"In the Hall of the Mountain King" (Norwegian: I Dovregubbens hall, lit. 'In the Dovre man's hall') is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg in 1875 as incidental music for the sixth scene of act 2 in Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play Peer Gynt. It was originally part of Opus 23 but was later extracted as the final piece of Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, Op. 46. Its easily recognizable theme has helped it attain iconic status in popular culture, where it has been arranged by many artists (See Grieg's music in popular culture).

The English translation of the name is not literal. Dovre is a mountainous region in Norway, and "gubbe" translates into (old) man or husband. "Gubbe" is used along with its female counterpart "kjerring" to differentiate male and female trolls, "trollgubbe" and "trollkjerring". In the play, Dovregubben is a troll king that Peer Gynt invents in a fantasy.

Setting

{ \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \relative d { \tempo "Alla marcia e molto marcato" 4 = 138 \clef bass \key d \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"french horn" <fis fis'>1->\fermata^\markup{ \teeny \halign #1.5 "Horns"} \pp \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"pizzicato string{{angle bracket|{{angle bracket|}}}}" b,8-.^\markup{\teeny "Celli u. double bass pizz."} \p cis-. d-. e-. fis-.-> d-. fis4-. eis8-.-> cis-. eis4-. e8-.-> c-. e4-. b8-.cis-. d-. e-. fis-. d-. fis-. b-. a-.-> fis-. d-. fis-. a4-.-> r4 } \new Staff \relative g,,{ \clef bass \key d \major r1 \fermata \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"bassoon" b4-.-\markup{\teeny \halign #1.5 "Bassoon"} \pp fis'4-. b,4-. fis'4-. b,4-. fis'4-. b,4-. fis'4-. b,4-. fis'4-. b,4-. fis'4-. d4-. a'4-. d,4-. a'4-. } >> }
The two-phrase theme, written in the key of B minor

The piece is played as the title character Peer Gynt, in a dream-like fantasy, enters "Dovregubbens (the troll Mountain King's) hall". The scene's introduction continues: "There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. Dovregubben sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives. Peer Gynt stands before him. There is a tremendous uproar in the hall." The lines sung are the first lines in the scene.[1][2]

Grieg himself wrote, "For the Hall of the Mountain King, I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I cannot bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt."[3] The theme of "to thyself be... enough" – avoiding the commitment implicit in the phrase "To thine own self be true" and just doing enough – is central to Peer Gynt's satire, and the phrase is discussed by Peer and the mountain king in the scene which follows the piece.[4]

Music

\relative c{\set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 138 \clef "bass" \key b \minor fis8-. \p gis-. ais-. b-. cis-.-> ais-. cis4-. | d8-.-> ais-. d4-. cis8-.-> ais-. cis4-. | fis,8-. gis-. ais-. b-. cis-.-> ais-. cis4-. | d8-.-> ais-. d4-. cis4-.-> r4}
Modified theme in F♯ major

The piece is in the overall key of B minor. The simple theme begins slowly and quietly in the lowest registers of the orchestra, played first by the cellos, double basses, and bassoons. After being stated, the main theme is then very slightly modified with a few different ascending notes, but transposed up a perfect fifth (to the key of F-sharp major, the dominant key, but with flattened sixth) and played on different instruments.

The two groups of instruments then move in and out of different octaves until they eventually "collide" with each other at the same pitch. The tempo gradually speeds up to a prestissimo finale, and the music itself becomes increasingly loud and frenetic.

Lyrics of the song in Peer Gynt

CharacterNorwegianEnglish
The troll-courtiers: Slagt ham! Kristenmands søn har dåret
Dovregubbens veneste mø!
Slagt ham! Slagt ham!		 Slay him! The Christian man's son has seduced
the fairest maid of the Mountain King!
Slay him! Slay him!
A troll-imp: Må jeg skjære ham i fingeren? May I hack him on the fingers?
Another troll-imp: Må jeg rive ham i håret? May I tug him by the hair?
A troll-maiden: Hu, hej, lad mig bide ham i låret! Hu, hey, let me bite him in the haunches!
A troll-witch with a ladle: Skal han lages til sod og sø? Shall he be boiled into soup and broth?
Another troll-witch, with a butcher knife: Skal han steges på spid eller brunes i gryde? Shall he roast on a spit or be browned in a stewpan?
The Mountain King: Isvand i blodet! Ice-water to your blood!

Cultural impact

Music

Possibly, the first jazz rendition of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" was made by Alvino Rey in 1941. Rey also recorded a version of "Anitra's Dance". American bass trombonist George Roberts recorded a jazz rendition of the song, which appeared on his 1959 album Meet Mr. Roberts, as the first song, entitled "In the Hall of the Mountain King".[5]

Hugo Montenegro led off his 1960 Bongos and Brass album with a sped-up and energized version, which was used as the arrangement that many Drum Corps International drum corps used as a basis for their performances of the classical song for decades to come.

