I'm thinking I may have used the wrong title. Why would it be called "two" melodies when it is clearly just one?
Anyway--I just love the melody. Pure 19th century Nordic romanticism. When I was 16, I was in a choir that sang this tune to words written by someone other than Grieg. It was perhaps the only number that choir did well.
Anyone here know the real story about this melody? I would certainly like to get it right after all these years. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Source: Complete list of Griegs works at the Grieg Museum Troldhaugen (in norwegian). It is Op34, so scroll down a bit.
I discover the mp3 file I was using was recorded by the Stockholm Philharmonic (which explains the Swedish spelling). The word Våren is included in parenthesis so I assumed it was not part of the name but some Nordic musical notation.
I also remember the choral version I learned was called "The Last Spring" but since I always assume such texts are either bad translations or written by someone other than the composer, it was not useful information.
I find this sort of confusion quite embarrassing. My grandfather who immigrated from Sweden was fluent in four languages (Swedish, Polish, German, English). He had four years of formal education. I, with a university degree, can barely navigate in one language.
But what is not in question is that Grieg's little tune is so beautiful it can make grown men weep.
Thanks again. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Polish? That is impressive. German and English are fairly easy for a swede, being germanic languages and all. But polish, yeah that is impressive.
What is true is that his language skills were first used in union organizing activities and later in Minnesota to help organize agricultural coops. I never found out if could ever write in Polish, but he could whip a crowd into a political frenzy in Polish. That may not fit the classic definition of "fluent" but it is close enough for me. His neighbor claimed he had a noticeable Swedish accent when he spoke Polish but that no one had trouble understanding him. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
