Grieg Holberg Suite
From Holberg’s Time, or more simply the Holberg Suite, was composed by Grieg in 1884 originally for solo piano. The occasion of its composition was the 200th anniversary of the major Norwegian literary figure Ludvig Holberg’s birth. In addition to sharing a nationality, both Grieg and Holberg hailed from the town of Bergen where the bicentennial celebrations were to be held. Grieg’s task was to compose music to accompany the unveiling of a new statue of Holberg, and chose to write music imitating that of Holberg’s own time. Holberg lived from 1684 - 1754, which coincides quite closely with the lifetime of J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750). Grieg arranged his composition as a Baroque dance suite, as composers like Bach and Handel did with their instrumental works, which resulted in a sequence of five dance forms popular in Holberg’s time. This setup served Grieg very well as he was a talented miniaturist, excelling in character pieces and songs as well as large scale works.
Bach Concerto for 2 Violins
Though the exact origins of Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins is not known, it is supposed that he composed it around 1730 while serving as cantor of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. It was during this time that Bach also served as director of the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig, which hosted weekly concerts at Zimmerman’s Coffee House. The concerts of the Collegium Musicum were Bach’s opportunity to compose non-liturgical works, and it is likely thanks to these weekly programs that he created his Concerto for Two Violins, as well as many of his other concertos. The Concerto as a musical genre in which a soloist or multiple soloists perform in front of an orchestra was a concept especially popular in Italy, and explored to its fullest by Vivaldi, a composer whom Bach admired and whose works he often transcribed for keyboard. This concerto betrays Vivaldi’s influence particularly in its outer movements, though Bach’s identity is clearly felt throughout the intricate counterpoint in all three movements.
Dvorak String Serenade
Dvorak wrote two ensemble works which he titled Serenade, one for winds in D Minor, and this one for strings in E Major. Composed in 1875 over the span of just a few weeks, the music is cast in 5 thematically linked movements, each maintaining a strong character in its own right, and is permeated by serenity and pastoral feelings from the beginning. In fact, each of the five movements is written in a major key with the slight exception of the Finale, which begins in F# Minor before a triumphant return to E Major. When Dvorak composed this Serenade he was already beginning to enjoy success as a composer at least in his home country of Czechia, and the success of this work at its premier in Prague further solidified his growing reputation, perhaps helping him secure more engagements further afield in the European music world.