Nero & the Gladiators had a No. 48 hit of the same title on the British charts in 1961.[6]

Other examples include:

  • The British comedy music duo Flanders and Swann used the melody of "Mountain King" in part of their song "Food for Thought," in their stage show At the Drop of Another Hat (recording issued 1964).
  • Ritchie Blackmore, then a fan of Nero & the Gladiators,[7] recorded a cover of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with The Lancasters in 1965 under the title Satan's Holiday.
  • A heavy rock version of the song appears on the album Big Brother & the Holding Company: Live in San Francisco 1966 by the American rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, although it was actually recorded at television station KQED in San Francisco on April 25, 1967.[8]
  • British rock band The Who recorded a performance of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in 1967. This version went unreleased until 1995, when it appeared as a bonus track on a CD reissue of The Who Sell Out.[9][10][11] Tucson Weekly has called this cover a "Who-freakout arrangement"[12] One reviewer called The Who's version the "weirdest of these" covers on the CD, and says it is "a rendition of the corresponding extract from Grieg's Peer Gynt suite ... [yet] it hardly sounds like Grieg here, anyway..." Another says that "the main function of the composition is to evoke thoughts of (naturally) King Crimson and (unnaturally) Pink Floyd, because in parts it sounds exactly like 'Interstellar Overdrive'."[13]
  • Electric Light Orchestra recorded a 6:37 long version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in 1973, as the concluding selection of their album On the Third Day, and performed it with Great Balls of Fire in 1974, for their live album The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach.
  • Rick Wakeman's 1974 symphonic rock poem Journey to the Centre of the Earth features the "Hall of the Mountain King" theme near the end of the piece.
  • In 1974, The Wombles produced their own lively version, "The Hall of the Mountain Womble", on their third album Keep On Wombling. The album spent six weeks in the UK album charts, peaking at number 17.
  • British rock band Marillion included the main melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in a live version of "Margaret" found on the B-side of their "Garden Party" single, and also on the B-sides compilation album B'Sides Themselves. The song was recorded at Edinburgh Playhouse, April 7, 1983.[14]
  • American metal band Savatage's song "Prelude to Madness" is an arrangement of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King". It is included on their 1987 album Hall of the Mountain King which also includes a song of the same name, but which is an original composition.[15]
  • German metal band Helloween's song "Gorgar" contains a partition from Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King". The song can be found in band's 1985 album, Walls of Jericho.
  • The music of Foetus's song "Enter the Exterminator", from his 1985 album Nail, is based on Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King".[16]
  • Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow's 1995 album, Stranger in Us All, includes a rendition of the theme titled "Hall of the Mountain King". The lyrics reimagine the main character as the king taking revenge on another for "taking the innocence" of an unspecified woman. This was Ritchie Blackmore's second studio recording of the tune after the 1965 version with The Lancasters.
  • Dutch producer Patrick van Kerckhoven released the single "Ruffneck rules da artcore scene!!!" in 1996, borrowing the melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King"; the record reached number eight in the Dutch top 40.
  • The Canadian rock band Saga includes a performance of the song, titled "In the Hall of the Mountain King William", on their live album Detours released in 1998.[17]
  • German Eurodance group Captain Jack's 1999 track "Dream a Dream" samples from "In the Hall of the Mountain King". It was included in the 2000 arcade game Dance Dance Revolution 4thMix.
  • Finnish symphonic metal band Apocalyptica covered "In the Hall of the Mountain King" on their 2000 album Cult.
  • Dutch symphonic metal band Epica performed a rendition of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with the Extended Reményi Ede Chamber Orchestra at the Miskolc Opera Festival, for their 2009 live album The Classical Conspiracy.[18]
  • German-Russian EDM artist Zedd sampled "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in the 2011 non-album single "Dovregubben."
  • K-Pop band SF9 included the main melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" in their song "Jungle Game" from their 2017 extended play album Burning Sensation.[19]
  • American Rapper Dax sampled the Melody for Christmas Hip-Hop Song "Grinch"
  • In late October 2017, black MIDI creator "Sir Spork" created a rendition of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" that contained 2.9 million notes and amassed over 31 million views on YouTube.[20]
  • Jpop duo W uses the main melody of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" during the verses and musical interlude of their song "Choi Waru Devil", the lead track from their 2019 EP of the same name.[21]
  • In 2019, Slot game provider Quickspin released a game called "Hall of the Mountain King" that is entirely based on the piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and where the melody of the same tune is used throughout the game. Also arrangements of "Aase's Death" and "Solveig's Song" can be heard on the opening screen and in win celebrations respectively.[22]
  • EDM artist Timmy Trumpet and singer Vitas collaborated in 2020 on "The King", a non-album single that reprises the Grieg tune.[23]
  • American punk-rock band The Offspring recorded a version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" on their 2021 album Let the Bad Times Roll.[24]
  • Brazilian funk singer MC Livinho has made the song "ela é espetacular" based on the rhythm of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" adding a brazilian funk beat and a such different lyrics, the song is very popular in Brazil and played normally in funk parties.

