Gretchaninoff

(gri-chi’-né-ndf), Alex. Tikhonovich, b. Moscow, Oct. 26,, 1864; composer; pupil of Safonoff at the Cons.; later at St. Petersburg Cons., under Rach man in off; prof. of comp. Cons. 1928; + visited U. S. 1930, and now resides in N. Y.; appeared in concerts of his works; c. succ. opera ‘‘Do bring a Nikitich”’ (Moscow, 1903); incidental music to Tolstoi’s ‘“‘Feodor,” and “Tyan,” and to Ostroski’s ‘“‘Snow Maiden”; 2 symphonies; 3 string quartets; (opera) ‘‘S@ur Be at rice” after Maeterlinck play (prod. Moscow, 1912, but later withdrawn because appearance of the Virgin on stage considered sacrilegious); also sacred choruses and liturgies; ‘‘At the Cro -roads” for ba and orch.; vln. works, songs, chamber comps., etc. Grétry (gra-trwé), (1) André Ernest Modeste, Liége, Feb. 9, 1741— Montmorency, near Paris, Sept. 24, 1813; dram. composer; son of a violinist. Chorister at 6, but dismi ed for incapacity at 11, then pupil of Leclerc and Renekin. R. failing to keep him to the strict course of cpt. Moreau later tried with equal failure; 1758 he prod. 6 symphonies at Liége; 1759 a ma for which the Canon du Harlez sent him to study in Rome, to which he walked; he studied cpt. and comp. with Casali and Martini for 5 years, but was again dismi ed as impo ible; a dramatic intermezzo, “Le Vendemmiatrice,”’ succ. 1765, but reading Monsigny’s ‘‘ Rose et Colas,” he decided that his restle dramatic longings were best adapted for French opéra comique. He was a long time finding a fit librettist (Voltaire declining his invitation). Geneva, where he taught singing a year and prod. the, succ. 1-act ‘‘Is a belle et Gertrude.” In Paris after 2 years’ hardships his “‘Les Mariages Samnites’ was rehearsed, and though not prod., won him a patron in Count Creutz, the Swedish Minister, who secured him as libretto Marm on tel’s comedy ‘‘Le Huron.’ This was prod. (Op.-com., 1768) with a great succ., enjoyed also in extraordinary degree by an astounding series of works, mostly comic and mostly succe ful, the best of which are “‘Lucile,” ‘“‘Le Tableau Parlant” (1769), “Les Avares,” ‘‘Zémire et Azor” (1771), “Le Magnifique” (1773); “La Rosiére de Salency” (1774); ‘La Fau e Magie” (1775), “Le Jugement de Midas” (in which he satirised the old French music and its rendition at the Académie), -and “L’Amant Jaloux’ (1778); ‘And rom a que” {1780) (in which the chief rédle is accompanied by. 3 flutes throughout); “La Double Epreuve” (or ‘‘Colinette @ la cour”) (1782); ‘‘Théodore et Pauline’ (or ‘“LEpreuve villageoise”); and ‘“‘Richard Ceur d2 Lion” (his best work, still played in Paris); the gr. opera ‘‘La Caravane du Caire” (1785) performed 506 times; (libretto by the Comte de Provence, later Louis XVIII.); ‘“‘Za Rosiére Républic aine” (1793); ‘‘La Féte de la Raison” (prod. 1794 during the Revolution); ‘‘ Lisbeth; ‘‘A nacre on chez Poly crate’”’ (1797); c. 50 operas in all, remarkable for spontaneity, grace and fervour of melody, dramatic effect and general charm, but open to serious criticism as works of formal art. He was called ‘‘the Moliére of music.” wrote Variations on themes of his. Once launched, his progre was a triumph of honour of all kinds; in 1802 Napoleon made him Cheyalier of the Legion of Honour with a pension of 4,000 francs. He bought Rou eau’s former ‘residence and retired there; wrote Memoirs, etc. He had several children, including the gifted Lucille (v. infra), all of whom he outlived. He left 6 unprod. operas and c. also 6 symphonies; 6 pf.-sonatas, 6 string quartets, church-mus., etc. Biog. by his nephew, A. J. G. (1815); Grégoir (1883); Brunet (1884), etc. (2) Lucille, Paris, 1773-93; daughter of above, who instrumented her opera “Te Mariage d’ Antonio,” written and prod. at the Op.-Com., with succ. when she was only 13; the next year her opera ‘‘Toinette et Louis” not a succe ; she married happily and died at 20. (groi’-likh),. (1) K. W., Kunzendorf, Silesia, 1796—1837; composer. (2) Ad., Posen, 1819 —Moscow, 1868; teacher and composer. (3) Ad., Schmiedeberg, Silesia, 1836—Breslau, 1890; conductor, ba ., organist and com- Egypt, U. S.; specialist in modern French and Spanish music and folksongs. (grég), Edvard | Hagerup, Bergen, 15, 1843—Sept. 4, 1907; pupil of his mother, a pianist; at 15 entered Leipzig Cons.; pupil of Hauptmann and Richter (harm. cpt.); (comp.); (pf.); then with Gade, Copenhagen. With the young Norwegian composer Rikard Nordraak, he conspired, as he said, ‘‘Against the effeminate Mendel ohnian-Gade Scand in avian ism, turning with enthusiasm into the new, well-defined path along which the Northern School is now travelling.” Grieg founded a Musical Union in Christiania and wa; cond. till 1880; 1865 visited Ita y, again in 1870, meeting Liszt in Rome. 1879 he performed his pf.concerto at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig. After 1880 lived chiefly in Bergen; cond. the Christiania Phil.; 1888 played his concerto and cond. his 2 melodies for string-orch. at London Phil. 1894 Mus. Doc. Cantab. C. concert-overture “‘In Autumn’; op. 20, ‘‘Vor der Klosterpforte,” for solo, “Landerkennung”’ and_ orch.; for male with orch.; ‘‘Der Einsame” for barytone, string orch. and 2 horns; op. 35, ‘‘Norwegische Ténze,”’ for orch.; op. 40, “‘Aus Holzberg’s Zeit,” suite for string orch.; ‘‘Bergliot,’’ orch.; ‘‘Peer meloGynt,” suites 1 and 2 for orch.; op. 50, “Olav Trygvason,’ for solo, chorus, and orch.;.‘‘Sigurd Jorsalfar’’ for orch., etc.; op. 22, 2 songs for male voices and orch.; various pcs. for string orch., string-quartet in G min.; pf.-concerto; pf.-sonatas, 3 vin.- sonatas, a ’cello-sonata, also for pf.*‘Poetische Tonbilder,”’ and Balladen; several sets of ‘‘Lyrische Stiicke,”’ “Sym phonische Stiicke’? (4 hands), ‘‘ Norwegische Ténze,”’ ‘‘Bilder at is dem Volks leben,” Peer Gynt suite poser.