Norwegian Dance No. 2: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Michael Story's arrangement keeps the lyric beauty of Grieg's original intact while building in genuine orchestral engagement across your full ensemble. The pizzicato accompaniment under the first violin melody creates a teaching moment that feels musical rather than mechanical, and the meter work arrives naturally through the score's phrasing rather than as an isolated exercise.

Norwegian Dance No. 2 unfolds with gentle lyricism and folk-like warmth. The pizzicato strings create a rhythmic shimmer beneath singing violin lines, evoking the character of traditional Nordic dance music while maintaining the elegance Grieg brought to concert hall composition.

Intermediate orchestras ready to explore Romantic-era masterworks without overreaching technically. This works equally well for string orchestras or full ensembles, making it flexible for diverse program needs.

• Establish the pizzicato rhythm in the accompaniment voices before adding the first violin melody; this foundation keeps the delicate opening from sounding tentative.
• Shape the dynamic swells in the melody with intention. Grieg's scoring asks for restraint, but the phrasing still requires forward motion through the longer lines.
• Balance the string sections carefully so the inner voices don't disappear. At grade 2.5, many students play at the same volume regardless of harmonic function.

Pair this with other Romantic-era orchestral works to build a concert around 19th-century musical nationalism, or program it as a contrasting lighter moment between weightier contemporary pieces. At just over two minutes, it fits neatly into festivals and showcases without consuming significant rehearsal time.

• Meter awareness through natural phrasing rather than drill
• Pizzicato ensemble accuracy and rhythmic precision
• Balance and blend with independent melodic and accompaniment lines
• Dynamic shaping within a lyrical, lyric framework
• Reading and responding to Romantic-era articulation and expressive markings