The perhaps most important cultural personality of the region: Edvard Grieg was inspired by the wild, dramatic scenery of Western Norway.
Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, the descendent of a Scottish merchant. He received his first piano lesson from his mother Gesine, and his exceptional musical talent was discovered when he was 15 by world famous violist and family friend Ole bull.
In 1858, Grieg travelled to Leipzig to study at the conservatory there. During his stay, he developed serious pneumonia, which permanently damaged one of his lungs. A few years later, he studied in Copenhagen under the Danish composer Niels W Gade, and where he also met Richard Nordraak. In 1866, he moved back to Christiania where he became conductor of the orchestra Det Philharmoniske Selskab. On 11 June 1867, he married his cousin Nina Hagerup. In 1871, he became one of the co-founders of Musikerforeningen (musical association), which he led in part together with Johan Svendsen. In 1874, he left Christiania and divided his time between living abroad and in Bergen and Lofthus in Hardanger.
In 1885, he moved to Troldhaugen in Bergen where he lived for the rest of his life, except for the winter months, which he spent abroad. In 1904, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav. From 1905, his respiratory problems worsened until his death in 1907.
Grieg was also a good pianist, and a whole year rarely passed between his performances, either as a soloist or with his wife, the singer Nina Grieg. Grieg is considered a National Romantic composer, with Norwegian folk music as his greatest source of inspiration. Many of his pieces of music refer directly to experiences in nature, and to people he met on his journeys in the region. He had a particular fondness for Jotunheimen with its sharp peaks, lush valleys and rich mountain pasture farm culture.