Holberg Suite
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Holberg Suite, Op.40 more properly "From Holberg's Time" (German: Aus Holbergs Zeit, Norwegian: Fra Holbergs tid), is a suite of five movements based on eighteenth century dance forms, written by Edvard Grieg in 1884 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Danish-Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg.
It is an example of a piece of nineteenth century music which makes use of musical styles and forms from the preceding century. It can be compared with Franz Liszt's À la Chapelle Sixtine (1862) and contrasted with later neoclassical works.
This suite is not as famous as the incidental music from Peer Gynt, which is usually performed as arranged in a pair of suites itself, but many critics see them as equal.[citation needed]
The movements of the suite are:
- Praeludium
- Sarabande
- Gavotte
- Air (Andante religioso)
- Rigaudon
Though originally composed for the piano, the version most well known today is the arrangement by the composer for string orchestra.
