In the Hall of the Mountain King

Learn this piece

Composer

Edvard Grieg

Arrangement

Edvard Grieg

Level

Advanced

Key

B minor

Metre

4/4

Tempo

138 BPM

Length

88 bars, about 2 minutes

Hands

both

Trains

Grieg's own piano version of the trolls' march in B minor: the theme creeps up from the bass in short, detached eighth notes, pianissimo, and comes back again and again, climbing and growing (it starts over, pianissimo, at bar 18); Più vivo (quarter = 154) from bar 50 and sempre stretto from bar 58 drive it to full chords in both hands.

How to practise it

• In bars 2-9 the theme starts low, on B1, pp and staccato in both hands. Keep every note short and quiet, and loop them at 90 BPM first.
• From bar 26 your left hand adds a quick three-note figure on beats 2 and 4. Practise the left hand alone in bars 26-29 until it stays light under the theme.
• From bar 50 the tempo rises and both hands play ff. Loop bars 50-53 at 100 BPM, with the left hand's octave and three falling eighths steady under the theme.
• In bars 74-75 three quick grace notes lead to each right-hand chord. Play them as one light sweep into the chord on beat 2, sfz, together with the left hand's chord.

Where this score came from

Licence: Public domain

https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1888

Credit: Typeset by Coyau for the Mutopia Project (Mutopia-2013/12/07-1888) from The University Society edition of 1918, and placed in the public domain by the typesetter.

Limitations: written pedal is not played

Other versions

• In the Hall of the Mountain King (theme, arranged for beginners) Beginner

More at this level

• La Candeur (25 Etudes faciles, Op. 100, No. 1) Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller
• Ballade (25 Etudes faciles, Op. 100, No. 15) Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller
• l'Arabesque (25 Etudes faciles, Op. 100, No. 2) Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller
• Prelude in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20 Frédéric Chopin
• Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4 ("Largo") Frédéric Chopin