ABSTRACT
Edvard Grieg was a boy of fifteen when he arrived in Leipzig in October 1858, homesick and with scant knowledge of German. He was seriously ill with tuberculosis at one point, losing the use of one of his lungs entirely, which permanently affected his health and eventually shortened his life. Grieg felt that he should return to Norway to put into practice his ideas for creating a thoroughly Norwegian musical culture. He decided that the capital Christiania would be the place to start. While in Christiania, he did succeed in accomplishing one of his significant goals – the planning and founding of the Musical Society. Early in 1880, Grieg arranged and promoted four chamber music concerts in Christiania, which were great artistic and financial successes. Edvard having recovered sufficiently by the fall, the Griegs again went to Christiania, Copenhagen, and Leipzig, to present a familiar series of concerts that were, as always, popular and well received.
