The Death of Edvard Grieg (4 September 1907), and a Summary of His Scottish Ancestry | The British Newspaper Archive Blog

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The Death of Edvard Grieg (4 September 1907), and a Summary of His Scottish Ancestry

Edward Grieg, the Norwegian composer famous for composing the music for Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, died in Bergen on 4 September 1907 – he was 64.

To mark the day, here is a fascinating newspaper story that reports on Grieg’s death and also highlights the composer’s Scottish ancestry.

Evening Telegraph – Thursday 05 September 1907

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19070905/025/0002

The Graphic – Saturday 02 March 1889

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000057/18890302/024/0013

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7 comments On The Death of Edvard Grieg (4 September 1907), and a Summary of His Scottish Ancestry

  • As a regular concert goes and lover of Grieg’s music I was interested to read the article in The British Newspaper Archive regarding his Scottish ancestry. I too come from Scotland although I have lived most of my life in Australia.
    Thank you

  • As Dance Director of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo I was asked to produce for the 2013 Tattoo a dance item to be called ‘Daybreak’. The obvious melody to commence the item, given his Scottish connections, was Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’ from the Peer Gynt suite. Sitting beside me watching one of the performances was Aly Bain, the famous Shetland Fiddler, whose first comment on hearing the initial few bars of music for the dance was “you will know of course that Grieg’s family originally came from Aberdeenshire”. It was good to find through the British Newspaper Archive (linked from the Scotland’s People website) a little more detailed information on that history. Hopefully our short intro to the dance paid tribute from 50 Scottish Dancers to his backstory and genius in composing such a simple yet so memorable melody

    Billy Forsyth

    • The British Newspaper Archive

      We’re glad you liked this article, Billy, and thanks for sharing the story about Aly Bain commenting on Edvard Grieg’s Aberdeenshire roots. Regards, Grant.

  • John james alexander greig

    my father,William Kerr Greig,born in Sandhaven in 1898.came to Australia in 1925.Last year I went to Scotland
    and found my father’s family.My aunt,here,told me years ago
    that we had a connection with Grieg.Alexander is a family name.

  • John james alexander greig

    My father,William Kerr Greig,born Sandhaven in 1898,came to
    Australia in 1925.”Alexander” is a family christian name…dad’s
    brother,one of his cousins at least.My aunt,here,told me years
    ago that we had a family connection with E.Grieg.

    • The British Newspaper Archive

      That’s great that you have an ancestral connection to Edvard Grieg – you’ll need to swap round the i and e in your surname! Regards, Grant.

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