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Scan 448
Biographical dictionary of musicians, 1940
12 lines. Read by computer on 8 September 2026. Printed page 428. See the scan on archive.org.
1and other French works in their original tongue, and considerably enlarged the Mozart répertoire.
3Grau'mann, Mathilde. See MARCHESI.
5Graun, Johann Gottlieb, violinist and composer; b. Wahrenbrück, 1702 or '03; d. Berlin, Oct. 27, 1771. 1713–20, st. vln. at the Dresden Kreuzschule with Pisendel, later with Tartini at Padua; 1726, Kapellm. in Merseburg, where he was the teacher of Wilh. Friedemann Bach for a time; 1731, Kapellm. in Arolsen; 1732, do. of the orch. of Crown Prince Frederick (later Frederick the Great) at Rheinsberg; from 1741, Konzertmeister of the then newly founded Royal Opera in Berlin. He was a leading exponent of the heroic style of North German instrl. mus. His works include 100 symphs., overtures, 20 vln.-concertos, 24 str.-quartets, trio-sonatas, a passion, church-cantatas, etc., of which only 8 trio-sonatas for 2 flutes and vln., a set of vln.-sonatas, and 6 harpsichord- or organ-concertos (with Agrell) were publ. H. Riemann reprinted 3 trio-sonatas in 'Collegium musicum'. MSS. are in the Staatsbibliothek and Amalienbibliothek of the Joachimsthal Gymnasium in Berlin.
7Graun, Karl Heinrich, b. Wahrenbrück, Prussian Saxony, May 7, 1701; d. Berlin, Aug. 8, 1759. Pupil at the Kreuzschule, Dresden (1713–20), of Grundig (voice) and Chr. Petzold (org. and pf.), and sang in the 'Rathskapelle' as a soprano; while his voice was changing, he studied comp. under J. Chr. Schmidt, and frequently attended opera-performances (then directed by Lotti). In 1725 he was eng. as operatic tenor at Brunswick; but within a year his first venture as a dramatic comp. (Pollidoro, 1726) won him success; he was app. vice-Kapellm., and comp. 5 more operas for Brunswick. The Crown Prince Frederick ('the Great') induced G. in 1735 to come to Rheinsberg, where he set to music many cantatas written (in French verse) by his gifted patron. On Frederick's succession, Graun was commissioned to establish Ital. opera in Berlin, of which he was made Kapellm. For this company he composed 28 operas, among which Rodelinda (1741), Artaserse (1743), Catone in Utica (1744), Alessandro nell' Indie (1744), Adriano in Siria and Demofoonte (1746), Mitridate (1750), Semiramide (1754), Ezio (1755), and Merope (1756), were some of the most successful; for years, Hasse was the only rival comp. whose operas had a hearing in Berlin. As a church-comp., Graun is still better known; his Passion Oratorio, Der Tod Jesu (1755), was, by virtue of a bequest, perf. yearly at Berlin for several decades; a Te Deum (1756), commemorating the battle of Prague, is equally fine. Other works: 2 passion cantatas; about 25 other church-cantatas with orch.; and [address hidden] motets a 4 voci a cappella; funeral music for Duke Aug. Wilh. of Brunswick (1738) and for King Fr. Wilh. I of Prussia (1740); church-melodies for every day in the year (2 sets). His instrumental music (12 concertos for harpsichord with strings; flute-concertos; a concerto for flute, vln., gamba and 'cello; trios; organ-fugues; etc.) is of less value, and unpublished.—Cf. A. Meyer-Reinach, K. H. G. als Opernkomponist, in 'Sbd. Int. M.-G.', I; K. Mennicke, Zur Biographie der Brüder Graun, in 'N. Ztschr. f. M.' VIII (1904); id., Hasse u. die Brüder Graun als Sinfoniker (Leipzig, 1906; with biogr. and complete thematic catalogues); B. Hitzig, Briefe K. H. Gr.s, in 'Ztschr. f. M.-W.' IX, 7 (1927).
9Graup'ner, Christoph, b. Hartmannsdorf, n. Kirchberg, Saxony, Jan. 13, 1683; d. Darmstadt, May 10, 1760. Pupil of Kuhnau at the Thomasschule, Leipzig; in 1706, accompanist at the Hamburg Opera under Keiser; 1710, Vice-Kapellm., and 1712 Kapellm., at Darmstadt; 1722, he rejected the post of cantor at the Thomasschule (for which Bach was then elected); 1750, he became blind. One of his pupils was J. Fr. Fasch. He was extraordinarily industrious, even engraving some of his own pf.-comps.—Works: 6 operas prod. in Hamburg: Dido (1707), Die lustige Hochzeit (1708; with Keiser), Hercules und Theseus (1708), Antiochus und Stratonice (1709), Bellerophon (1709), Simson (1709); 3 for Darmstadt: Berenice und Lucio (1710), Telemach (1711), and Beständigkeit besiegt Betrug (1719). For harpsichord: Acht Parthieen für Clavier (1718, '26), Monatliche Clavierfrüchte (1722; new ed. by A. Küster), Die vier Jahreszeiten (1733); also a Hessen-Darmstädtisches Choralbuch (1748). In MS., for the most part autographs, are 116 symphs.; 80 overtures; 50 concertos (one printed by A. Schering in 'D.d.T.' 30); trio-sonatas; 6 harpsichord-sonatas; more than 1300 church-pieces (1719–45), including cantatas (selected examples ed. by F. Noack in 'D.d.T.' 51/52); etc. An immense number of these MSS. are in the Lib. at Darmstadt.—Cf. W. Nagel, Das Leben Chr. G.'s, in 'Sbd. Int. M.-G.' X, 4 (1908); id., Chr. G. als Sinfoniker, in 'Musikalisches Magazin' 49 (Langensalza, 1912); F. Noack, Chr. G.'s Kirchenmusiken (1916); id., Chr. G. als Kirchenkomponist. Ausführungen zu Bd. 51/52 der 'D.d.T.' (1926).
11Graup'ner, Johann Christian Gottlieb, oboist and composer (son of the oboist, Johann Georg G.); b. Verden, near Hanover, Oct. 6, 1767; d. Boston, Apr. 16, 1836. Oboist in Hanoverian regiment at age of 20; 1788 went to London, where he became the oboe player in Haydn's London Orch. (1791);
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