This month, Clef
Notes has been looking at composer love stories throughout history. Let’s wrap
things up by mentioning Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, who fell in love with
his first cousin while working in Copenhagen.
Nina Hagerup was a
talented singer who grew up with Grieg in Norway but later moved with her
family to Denmark. The couple fell in love and married in 1867. Nina became Grieg’s
preferred interpreter of his songs, and the inspiration behind some of his
music. The pair often performed together and the public loved them! Listen here
to a song cycle, Grieg’s Haugtussa, op.67, written for his wife.
What other famous
love stories can you think of from music history?
