Classical
Peter Grønland
1761–1825 · Wilster · Danish folklorist, teacher and composer of German origin
Peter Grønland (Wilster, Holstein, 1761 – Copenhagen, 1825) was a German-born folklorist, teacher and composer who spent part of his career in Denmark. His importance lies in the collection and dissemination of Scandinavian folk song.
After studying in Kiel (1782–1785), where he came into contact with C. F. Cramer, he settled in Copenhagen to take up a post in the German chancery. A civil servant all his life, he taught C. E. F. Weyse and contributed to German and Danish music publications.
His most significant work was the preservation of Scandinavian folk song. Around 1810 an effort was launched in Denmark to rescue traditions threatened by new roads and communications, from which recordings emerged, as well as the five-volume edition (1812–1814) by Abrahamson, Nyerup and Rahbek. His own contributions include two manuscript collections held in the Royal Library in Copenhagen and Alte schwedische Melodien (1818), with arrangements of melodies by the Swedes Geijer and Afzelius.
His legacy can be seen in Danish Romanticism, as the works of Gade demonstrate. His theoretical and historical studies remain unpublished. As a composer, his output, tied to the ideals of the eighteenth century, consists of songs, among them more than fifty settings of poems by Goethe.
Notable works and achievements
- Alte schwedische Melodien (1818)
- Manuscript collections of folk songs, Royal Library, Copenhagen
- Arrangements of folk songs for piano
- More than 50 songs on poems by Goethe