Grieg, Edvard

written in brown ink on four two-stave systems, with autograph words for 4 strophes written between and below the staves of the respective systems (verse 1 beginning "Stille nu! Blidt den gamle soverkamp og Strid er over, endt Smertens gru"), with autograph tempo marking ("Andante doloroso"), signed ("E.G.") at the upper right-hand corner and marked with a cross at the head of the manuscript

1 page, 8vo (20.8 x 13.1cm; overall size: 37 x 28cm), 8-stave paper, the verso of the integral containing an autograph note by Grieg's second cousin Alexander Behrens Grieg elucidating the autograph ("Til Alexander B. Grieg..."), later pencil annotation to foot of music, no place or date [Bergen, 1875?], traces of mount to integral, framed and glazed, central horizontal fold, a few tiny marks, some light creasing

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Autograph manuscripts of Grieg are exceptionally rare. This is an autograph of a complete piece of music by Grieg; and more than that - one of exceptional personal significance to the composer, being the manuscript of the vocal piece sung at the funeral of Grieg's father, Alexander, on 18 September 1875. 

This deeply affecting short choral work for four unaccompanied male voices was originally written for the funeral of the poet Johan Sebastian Welhaven on 28 September 1873. A note on the verso of the manuscript, in the hand of Grieg's second cousin Alexander Behrens Grieg, indicates that the manuscript was given to the latter by the composer, and states that the words were penned by the composer's brother, John Grieg. The work was also performed on 28 October 1875 at the funeral of Grieg's mother, only weeks, tragically, after that of his father.

Five similar manuscripts of the song from 1875 (no doubt used as performing parts, like the present manuscript) are recorded in Dan Fog, Kirsti Grinde and Øyvind Norheim, Edvard Grieg - Thematische-Bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis (Frankfurt, 2008): all of those, however, are in public institutions.