Edvard Grieg - Clapham Common North Side, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 27.695 W 000° 08.931
30U E 698054 N 5705012
This English Heritage blue plaque indicates that the composer, Edvard Grieg, "stayed here when performing in London". The plaque is attached to a building on the north side of Clapham Common North Side at the junction with Cedars Road.
Waymark Code: WMXNHB
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/03/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member bluesnote
Views: 0

The wording on the English Heritage blue plaque reads:

English Heritage

Edvard
Grieg
1843 - 1907
Norwegian Composer
stayed here
when performing
in London

The English Heritage website has an article about Grieg and the plaque:

The Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg was extremely popular in London at the end of the 19th century. He performed in the capital several times, basing himself beside Clapham Common.

‘CHOPIN OF THE NORTH’

Born in Bergen, Grieg established his reputation as the leading Norwegian composer of his day with works such as his Piano Concerto in A Minor (1868) and the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt (1874−5). His work was often based on the melodies and rhythms of Norwegian folk songs. By the end of his career, he was known as the ‘Chopin of the North’.

LONDON CONCERTS

In the 1880s and 1890s Grieg was in great demand among English audiences as both conductor and performer, making his first public appearance in London at the Philharmonic Society Concert at St James’s Hall in May 1888. His concerts were usually sold out. Audiences included royalty and members of the aristocracy: the Prince and Princess of Wales attended two of his recitals in 1889, he gave a recital for Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle in 1897, and in 1906 Grieg and his wife – the singer Nina Hagerup (1845–1935) – performed informally for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace.

‘HOME FROM HOME’

During their visits to London, Grieg and his wife stayed at the home of Grieg’s publisher, George Augener (1830−1915), at 47 Clapham Common North Side (formerly 5 The Cedars). Part of two matching blocks of enormous houses in the French Renaissance style that flank the entrance to Cedars Road, it was built in 1860 to designs by James Thomas Knowles junior. The Norwegian flag is said to have been flown outside when the composer was in residence.

At his Clapham ‘home from home’ he could rehearse for his many concerts and recitals, relax between engagements, and entertain visitors such as Sir George Grove, compiler of the famous dictionary of music. Grieg also loved travelling by tram from Clapham into the West End and the City.

In spring 1889, a journalist from the Pall Mall Gazette interviewed Grieg at his Clapham base, finding the composer and his wife living ‘in peaceful retirement between the intervals of their triumphs at the St James’s Hall’. In all, his stays at North Side amounted to just under five months in total. He gave his last performance in London in 1906 at Buckingham Palace.

At the time of his death in Bergen, Norway, in 1907, Grieg was an international celebrity and was given the state funeral of a national hero.

Blue Plaque managing agency: English Heritage

Individual Recognized: Edvard Grieg

Physical Address:
47 Clapham Common North Side
London, United Kingdom


Web Address: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To log an entry for a "Blue Plaque," please try to include a picture of you next to the plaque!
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Blue Plaques
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet.