Complete Songs, Vol. 2: Opp. 58-70 and EG 121-157: Voice & Piano

This volume collects some of Grieg's most rewarding repertoire for the voice studio and recital hall, with the Edition Peters text offering clear, reliable scores that preserve his sometimes intricate piano writing. The variety across these opus numbers lets teachers build a coherent recital program or sequence vocal studies that deepen understanding of text setting, harmonic color, and the relationship between singer and accompanist.

These songs live in intimate emotional territory, sometimes introspective and tender, sometimes stormy and dramatic, often shifting between moods within a single setting. Grieg's harmonic language feels both lush and slightly unexpected, with chord progressions that linger just long enough to create a sense of longing or wonder. The best of them feel less like formal recital pieces and more like private revelations between singer and listener.

Advanced high school singers, college voice majors, and experienced amateur singers ready to engage with art song at a sophisticated level. Teachers building European lied curricula will find this an invaluable resource for studying how composers beyond Schubert and Schumann approached the form.

• Study the piano part first as an independent composition. Grieg writes idiomatically for the instrument, and understanding his harmonic language and figurations will clarify the vocal line.
• Pay close attention to dynamic markings within individual phrases rather than treating entire stanzas at one volume. His subtlety often lives in the small shifts between beats.
• Coordinate breathing patterns with the piano's phrasing; many of these songs ask for legit singing over accompanimental patterns that breathe at different moments than you might expect.

Use this collection to program all-Grieg recitals or to thread individual songs through seasons featuring Scandinavian composers alongside German and French repertoire. It also serves as a teaching text for intermediate voice students moving beyond simpler art songs into works that require genuine interpretive maturity.

• Interpreting Romantic harmonic language and non-diatonic chord progressions
• Coordinating complex rhythmic figures between voice and piano
• Sustaining legit tone across wide dynamic range and multiple stanzas
• Shaping lyric phrases according to textual meaning rather than symmetric melodic structure
• Reading and responding to sophisticated accompanimental textures