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Romantic · character piece

Lualåt (The Mountaineer’s Song), Op. 73 No. 7

Edvard Grieg · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A Tyin memory inside Grieg’s final piano-piece opus. Lualåt (The Mountaineer’s Song), Op. 73 No. 7 is a character piece by Edvard Grieg from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • character piece
  • Romantic
  • gentle
  • melancholic
  • voicing

Also known as Lualåt (The Mountaineer's Song).

History

Lualåt carried an earlier subtitle evoking a summer memory from Tyin, addressed to Frants, with Christmas Eve 1901 in its wording. The inscription is reported by the source, not independently authenticated here as a composition day or formal dedication. The Op. 73 collection was completed in 1905 and published that autumn. Near that year's end, Fridtjof Backer-Grøndahl performed three of its pieces in Kristiania, including this seventh piece.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. The lower voices set the scene

    The melody waits for two full bars while the lower texture begins. Listen for the broad pulse and keep this introduction quiet; these bars are not empty playback.

  2. The song enters with a wide gesture

    The melody rises by an octave, adds a small grace-note turn and then settles downward. Let the longer line sing above the accompaniment rather than giving every note equal weight.

  3. The melody becomes more flowing

    The same contour expands into shorter notes. Connect the rise and fall while keeping the broad pulse audible underneath; the longer final note provides a place to settle.

  4. Chromatic colour changes the answer

    A chromatic descent changes the colour before the phrase lands on a sustained note. Keep the line connected through the altered notes and listen to the held bass underneath.

How to practise it

Keep the two lower voices distinct before the melody appears.

  1. Practise the two lower voices alone, sustaining D while the other line changes.
  2. Practise the melody entry after counting its two silent bars.
  3. Connect the stated opening gestures at a comfortable tempo, keeping their distinct releases.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The proposed intermediate target prioritizes singing continuity and differentiated balance through the complete acquired piece, not merely sustaining a restrained character at a slow practice speed.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Edvard Grieg, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
Small scenes, big imagination
Licence
Public Domain
Source
mutopiaproject.org

More by Edvard Grieg

  1. Arietta, Lyric Pieces Op. 12 No. 1Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65 No. 6Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Troldtog (March of the Dwarfs)Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Keep the two lower voices distinct before the melody appears.

Practise it in PlayPiano