Edvard Grieg
Scenes of Country Life
Op. 19

About Edvard Grieg's Scenes of Country Life

The three Scenes of Country Life, subtitled "Humoresques for piano" presents all the elements of folk music, but in a stylized manner, without actually referencing any authentic folk melodies. When Édouard Lalo used the opening melody of Mountain Dance in his "Rapsodie norvégienne" he probably thought it was a traditional tune, while Grieg, in one of his letters, described it as theft.

Bridal Procession has always been one of Grieg's most popular piano pieces. It was issued in a separate edition, and soon there were many publications of different arrangements for many instruments and ensembles.
The third piece, From the Carnival, is a sort of synthesis or summary of the first two, and features a rare mix of Latin and Norwegian elements - according to Grieg it was partly inspired by the carnival in Rome.

Grieg himself often played these quite technically demanding works in concert.