Norwegian Military Music and Edvard Grieg – an approach

Since both Edvard Grieg’s 175th birthday and Norwegian military music’s 200th anniversary are celebrated in 2018, a first look at compositions by Grieg for military music was in order. As one of Norway’s most popular and beloved composers, his works made it into the different repertoires, despite not being known for military compositions; instead his popular pieces were adapted. Military music bands in Halden, Oslo, Kristiansand, Bergen, Trondheim and Harstad played arrangements of his compositions. Today the archive inventory catalogues at the Forsvarsmuseum in Oslo present a wide range of Grieg arrangements from different decades and Norwegian military music bands. Arrangements of Grieg’s Landkjending, Sigurd Jorsalfar, Olav Trygvason, the F-dur Sonate or Bergliot are natural parts of the Norwegian military music’s repertoire. Several conductors, as for example Ole Olsen and Oscar Borg, promoted Norwegian compositions as a way to strengthen Norwegian national identity. The questions the archive catalogues are to provide information about are, which bands played what, what are the similarities or differences, and perhaps even when were the compositions included into the respective repertoires, and whether they have a national agenda.