. The high spirits of the work turn momentarily ominous, but generally the music is as exciting as its frenzied conclusion.

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