OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12903, 7 September 1907, Page 9

OBITUARY.

A GREAT COMPOSER

United Press Association—By Electric XelegTaph-^Copyright. LONDON, September 6. The sudden death of Edward Hagerup Grieg, til© famous composer, is announced.

rru £ , was born at Bergen in 1843. 1 hough his family was of Scottish origin, Urieg was tho foremost and most typical representative of Scandinavian ™ ue . lc -. R e studied at Leipsic, where h« fell under the influence of the Mendelssohn, and Schumann school. Ho also studied at Copenhagen, and then, with another young composer ' named Nordraak made a crusodo in favour of national music. The greater part of his life was spent at Bergen. Hβ visited England several times, and Cambridge conferred the degree of Mus. D. on him. His works include a large number of songs, pianoforte solos, three violin sonatas, a string quartet, a 'collo sonata, a suite for stringed orchestra, a pianoforte concerto, and several works for chorus and orchestra, with or without solos. His best-known work is probably tho suites from the incidental music to Ibsen's "Peer Gynt." ''Grieg has enshrined the characteristics of Scandinavian music in works of undying beauty." cays ft critic. " though for the most part of somewhat, small calibre. In tho use of these elements he depart* very far from the recognised rules of form, and he has always succeeded best in the class of compositions where such departure is most readily excused. His songs may bo said to be always tho more spontaneous the more closely they conform to tho simple model" of the volkslied y the pianoforte concerto is brilliant and spontaneous, and the first and second of his violin sonatas are perennially agreeable, so free end nrtless is the flow of their melody."

Mr Frank Worth, one of the counter clerks in the Wellington Telegraph Office, died on Wednesday. Ho had been in the Post and Tolocraph Ik>partment for about twenty years. The cause of death was apoplexy superTening on influenza.