Great piece. Not as difficult as it might at first appear. I played it for an exam nearly 40 years ago but can no longer remember whether it was Grade 6 or Grade 8. (early signs of senility perhaps?)

Einar Steen-Nokleberg and Hakon Austbo have also made very nice recdordings with an authentic Norwegian feel.

I can never work out the right tempo, because I've heard it played at all sorts of speeds. My general feeling is many players take it too fast - Andsnes is supposed to be an expert on Grieg (I have his Lyric Pieces), but to me he plays it too fast.

Just about any speed would be good at the moment, Fred! - Especially for bars 50 onward!

Mole

After some serious practice, it's beginning to come together to the point that I'm thinking more about final tempo. Andsnes plays at about crotchet=130~135. This does seem a little fast and the wonderful LH argegios at bars 49-56 seem rather lost at that tempo (even though he slows to about 128 for that section). I'm thinking that I don't want to take it much above crotchet=100 throughout the tempo di marcia but I think this might be too slow for bars 31-41 to hold together.

I doubt that I could get bars 49-56 up to c=130 (and clean) even if I wanted to, but I'm prepared to live with that (as, after the 'poco rit', I'm sure I could get away with not coming fully back 'a tempo' - indeed as these bars are busier than the opening section, it might sound faster to the listener if played at the exact same tempo?)

So what tempi do people typically play the marcia at?

Mole

PS I really am enjoying learning this

Why was this so popular, out of interest? I'm not criticising anyone at all for liking it I don't understand why it was all the rage (having read through the whole discussion). I've never played any of these, I'm tempted to have a go now!

Well for starters it is by Grieg, and most of what he wrote for the piano is marvellous (though it may take a while to get into the style if it is new to you). I reckon that many of his other pieces are actually much finer music than WDAT. I suspect that it is popular because it has been set as an exam piece in the past.

I've only just spotted this thread, so apologies if everybody is tired with it. It was one of my mother's favourite pieces (WDAT) and she played it far better than I have ever been able to. However I am also an organist, and on Saturday last I played it at a wedding as the bride entered the church. She had heard it somewhere and, when I said I had the music, she was over-joyed!

I cant really visualise it being played on the organ, the music is so pianistic.
Going back to tempo for the alla marcia. I reckon 112-116 is OK.

Who knows? Must find out! I am going to try it on my P80 tonight on one of the organ settings. I think church organ is most likely to sound OK.

I first came across WDAT at the age of 16 when a friend asked me to play it at her wedding ..


... on the organ.

Have you heard Richter's recording? Much slower than Andsnes' - I find bits of it rather weird.

I think I prefer it to Andsnes (works out at about c=120).

I presume the weird bit is bars 31-41? Seems to me that's what Grieg wrote? In most performances (including Grieg's own, as far as I can tell), the RH seems to become the main beat instead of the off-beat? Hmm.

Yes thats about the right speed from Richter.
You do have to concentrate to stop the RH becoming the main beat in that section you mention, but it comes with practice.

Necromancy isn't dead

Pletnev plays it quite slowly, this version seems to be the one most often played on the radio, and possibly my favourite. Though there are many less well known pieces by Grieg which I prefer, it's still a really upbeat one, and as yet have'nt made a serious attempt at learning it.

Well the opening and lyrical section sounded fine on Church organ (but awful on pipe organ and rock organ). But the sections with alternating semiquavers didn't work for me on anything but a piano. Perhaps a real organist can explain ow it is done.

As for tempo. Has anyone tried marching at 110, 120 or faster? It is more like a jog. I know everyone plays it very fast but to me something round about 100 feels more like a marching tempo (and sounds good for this piece)

It's a while since I've organ-ed it - but I think I found the same and probably o-m-i-t was the answer.

Thanks MT. I agree that 100 sounds good (although bars 49-56 are still more akin to Funeral March at Troldhaugen at the moment )

*goes off to practice*

Mole