Film and TV

D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) uses the song to build up to the Union attack on Atlanta. The song had by that time already been used in film scores, whether for Ibsen's play or other works; yet the popularity of Griffith's film helped to establish it in the American popular imagination.[25][26]

"In the Hall of the Mountain King" plays a major plot point in Fritz Lang's early sound film M (1931). Peter Lorre's character of child killer Hans Beckert whistles the tune whenever he is overcome with the urge to commit murder. However, Lorre himself could not whistle – it is actually Lang who is heard.[27] The film was one of the first to use a leitmotif, associating "In the Hall of the Mountain King" with the Lorre character. Later in the film, the mere sound of the song lets the audience know that he is nearby, off-screen. This association of a musical theme with a particular character or situation, a technique borrowed from opera, became a staple in film.[25][28]

Other examples include:

  • The theme music to the 1983 television series Inspector Gadget was inspired by "In the Hall of the Mountain King".
  • The song is frequently used as incidental music in the animated, 1988–1994 TV show Garfield and Friends.
  • The melody was featured in a 1990 commercial for Ritz Bits Cheese Sandwiches.
  • In the 1993 film Needful Things, based on the novel by Stephen King, the song is used when Nettie Cobb (Amanda Plummer) breaks into the home of Danforth Keeton (J.T. Walsh) to plant a phony letter accusing him of embezzlement.
  • In the 1993 animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is sampled as part of the show's opening theme alongside "Flight of the Bumblebee" and the theme from the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game. The tune also serves as a leitmotif for antagonists Scratch and Grounder.[29]
  • In 2001, the song was used in the film Rat Race as the characters Duane and Blaine destroy the airport radar.
  • In 2004, Pete sings "Petey, King of France", a song written to the tune of "In the Hall of the Mountain King", from the direct-to-video film Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers.
  • The song appears in the 2006 Woody Allen film Scoop.
  • In 2007, the song appeared in a trailer for Michael Haneke film Funny Games
  • In the 2010 film The Social Network, an electronic remix of the song, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, accompanies a scene where the Winklevoss twins compete in a crew match.
  • In 2011, it played in the background of the sixteenth episode of the seventh season of the TV series House M.D., while the titular character, Dr. Gregory House played a prank on his hotel room attendant Carnell.
  • A trap version of the song, titled "Hair Up" is featured in the film Trolls, 2016.
  • Knight of Cups, 2015, uses "Solveig's Song" and "Death of Aase" on multiple occasions.
  • A post-credits scene in Johnny English Reborn uses the piece while Johnny English prepares a dinner.
  • In the 2014 Cartoon Network animated series Total Drama All-Stars, Mike’s malevolent alternate personality, Mal, can be heard whistling a phrase from “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.
  • In the 2016 Netflix cartoon Trollhunters, by Guillermo del Toro, the tune is associated with the villainous changeling Zelda Nomura, who hums it as an intimidation/diversionary tactic during her confrontations with the main protagonist Jim, and can be heard during other scenes set in the Darklands. When Jim eventually brings up how much she hums the song during the second season, Nomura explains that it has been her favorite song since she attended the premiere of Peer Gynt.
  • Season 2, Episode 12 of the American television series Mad Men, 2017, is titled "The Mountain King". A young boy haltingly plays the piece on the piano as Don Draper watches, and Don comments, "It's scary." The song sets a mood of fear and trouble for the episode, which involves Don disappearing from his job and wandering in the strange land of Southern California in 1962.
  • In the 2020 Animaniacs reboot, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is used in the show.
  • In this 2022's The Bob's Burgers Movie, this song is used as commercial on Hulu.

