Aase’s Death is Grieg’s quiet farewell from Peer Gynt, and this easy A minor theme begins at the interactive player below: hear it at half speed, watch the notes and keys light up as it plays, and drag the score to revisit any phrase. Sheet music, fingering, and a free printable PDF follow.
Learn it with the interactive player
- Slow it down: x0.5 or x0.75 while you learn the notes, back to x1 once they flow.
- Pause anywhere: the current keys stay lit so you can find them on your own piano.
- Drag the score left or right, or use the 15s buttons, to replay a phrase.
The sheet music, section by section
Play Section A at x0.5 on the player: the theme sighs A4-B4-C5, B4-A4-G sharp 4, then gathers itself and climbs A4-B4-C5-D5 to a long E5. Notice how the thumb shifts from G sharp 4 onto A4 for the climb.
Section B is the same theme played pianissimo, an echo and a farewell. Everything you learned in Section A returns one dynamic softer - the challenge is control, not new notes.
The full score
Andante doloroso means a walking pace full of grief: keep the full score at 63 BPM, shape each sigh in one breath, and let the final A minor chord fade rather than stop.
Note by note: keys and fingering
- Right hand: Two gentle positions. The sighing phrase sits over G#4 (1), A4 (2), B4 (3), C5 (4). For the rising phrase the thumb shifts onto A4, so the hand covers A4 (1) up to E5 (5); it slides back for each return of the sigh.
- Left hand: Single half notes following the harmony: pinky (5) on A2, ring (4) on B2, middle (3) on C3, index (2) on D3, thumb (1) on E3.
| Note | On the Staff | On the Keyboard | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| G#4 | Second line of treble staff, with a sharp sign | Black key right of G4 | RH Thumb (1) |
| A4 | Second space of treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys | RH Index (2) |
| B4 | Third line of treble staff | White key right of the three black keys | RH Middle (3) |
| C5 | Third space of treble staff | White key left of the two black keys above middle C | RH Ring (4) |
| D5 | Fourth line of treble staff | White key between the two black keys above C5 | RH Ring (4) |
| E5 | Fourth space of treble staff | White key right of the two black keys above C5 | RH Pinky (5) |
| A2 | First space of bass staff | White key between the last two of three black keys, two octaves down | LH Pinky (5) |
| B2 | Second line of bass staff | White key right of the three black keys, two octaves down | LH Ring (4) |
| C3 | Second space of bass staff | White key left of the two black keys below middle C | LH Middle (3) |
| D3 | Middle line of bass staff | White key between the two black keys below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| E3 | Third space of bass staff | White key right of the two black keys below middle C | LH Thumb (1) |
Prefer a video? Watch the keys light up
Same color code as the player: green marks the right hand, blue the left hand, with the score and keyboard in one vertical video.
The story behind Aase's Death
Edvard Grieg composed Aase's Death in 1875 as incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, and it opens the first Peer Gynt Suite he published in 1888. The music accompanies the scene where Peer sits at the bedside of his dying mother, Aase, spinning her one last fairy tale as she slips away. Grieg scored it for muted strings alone, a slow chorale that rises once and then sinks back into silence. It is often played at memorial services in Scandinavia. This arrangement moves the theme into A minor with a single-note left hand for beginners.
Get the printable PDF
The printable PDF of this easy Aase's Death theme - full score, hand positions, and a step-by-step practice guide - ships inside our free Halloween pack together with fourteen other spooky pieces.
Soft, sustained playing asks for a stable, unhurried seat, and an Adjustable Piano Bench with Back Support gives you exactly that for long pianissimo work.
FAQ
How hard is Aase's Death on piano?
This arrangement closes Level 1 of our Halloween collection, so it is easy but not trivial: the right hand shifts between two five-finger positions and touches one black key, G sharp 4. The rhythm is only quarter and half notes, and the left hand plays single half notes.
How long does it take to learn Aase's Death?
About one to two weeks for most beginners. The whole second half is an echo of the first, so you really only learn eight measures. The slow 63 BPM tempo makes the position shift between G sharp 4 and A4 comfortable from the start.
What level is Aase's Death?
Level 1 of our Halloween collection, at the harder end of that level. It introduces a small position shift, one accidental, and a left hand that follows the harmony through five different bass notes instead of droning on two.
What are the notes for Aase's Death?
The theme opens A4, B4, C5, then B4, A4, G sharp 4. The climb runs A4, B4, C5, D5 up to a held E5, and the descent E5, D5, C5, B4 brings the sigh back. The left hand walks half notes through A2, B2, C3, D3, and E3. The full table is above.