Two Elegiac Melodies

The two movements are instrumental arrangements Grieg made of two of his 12 Melodies, Op. 33, published in 1880: these were settings for voice and piano of words by the Norwegian poet and journalist Aasmund Olavsson Vinje. Two Elegiac Melodies was dedicated to Heinrich von Herzogenberg. Grieg also made an arrangement for solo piano. ==Description==

It is scored for 1st violins (sometimes in two parts), 2nd violins (in two parts), violas (in two parts), cellos and double basses. The many parts allow for a thick texture when required. "The Wounded Heart" Norwegian: Hjertesår. German: Herzwunden. Vinje's words, from Grieg's Op. 33 No. 3, relate that wounds have been suffered by the heart in the struggles of life, but it has survived; faith is not destroyed. The music is in G major. There are two verses: in both the melody is played by the first violins. The orchestration of the second verse is more developed, starting with the violins, in four parts, in high register; the rest of the strings gradually join in during the verse, until a thick texture is heard from the full string orchestra towards the end. {\set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \key g \major \tempo "Andante" b'4( g'8 b'8) e4( d8 cis8) d4( a'8 b'8) c4.( d8) b'2. g'8-- a'8-- b'4( d2 cis4) c''4( a'8 c8) f4( e8 dis8) e''4( b'8 c8) d4.( e8) c2. b'8-- a'8-- b'4( g'4)( g'4.) r8} The beginning of the melody of "The Last Spring", played by the 1st violins ==References==