Almost everyone who has written anything at all about Grieg's songs has bemoaned the lack of good translations – most especially of trans– lations into English. Dan Fog, the Danish musicologist, antiquary and publisher, in his catalogue of first and early editions of Grieg's music, wrote: ‘A number of the songs would, moreover, be served by new translations; among other things it can be seen that a number of English translations go back to less successful German translations …’John Horton, at the end of his chapter on the solo songs in his biography of Grieg, speaks of ‘the dearth of satisfactory translations’ and goes on: ‘Bad as many of the German ones are, the English published alongside them are often worse.’The same author again comments that ‘clumsy German translations have done the composer poor service … because of the false declamation they impose on the singer, and the actual mistranslations with which they baffle the hearer …’The Norwegian composer and respected authority on Grieg, David Monrad Johansen (1888–1974), referring in his biography to the op. 33 songs, wrote about ‘the dreadful translations which preclude the possibility of a full and complete appreciation and understanding.’ Sergius Kagen, the Russian-American composer and musicologist, observes somewhat mildly: ‘It is a great pity that most of Grieg's songs have been known in English-speaking countries practically exclusively in German versions, and that the available English versions are for the most part rather poor’, while Astra Desmond, the English contralto who specialized in performances of Grieg's songs, gave in her article some pertinent examples of what she called ‘gems of the “translator's” art’.

It is regrettable that Peters’ Grieg Gesamt-Ausgabe retains the former German versions of the songs, but it is to be hoped that the much improved and frequently skilful new English translations by the Americans William Halverson and Rolf Stang will go a considerable way to abrogating what has gone before. However, as earlier editions are, and will undoubtedly for some time remain, in circulation in music libraries and amongst non-specialist performers, it would seem pertinent to discuss the whole question of translation and to indicate some of the more extreme vagaries of the older versions by which many singers may still be judging Grieg's songs.