This has to be one of my favorite Romantic character pieces in the piano literature. It takes flight from the very first measure, as the image of a butterfly is animated in a stream of rapid sixteenth notes.
A Norwegian Romantic era composer, Edvard Grieg wrote ten sets of these colorful, descriptive miniatures with illuminating titles. “March of the Dwarfs,” “Little Bird,” and “Butterfly,” among others appeal especially to children because of their lush harmonic tapestries and engaging melodies.
“Butterfly” is a heart fluttering flight of fancy that has an improvised quality. It epitomizes Romantic music from the mid 19th Century that should not have a rigid, underlying pulse. Instead, it must bend with the breeze in a rubato like style (flexible time) that Chopin had mastered.
Words cannot adequately express how beautifully Grieg weaves this Butterfly mosaic that uplifts the spirit while it touches the heart.