Video games

  • This song is used as the opening music for the TI-99/4A version of Hunt the Wumpus, 1973.
  • A few bars of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" are played when entering the final cave in the 1982 video game Dragonstomper.
  • The first level of the 1983 video game Manic Miner (Central Cavern) uses the song as background music.
  • The 1983 video game Mountain King uses the theme as background music throughout.
  • The 1989 video game Midnight Rescue! used this song when players would enter a room.
  • Anitra's Dance is featured in Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness, released in 1993.
  • The 1995 video game Return Fire uses the theme while driving in the Armored Support Vehicle.
  • The 1996 video game Privateer 2: The Darkening uses the theme during some space trips and battles.
  • The 1997 game compilation Sonic Jam features an animated short, "Sonic: Man of the Year", which is partially set to "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King".[30]
  • The 2011 video game Pump It Up Fiesta EX contains an arrangement by BanYa Production titled "The Devil".
  • The 2014 video game Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare samples the song during the Treasure Yeti Challenge. This would also be used in the sequel Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
  • It is later given an 8-bit remix with Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the fourth movement in particular, in Just Dance 2018, with the title "In the Hall of the Pixel King". It was supposed to be in its predecessor, Just Dance 2017, but was scrapped for unknown reasons.
  • In the final challenge of the 2016 video game The Witness, "Anitra's Dance" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" were used as auditory cues to indicate the amount of time the player has left to solve a series of timed puzzles.[31]
  • The 2017 video game The End is Nigh uses a remix of the song throughout the "Ruin" area.
  • In the 2018 game Forza Horizon 4, the song appears on the classic music channel on the radio.
  • In 2020, the song appears in the Minecraft 1.16 trailer.
  • In the 2023 game Bramble: The Mountain King, the song appears during the final boss fight.

Theme parks

The British theme park Alton Towers have repeatedly used the theme "In the Hall of the Mountain King" since 1992 with the opening of the Runaway Mine Train and the Haunted House as a central musical identity to the park. The main theme is present in nearly all of the park's music and is often the most common association of the theme.[32]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Ibsen 1985, p. 67.
  2. ↑ Peer Gynt, Scene Sixth, translated by Robert Farquharson Sharp (1864–1945)
  3. ↑ Ibsen 1985, p. 17.
  4. ↑ Santon, Tim. "Review" (Ibsen's Peer Gynt illustrated by Arthur Rackham). Stella & Rose's Books.
  5. ↑ "George Roberts – Meet Mr. Roberts – George Roberts And His Big Bass Trombone (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  6. ↑ Brown, Tony, Jon Kutner & Neil Warwick, The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums, Omnibus Press, London, 2002, p. 712
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
  9. ↑ The Who dot Net web site Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ 200th Anniversary celebration of Grieg
  11. ↑ NNdB web site
  12. ↑ Tucson Weekly
  13. ↑ Only Solitaire
  14. ↑ Duxbury, Janell R. (5 February 2001). Rockin' the Classics and Classicizin' the Rock: A Selectively Annotated Discography: Second Supplement. Xlibris. p. 144. ISBN 9781462807369. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  15. ↑ Phillips, Fred (28 September 2015). "Savatage, "Prelude to Madness / Hall of the Mountain King" (1987): One Track Mind". Something Else! Reviews. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  16. ↑ Duxbury, Janell R. (2000). "Rockin' the Classics and Classicizin' the Rock: A Selectively Annotated Discography: Second Supplement". Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781462807369. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "In the Hall Of The Mountain King William (Live)". SonicHits. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Epica To Release 'The Classical Conspiracy' Double Live Album". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 12 March 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  19. ↑ Share+Music (2017-02-05), SF9 (에스에프나인) - Jungle Game, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2017-04-27
  20. ↑ "In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg | Impossible Piano Remix | Black MIDI @Sir Spork". YouTube.
  21. ↑ "W-ChoiWaruDevil - video dailymotion". Dailymotion. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  22. ↑ Hall of the Mountain King - Quickspin. YouTube. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  23. ↑ Timmy Trumpet & Vitas – The King (Official Music Video). YouTube. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "Let The Bad Times Roll". Apple Music. 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  25. 1 2 Powrie, Phil and Robynn Jeananne Stilwell (2006) Changing Tunes: The Use of Pre-existing Music in Film
  26. ↑ Barbara Saltzman, "Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation' Reborn on Lumivision Disc", Los Angeles Times, June 21, 1991. Found at LA Times archives. Accessed May 23, 2011.
  27. ↑ Falkenberg, Paul (2004). "Classroom Tapes — M". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  28. ↑ Costantini, Gustavo. "Leitmotif revisited". Filmsound. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
  29. ↑ "GI Commentary Track – Sonic Christmas Blast". Game Informer.
  30. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog's 5 Anime, Ranked". 18 October 2021.
  31. ↑ "Wrestling With The Witness' Most Difficult, Divisive Puzzle". Kotaku Australia. 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  32. ↑ "BBC Proms 2023: 10 pieces of classical music you didn't know you knew". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 2023-09-06.

Sources

  • Ibsen, Henrik (1985) [1876]. Peer Gynt. Translated by Peter Watts. Penguin.

Further reading

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