Keyboard instruments > Piano solo
Edvard Grieg
Complete Lyric Pieces
Editor: Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Ernst-Günter Heinemann
Fingering: Einar Steen-Nøkleberg
32.00 €
Urtext Edition, paperbound
in preparation
Order no. HN 1136 · ISMN M-2018-1136-9
With his “Lyric Pieces”, Edvard Grieg was writing a kind of poetic piano diary: between 1867 and 1901 he composed 66 short character pieces, published in ten books. Pieces such as “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen”, “March of the dwarfs” or “To the spring” are among Grieg’s best-known works. Alongside these fairly virtuosic pieces there are also numerous simpler dances and melodies that can be played at an early stage when learning the piano. Until now only five single books were available from Henle (HN 619, 627, 644, 681, 713), but now we are publishing the complete collection in a collected volume, with fingerings by the Norwegian pianist and Grieg specialist Einar Steen-Nøkleberg.
Contents
- Volume I, op. 12
-
Arietta op. 12,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Waltz op. 12,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Watchman's song op. 12,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 2/3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Fairy-dance op. 12,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Popular melody op. 12,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian melody op. 12,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Album leaf op. 12,7
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
National song op. 12,8
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 2)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume II, op. 38
-
Berceuse op. 38,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Popular melody op. 38,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Melody op. 38,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian dance op. 38,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian dance op. 38,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Elegy op. 38,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Waltz op. 38,7
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Canon op. 38,8
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume III, op. 43
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Little bird op. 43,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Butterfly op. 43,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Solitary traveller op. 43,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
In my native country op. 43,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Erotikon op. 43,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
To the spring op. 43,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume IV, op. 47
-
Valse-Impromptu op. 47,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Album leaf op. 47,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Melody op. 47,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian dance op. 47,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Melancholy op. 47,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian dance op. 47,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Elegy op. 47,7
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume V, op. 54
-
Shepherd's boy op 54,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian March op. 54,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
March of the dwarfs op. 54,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Notturno op. 54,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Scherzo op. 54,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Bell ringing op. 54,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 2/3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume VI, op. 57
-
Vanished days op. 57,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Gade op. 57,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Illusion op. 57,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Secret op. 57,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
She dances op. 57,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Homesickness op. 57,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume VII, op. 62
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Sylphide op. 62,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Gratitude op. 62,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
French serenade op. 62,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Brooklet op. 62,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): difficult (Level 6/7)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Phantom op. 62,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Homeward op. 62,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): difficult (Level 6/7)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume VIII, op. 65
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From early years op. 65,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Peasant's song op. 65,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Melancholy op. 65,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Salon op. 65,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Ballad op. 65,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Wedding day at Troldhaugen op. 65,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume IX, op. 68
-
Sailor's song op. 68,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): easy (Level 3)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Grandmother's minuet op. 68,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 3/4)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
At your feet op. 68,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Evening in the mountains op. 68,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
At the cradle op. 68,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Valse mélancolique op. 68,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » - Volume X, op. 71
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Once upon a time op. 71,1
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Summer's eve op. 71,2
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Puck op. 71,3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Peace of the woods op. 71,4
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 5/6)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Norwegian dance op. 71,5
Level of difficulty (Piano): difficult (Level 6/7)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Gone op. 71,6
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4/5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
Remembrances op. 71,7
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 4)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
The levels of difficulty of the
piano music published by G. Henle Publishers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| easy | medium | difficult | ||||||
The levels of difficulty of the piano music published by G. Henle Publishers
| Level | Grade | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | easy | Bach, Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, nos. 4 and 5 |
| 2 | Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier I, no. 1 Prelude C major | |
| 3 | Beethoven, Piano Sonatas op. 49,1 and 2 | |
| 4 | medium | Grieg, Lyric Pieces op. 12, no. 4 |
| 5 | Schumann, Fantasy Pieces op. 12, no. 1 | |
| 6 | Chopin, Nocturnes op. 27, nos. 1 and 2 | |
| 7 | difficulty | Beethoven, Piano Sonata op. 10, no. 3 |
| 8 | Beethoven, Piano Sonata op. 81a | |
| 9 | Schumann, Toccata op. 7 |
Guide to the levels of difficulty
"I don't know what 'difficult' means. Either you can play or you can't" – this was the rather terse comment by the great violinist Nathan Milstein, on being asked about the unbelievable difficulty of Niccolo Paganini's Caprice no. 1.
The relativity of the evaluation of difficulty in music immediately becomes clear. Yet I gladly take up this great challenge, presented to me by G. Henle Publishers. For I am aware of how useful a guide like this can be, both from my own experience as well as that of many colleagues. In particular so as to be able to identify "appropriate" works. For example for music teachers, who teach at very different levels, from beginners to those preparing for music conservatories, but also for all those interested amateurs for whom this guide is intended.
After careful deliberation I have settled on nine levels of difficulty, which I have divided into three groups: 1–3 (easy), 4–6 (medium), 7–9 (difficult). A number of parameters have been considered when assessing the level of difficulty. I have not just looked at the number of fast or slow notes to be played, or the chord sequences; of central importance are also the complexity of the piece's composition, its rhythmic complexities, the difficulty of reading the text for the first time, and last but not least, how easy or difficult it is to understand its musical structure. I have defined "piece" as being the musical unit of a sonata, or a single piece in a cycle, which is why Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" Part I comprises a total of 48 levels of difficulty (each prelude and fugue is considered separately), Schumann's Sonata in f sharp minor op.11 only has a single number. My assessment is measured by the ability to prepare a piece for performance.
While assessing the pieces, it became clear that the medium level of difficulty (4–6) is the trickiest. Now and again this means that a piece is judged as a "3/4", even if it only deserved a "3" as far as piano technique is concerned. An example of such a "borderline" case (easy/medium) is Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood" op. 15 Von fremden Ländern und Menschen or at the other end "6/7" part of Bach's "English Suites". And of course within a main category there are also "from-to" evaluations (e.g. 7/8).
Any evaluation of art or music will always be subjective, even if the aim was to be objective. Despite the fact that I have endeavoured to be as careful as possible, I am all too aware that the results of my work can be called into question, and am therefore grateful for any suggestions you might have.
Prof. Rolf Koenen © 2010

