Edvard Grieg Alexander Greig, travelled widely, settling in Norway about 1770, and establishing business interests in Bergen. Edvard Grieg was raised in a musical family. His mother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play at the age of six. Grieg studied in several schools, including Tanks Upper Secondary School. In the summer of 1858, Grieg met the eminent Norwegian violinist Ole Bull, who was a family friend; Bull's brother was married to Grieg's aunt. Bull recognized the 15-year-old boy's talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory, the piano department of which was directed by
Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song "Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song" in G minor, Op. 24, is a large scale work for piano by Edvard Grieg. It is in the form of theme and variations, the theme being the Norwegian folk song "Mountain Song". A performance usually lasts around 20 minutes. The "Ballade" was one of the works played by Percy Grainger at his 1901 London debut at Steinway Hall. This was four years before he met Grieg, who was to become Grainger's greatest champion. The Norwegian composer Geirr