In the Hall of the Mountain King · piano sheet music & MIDI file
In the Hall of the Mountain King as a piano MIDI: hear the crescendo build in the preview, then download the free file and the sheet PDF.
Preview played right in your browser with the app's real piano (lightweight version). Inside Pianovera: full multi-layer sound, fingering display and Wait mode.
Grieg ended up unable to listen to it, joking that it reeked of cow pies and Norwegian-ness, which hasn't stopped it from conquering every film trailer since. Written for Ibsen's Peer Gynt, it stages a chase through the troll king's hall, and the MIDI captures all of it: one theme starting as a whisper and ending as a stampede, repeated faster and louder each time.
On piano it's a discipline piece disguised as a show piece. A single theme to learn, so memorization is quick; in exchange, everything depends on how you budget the crescendo and the acceleration. Start too loud or too fast and there's nothing left for the finish. No piece teaches planning better.
What you'll be working on
- An even staccato theme, first pianissimo and slow
- A crescendo spread over three minutes (keep reserves)
- Progressive acceleration without lurches
- The final octaves and chords, loose despite the chaos
Playing In the Hall of the Mountain King on piano with Pianovera
Pianovera's Scroll mode with stepped speed increases mirrors the piece's own logic: start at 60% and climb pass after pass. And the closing avalanche of notes is, frankly, spectacular to watch fall.
Open In the Hall of the Mountain King in Pianovera: notes fall toward the keyboard, each hand gets its color, and Wait mode is there if you're starting out.
Try Pianovera for freeDownload the In the Hall of the Mountain King MIDI and sheet music
Two files are waiting for you: the In the Hall of the Mountain King piano MIDI file (15 KB, opens in Pianovera or any MIDI player) and the In the Hall of the Mountain King piano sheet music PDF (132 KB, printable). Both come from the same engraving: what you read on the score is exactly what you hear in the preview.
The work itself is in the public domain, and this MIDI engraving was placed in the public domain by its typesetter on the Mutopia Project. Use it freely, videos included.
About this piece
Is In the Hall of the Mountain King hard to play on piano?
We rate it intermediate: 1453 notes over 2:25, spanning B0 to D#7, with sustain pedal marks. The first thing to work on: an even staccato theme, first pianissimo and slow.
Where can I get the sheet music for In the Hall of the Mountain King?
Right on this page: the "View the sheet music" button opens the PDF (132 KB), engraved by the Mutopia Project from the same source as the MIDI file, Public domain license. View it, print it, keep it.
Is the In the Hall of the Mountain King MIDI file really free?
Yes. Edvard Grieg died more than 70 years ago, so the work (1875) is public domain. This MIDI engraving is public domain too: download it and use it freely, videos included.