Composers / Edvard Grieg / Places catalog

Griegs’ Townhouse

The fine white house where the British consul Alexander Grieg lived with his wife Gesine Judith Hagerup and their children stood in the heart of the thriving city of Bergen, at 152 Strandgaten. It was there, on 15 June 1843, that their fourth child, Edvard, was born. The future composer of the music to Peer Gynt enjoyed a very happy childhood on Strandgaten. In his autobiographic article ‘My First Success’, he described how his dream had been to become a pastor, and he often imagined himself delivering sermons to a congregation. Many times, he prepared funeral speeches for dead cats and birds. In this house, at the age of five, he began learning piano with his mother and conducted his first experiments in sound. ‘Why not begin by recalling the mystical satisfaction of extending my arms over the piano and producing the interval of a fourth. Not a melody – that was too much to expect! No, it had to be a chord. First a third, next a fifth, then a seventh. And finally, with the help of both hands – O joy! A ninth. I had found a dominant ninth chord. When I discovered that, my delight knew no bounds. It was a success! From then on, nothing could intoxicate me like that. I was five years old at the time.’

Today, that house no longer exists; it was destroyed in the explosion of a Dutch ship carrying ammunition on Vågen on 20 April 1944. The new building on this site has the number 208 and a plaque commemorating Grieg’s birthplace.

Place Category
100 Via Sistina
Flats
2 Øvre Voldgate Flats
Amsterdam
Antico Caffè Greco
Coffeehouses
Avenue to the Grieg Museum Education, Other
A Walk around Grieg’s Villa Flats
Bergen Public Library Other
Berlin Appearances
Brussels Appearances
Church of St John Churches / Places of worship
Church of St Mary Churches / Places of worship
Church of St Thomas Churches / Places of worship
Composer’s Atelier Flats
Den Nationale Scene Appearances
Eremitagen in Jægersborg Manors / Palaces / Castles
Fish Market
Fredensborg Castle Manors / Palaces / Castles
Frederiksborg slott Manors / Palaces / Castles
Geneva Appearances
German Quay Other
Gewandhaus Appearances
Grand Café Coffeehouses
Grand Casino Hall Appearances
Grieghallen Appearances
Grieg Museum Other
Griegs’ Townhouse Flats
Hals Brothers’ Concert Hall Appearances
Hans Tank Secondary School Education
Haukeland Flats
Helsinge in Gribskov Other
Helsingör Manors / Palaces / Castles
Hotel Cecil Hotels / Inns
Hotel Westminster Hotels / Inns
Humlebæk Other
Kalfaret Churches / Places of worship
Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) Hotels / Inns
Lago Maggiore Other
Lake Gurre Other
Landås Court Flats
Leipzig Conservatory Education
Leipzig Opera Other
Leipzig Train Station Other
Lodge Education
London Other
Mendelssohn House Other
Missionary House Appearances
Mothsgaard/Søllerød Kro
Flats
National Theatre Appearances
Odd Fellows Palace Manors / Palaces / Castles
Old (Gamle) Bergen Museum of Architecture Flats
Old Town with the Old Town Hall (Leipzig) Other
Paris Other
Peters Edition Publishers / Bookshops
Piazza Barberini Other
Piazza del Popolo Churches / Places of worship, Other
Pincio Other
Prague Other
Royal Conservatory of Music Education
Royal Theatre Appearances
Rungstedlund Flats
Sanatorium on Voksenkollen Hotels / Inns
Scandinavian Society Other
Sorrento Hotels / Inns
Spanish Steps Other
Stockholm Other
The Grave of Edvard and Nina Cemeteries
The Wet Dock Other
Tivoli Other
Troll Hall (Troldsalen) Appearances
Vienna Other
Villa Medici Other
Villefranche-sur-Mer Other
Warsaw Appearances, Other
Wilhelm Hansen Edition Publishers / Bookshops