Peer Gynt - between Grieg and Ibsen Quiz

Answer: Peer Gynt

Peer Gynt's character is immediately put to work. In Act 1 the character was exposed as somewhat a dreamer, who was always at his tall tales. Ingrid was the bride-to-be at a wedding in Hegstad, but, having second thoughts, she'd locked herself away. Gynt was persuaded to talk her out, and then accused of running off with her.

Answer: A three-headed troll

After learning that these three girls had lost their lovers, each to his various distractions, Gynt gladly rises to play his part as a three-headed troll who could handle the girls.

Answer: son of Christians

The number, scored for full orchestra with muted brass blaring, winds up sounding more like a Viking chant than anything else. In Norwegian, the text comes across as bloodthirsty: "Slagt ham! Kristenmans Sön har daaret Dovregubens veneste Mö!"

The Mountain King himself, however, proves to be a much more reasonable character. He offers Peer Gynt a few tests to see if he's ready to live among the mountain trolls. Gynt passes all these tests but one - having his eyesight limited is not something he planned on putting up with.

Answer: "Myself" ("Mig selv")

The answer here is a telling one. The theme of the remainder of the play is how any one character can be no more than himself. The Mountain King had said: "Among you humans you have a saying - man, be thyself..." And later when Peer meets an old German in Egypt, he states that the Boyg, too, is, "himself."

Answer: Death

The number is heard twice in the play, once as the overture to the third act, and once as the accompanying music to the scene, behind the curtain.

Answer: True

Years have gone by in Peer Gynt's life, and as Act 4 opens he is on a ship heading across the Atlantic with three other men, telling them how he rose to financial success as a tradesman (selling slaves in America and idols in China). While in the suite and most public performances and recordings since, the music is seen as a tranquil and perfect setting to getting up in the morning, when placed in the context of the play it is made darker and deeper (which is not to say it is any less beautiful).

Answer: False

The number is scored for full orchestra, with the chorus of young girls headed by Anitra. The girls sing in the play, but not in the suite. Interestingly, the Norwegian text, when set to music, is made to sound almost "Arabic", thanks to a remarkably skilled composer.

I should clarify that Peer does have one singing number only a bit later, titled "Peer Gynt's Serenade", which he sings to Anitra.

Answer: Grieg set the song for voice and piano, and it became one of the best known among his art songs

It is set as a lullaby. In the play Solveig is singing to Peer Gynt out in the distance: "Winter may pass by... summer may come and the year could end... you will come back to me... that much I know..." It works well as a lullaby (certainly in Norwegian).

Answer: Whitsun

With the celebration of Whitsun, Ibsen is reminding the audience that the Christian feasts are still basically agricultural holidays, and are meant to serve practical and philosophical purposes alike.

Answer: A lullaby

It is telling that the first line in the play is given to the title character's mother, the last to his lover. Solveig sings to Peer of motherly love, reminding him: "I will sing you to sleep, and I will wake you." Peer Gynt's final moments are heartwrenching when placed in the proper context onstage, and the harmonies and orchestration are underplayed to give the scene a hushed and haunted atmosphere. While Ibsen's play might have its flaws, Grieg's music was very well written. I would recommend seeing the play only in Norwegian with Grieg's music in the background.

I hope you enjoyed the quiz.