Romantic · 1868
Piano Concerto in A minor — opening
E. GriegOp. 16
- Key
- Am
- Time
- C
- Tempo
- ♩=96
- AO focus
- AO3
Incipit
Form
Allegro molto moderato — sonata form. Famous opening: timpani roll into a stormy descending piano cascade in A minor. Grieg's only piano concerto and a Romantic-era staple.
Teaching points
- Iconic opening — descending piano cascade outlines A minor chord. Universally recognised
- Folk-influenced themes — the second subject draws on Norwegian melodic shapes (Grieg's life-long project)
- AO3: Grieg as nationalist composer — Norwegian voice within Austro-German symphonic conventions
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (Peters + Bärenreiter urtext, all public domain).