Lyric Pieces (Norwegian: Lyriske stykker) is a collection of 66 small to medium sized pieces for solo piano written by Edvard Grieg. They were published across 10 volumes, from 1867 (op. 12) to 1901 (op. 71). The collection includes several of his best known pieces, such as Wedding Day At Troldhaugen (Bryllupsdag På Troldhaugen), To the Spring (Til våren), March of the Trolls, and Butterfly (Sommerfugl", "Smetterling"). The theme of the first piece in the set, Arietta, was one of the composer's favorite melodies. He was so fond of it that he used it to complete the cycle in his very last lyric piece, Remembrances (Efterklang) — this time in waltz form. In 2002, Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes recorded a CD with 24 of the lyric pieces on Grieg's own 1892 Steinway grand piano at Troldhaugen, the composer's residence. Among other notable pianists to make recordings of the collection are Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, and Håkon Austbø. A few recordings and piano rolls of Grieg himself performing also exist, and they have been published by the Norwegian record label Simax.
Complete Listing
Op. 12:
- No. 1, Arietta
- No. 2, Waltz
- No. 3, Watchman's Song (from Macbeth)
- No. 4, Elves' Dance
- No. 5, Popular Melody
- No. 6, Norwegian Melody
- No. 7, Album Leaf
- No. 8, National Song
Op. 38:
- No. 1, Berceuse
- No. 2, Popular Melody
- No. 3, Melody
- No. 4, Halling
- No. 5, Spring Dance
- No. 6, Elegy
- No. 7, Waltz
- No. 8, Canon
Op. 43:
- No. 1, Butterfly
- No. 2, Solitary Traveller
- No. 3, In My Native Country
- No. 4, Little Bird
- No. 5, Erotikon
- No. 6, To the Spring
Op. 47:
- No. 1, Valse Impromptu
- No. 2, Album Leaf
- No. 3, Melody
- No. 4, Halling
- No. 5, Melancholy
- No. 6, Spring Dance
- No. 7, Elegy
Op. 54:
- No. 1, Shepherd's Boy
- No. 2, Norwegian March
- No. 3, March of the Trolls
- No. 4, Notturno
- No. 5, Scherzo
- No. 6, Bell Ringing
Op. 57:
- No. 1, Vanished Days
- No. 2, Gade
- No. 3, Illusion
- No. 4, Secret
- No. 5, She Dances
- No. 6, Home Sickness
Op. 62:
- No. 1, Sylph
- No. 2, Gratitude
- No. 3, French Serenade
- No. 4, Brooklet
- No. 5, Phantom
- No. 6, Homeward
Op. 65:
- No. 1, From Early Years
- No. 2, Peasant's Song
- No. 3, Melancholy
- No. 4, Salon
- No. 5, Ballad
- No. 6, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
Op. 68:
- No. 1, Sailor's Song
- No. 2, Grandmother's Minuet
- No. 3, At Your Feet
- No. 4, Evening in the Mountains
- No. 5, Cradle Song
- No. 6, Melancholy Waltz
Op. 71:
- No. 1, Once Upon a Time
- No. 2, Summer Evening
- No. 3, Puck
- No. 4, Peace of the Woods
- No. 5, Halling
- No. 6, Gone
- No. 7, Remembrances
