In the Hall of the Mountain King Beginning Music Theory Lynne Wagner 12/9/2010
Edvard Grieg was asked to create music for Norwegian playwright Henrick Ibsen¶s play Peer Gynt, which premiered on February 24, 1876. The original score was not published until 1908, one year after Grieg¶s death, and contained 26 movements. After the score was released, the music was organized into t wo four-movement suites: Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Suite No. 2, Op. 55. The first four-movement suite includes Morning Mood, Aase¶s Death, Anitra¶s Dance, and In the Hall of the Mountain King ; the second suite includes Abduction of the Bride, Arabian Dance, Peer Gynt¶s Homecoming, and Solveigh¶s Song . Although the music premiered over 130 years ago, In the Hall of the Mountain King is an iconic song that is easily recognizable since it is used in numerous ad ca mpaigns, soundtracks, and as a standard piece in orchestras. While the full run time of In the Hall of the Mountain King is under 3 minutes long, the score is extensive and requires a large number of instruments. The Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, used the full host of instruments for their recording of this classical recording. Instruments included piccolos, flutes, oboes, clarinets, timpani, trombones, a tuba, French horns, violins, violas, cellos, bassoons, trumpets, bass dru m, cymbals, triangle, and bass; vocals are also included, but are not until almost 2 minutes into the song. Released on November 30, 2006, it was advertised on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and eMusic under The Best of Grieg . Another unique style point about the instrumentation in this song is that two parts were written for the specific key of E, a trumpet part and a French horn part. The song is written in B minor, although the clarinets¶ part is written as slightly different to signify Peer Gynt sneaking into the castle. The time signature is classis 4/4 time and the tempo begins at a steady pace of 138, but increases throughout the song. While classical songs traditionally ³tell´ a musical story, not many composers are given the story and asked to create music around it.
Grieg was able to transform the fairy tale of Peer G ynt into timeless music that allows the listeners to picture the song with a four bar chorus that can now be heard commercially in hundreds of commercials, movies, and sitcoms. This song also continues to be a favorite of numerous philharmonic and symphonic orchestras, although many orchestral performances choose to omit the vocal portion of In the Hall of the Mountain King. The song begins in unison, with Peer Gynt¶s footsteps slowly creeping into the room. More instruments and layered chords of the same chorus create the echo of his footsteps deeper in the room, gradually increasing in speed, intensity, and volume as he is spotted and runs. The crashes of the cymbals create more drama as Peer Gynt runs for his life. The vocals and cymbals are forceful and dramatic, creating a dark environment. The lyrics, translated, call out for Peer Gynt¶s death. Slay him! The Christian's son has bewitched The Mountain King's fairest daughter! Slay him! Slay him! May I hack him on the fingers? May I tug him by the hair? Hu, hey, let me bite him in the haunches! Shall he be boiled into broth and brought to me? Shall he roast on a spit or be browned in a stew pan? Ice to your blood, friends!
The vocal chorus is only sung once and full voice, over the now-loud and overly dramatic orchestra. The last few lines of the lyrics are actually done as a call-out-and-answer style with
the orchestral music ³answering´ the questions put forth by the singers. A new dramatic part, complemented by the flutes leading Peer Gynt out of the hall, signifies the trolls chase and search until Peer Gynt is finally able to escape. The roll of the drums at the end of the song is significant because the mountain tumbles and crushes the trolls chasing Peer Gynt. The brief overview and analysis of the song seems almost insignificant when compared to the success and popularity of a tune that has captured the hearts and love of people all over the world for over 130 years. Pop culture has seen this song in some of the most popularized television shows and movies over the past twenty years alone. It is important to note that this music has not only been relegated to accompany shows and movies, but has also been used as dramatic mood music for video games, accompaniment for thrill rides at amusement parks, and has been used in numerous advertising campaigns for Burger King, Windows, and Nab isco. Although Edvard Grieg could not have imagined the scope of his music¶s popularity, he was able to create the pop ³hook´ before it was even known to exist. ³I am sure my music has a taste of codfish in it,´ he was once quoted as saying, since he lived near the ocean. Even then, he was able to make light of the success he was fortunate enough to see before his death.
References Grieg, In the Hall of the Mountain King. ASV Records, Best of Grieg. Released November 30, 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrIYT-MrVaI.
