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Scan 350
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1919
12 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1the Hamburg Cons.; elected President of the Hamburg 'Tonkünstler-Verein.' He was a fine and original harmonist, and a master of form.—Works: 2 symphonies; overture to Fiesco; 1 pf.-concerto; a Romanza for vln. and orch.; 1 string-octet; 5 piano-quintets; 3 string-quartets; 1 string-trio; 2 piano-trios; 3 vln.-sonatas; 1 'cello-sonata w. piano (op. 59; one of his best works); a sonata for pf. and vln. (D m.); and for piano, Phantastische Studien, Fliegende Blätter, Blättchen, Träume-reien, etc. Also a Harmonielehre (1877), and musical essays in periodicals, coll. as Gesammelte Aufsätze (Hamburg, 1872).—In MS. 2 operas: König Harald and Der Müllerin Hochzeit.
3Graew. See BACFART.
5Graffi'gna, Achille, b. San Martino Dall'Argine, Italy, May 5, 1816; d. Padua, July 19, 1896. Pupil of Milan Cons.; at 18, conductor in theatre at Cagliari, and successively in various other Italian theatres, also (1845) opera-director in Odessa, and (1872) manager and conductor of an opera-troupe in Paris. Finally, singing-teacher in Padua. Of his 18 operas none achieved real success, but he attracted considerable attention through his presumption in setting to music the textbooks of Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Padua, 1879) and Il Matrimonio segreto (Florence, 1883), after Rossini and Cimarosa.
7Grä'finger. See GREFINGER.
9Grainger, Percy Aldridge, b. Brighton, Melbourne, Australia, July 8, 1882. He received his first instruction from his mother, a fine musician, and at the age of 10 appeared in public as a pianist; also had lessons from Louis Pabst and from 1894–1900 was a pupil of J. Kwast (pf.) in Frankfort; a little later he studied a short time with Busoni. His career as a pianist began in London (1900), where he created almost a sensation; he then toured Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, meeting everywhere with most enthusiastic receptions. Returning to London in 1906 he met Grieg, who was so impressed with the young artist's playing that he invited him to his villa, Troldhaugen. Here they spent the summer of 1907 preparing for the Leeds Festival in the fall, when Grainger was to have played Grieg's pf.-concerto with the master himself as conductor. Death, however, frustrated the plan, for on Sept. 4 Grieg passed away. Nevertheless, Grainger did play the concerto, and gave such a masterly interpretation that ever since he has been identified in a special manner with that work. After having played with phenomenal success throughout Europe, he made his Amer. début in New York on Feb. 11, 1915, in recital, electrifying his audience; the performance of the Grieg concerto with the N. Y. Philh. Soc. (March 13) brought him an ovation. As a pianist G. has securely established himself among masters of the first rank. His development as a composer is probably unique. He is self-taught; but instead of studying the great masters, he turned his attention to the folk-music of the numerous countries he has visited. G. himself says: 'I regard the study of native music and close association with folk-singers (peasants, sailors, etc.) as the most fruitful influence in my creative career.' Examination of his publ. works proves that this self-estimate is correct; it is the quality peculiar to folk-music that assured the instant and astonishing success of G.'s compositions. His first appearance as a composer was at one of Balfour Gardiner's concerts in London, in 1912, when he conducted his Mock Morris for string-orch.; statistics for 1915 show that the works of G. were more frequently performed than those of any other British composer. G. is not only an earnest student of folk-music, but also an ardent collector, having taken more than 500 phonographic records (European, African, Australian and American). In 1899 he began to experiment with beatless music, which he defines as 'music in which no standard duration of beat occurs, but in which all rhythms are free, without beat-cohesion between the various polyphonic parts.' He has not yet publ. any of his numerous works in this style.—Publ. works: For orch.: Mock Morris, Molly on the Shore, English Dance, Colonial Song, Shepherd's Hey, Green Bushes (Passacaglia); In a Nutshell, suite for piano and orch.; choruses w. orch. Father and Daughter, Sir Eglamore, Irish Tune from County Derry, Morning Song in the Jungle, Tiger-Tiger!, The Innuit, We Have Fed our Seas, I'm Seventeen come Sunday, Marching Tune, etc. All these are also issued in various arrangements. Larger works are The Warriors, for piano and orch. (music to an imaginary ballet), and Marching Song of Democracy, for ch. and orch. (Worcester Fest., 1916).—Cf. C. Scott, P. G., the Music and the Man, in 'Mus. Quart.' (July, 1916).
11Gram'mann, Karl, dramatic comp.; b. Lübeck, June 3, 1844; d. Dresden, Jan. 30, 1897. From 1867–71 pupil of Leipzig Cons.; lived in Vienna as a comp. until 1885, and after that at Dresden. 2 operas, Die Schatzgräber and Die Eisjungfrau, were written while he was a youth studying in the gymnasium; his other works are the operas Melusine, op. 24 (Wiesbaden, 1875); Thusnelda und der Triumphzug des Germanicus, op. 29 (Dresden, 1881); Das Andreasfest, op. 35 (Dresden, 1882); the 2-act opera Ingrid, op. 57, and the 1-act opera Das Irrlicht, op. 58 (both prod. on the same evening at Dresden,
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