Section C

It was one of those surreal moments when the world seems to stand still and nothing exists but you and the music you're playing.  I always feel that way when I play the C section of Edvard Grieg's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.  The volume gradually builds over several measures and finally releases into a majestic melody that's both thrilling and liberating.  And then it ends. 

But you know there's more the composer wants to say.  He takes a breath and begins again, and the dynamic contrast is unmistakable.  The melody is tender and clear, captivating but soft.  This is section C.  (Start clip around 0:55 or the beginning then see if you can identify section C.)

My mom is a pianist and taught me for several years before I studied with other teachers.  Wedding Day at Troldhaugen is one of a plethora of pieces I grew up listening to her play and decided to learn.  It’s beautiful listening to it, but it’s the music transforms when you’re the one playing it (I actually get really frustrated trying to find recordings that accurately reflect that emotion.)  While I love nearly all classical music, Romantic and 21^st-century pieces specifically seem to have that extra element of the sublime that so accurately expresses what words fail to yet how is the part that remains mysterious in its indefinability.

Grieg was also raised in a musical family in Norway and was taught piano lessons by his mother for several years before going to a conservatory to learn more.  His pieces reflect the emotion and imagination of the Romantic era, telling exciting and moving stories.  The above-mentioned piece was written in commemoration of his 25th wedding anniversary; this expression of his personal feelings is consistent with the emphasis on the individual during that time period.

A few of his other pieces revolve around stories and events as well.  For example, his piece, In the Hall of the Mountain King, was written for a play about a troll king and elicits a mysterious feeling that's exhilarating and almost scary because the audience doesn't know where it's going to lead.  This song is also played in the movie The Pied Piper.  He wrote a funeral march for his fellow composer and it was later played at Grieg’s own funeral.  Grieg was able to meet with several composers throughout his life, including Franz Liszt and Tchaikovsky, both of whom inspired Grieg through their music.