Carl Heinrich Graun (7 May 1704 – 8 August 1759) was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

. Along with

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.

Biography

Graun was born in Wahrenbrück in the

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...

. In 1714, he followed his brother,

Johann Gottlieb Graun Johann Gottlieb Graun (1702/1703 – 28 October 1771) was a German Baroque/Classical era composer and violinist, born in Wahrenbrück. His brother Carl Heinrich was a singer and also a composer, and is the better known of the two. Johann Gottlieb ...

, to the school of the

Kreuzkirche, Dresden The Dresden Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) is a Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany. It is the main church and seat of the ''Landesbischof'' of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony, and the largest church building in the Free State ...

, and sang in the

Dresdner Kreuzchor The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surroundin ...

and the chorus of the

Dresden Opera The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...

. He studied singing with Christian Petzold and composition with Johann Christoph Schmidt. In 1724, Graun moved to

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

, singing at the

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

and writing six

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s for the company. In 1735, Graun moved to

Rheinsberg Rheinsberg () is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on lake and the river Rhin, approximately 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin. History Fre ...

in Brandenburg, after he had written the opera ''Lo specchio della fedeltà'' for the marriage of the then crown prince

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

(the Great) and Elisabeth Christine in

Schloss Salzdahlum Schloss Salzdahlum was a former summer palace built by Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1684. It was dismantled in 1813 but parts of it can still be seen in the town of Salzdahlum. Located between Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel, ...

in 1733. He was ''

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

'' to Frederick the Great from his ascension to the throne in 1740 until Graun's death nineteen years later in Berlin. Graundenkmal Wahrenbrueck

Graun wrote a number of operas. His opera ''

Cesare e Cleopatra ''Cesare e Cleopatra'' is a dramma per musica in three acts by composer Carl Heinrich Graun. The opera uses an Italian-language libretto by Giovan Gualberto Bottarelli. Performances It was commissioned by Frederick II of Prussia for the opening o ...

'' inaugurated the opening of the

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

(Königliche Hofoper) in 1742. '' Montezuma'' (1755) was written to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by King Frederick. His works are rarely played today, though his

passion cantata In Christian music, a Passion is a setting of the Passion of Christ. Liturgically, most Passions were intended to be performed as part of church services in the Holy Week. Passion settings developed from Medieval intoned readings of the Gospe ...

Der Tod Jesu ''Der Tod Jesu'' (''The Death of Jesus'') is an oratorio libretto by Karl Wilhelm Ramler. In its setting by Carl Heinrich Graun in 1755, it was the most often performed Passion of the 18th century in Germany. The poem is part of the '' Empfin ...

'' (''The Death of Jesus'', 1755) was frequently performed in Germany for many years after his death. His other works include concertos and

trio sonata The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic s ...

s. He was known for particularly good text-setting, probably due to his background as a vocalist. He married twice and had a daughter, who became a singer, from his first marriage and four sons from his second. His great-great-great-great-grandson,

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bo ...

,''

Speak, Memory ''Speak, Memory'' is an autobiographical memoir by writer Vladimir Nabokov. The book includes individual essays published between 1936 and 1951 to create the first edition in 1951. Nabokov's revised and extended edition appeared in 1966. Scop ...

'', Vladimir Nabokov, Vintage International, 1989, p. 54. became an eminent 20th-century novelist.

Works

Stage works

*''Polydorus'' (5 acts, 1726–28) *''Iphigenia in Aulis'' (3 acts 1728) *''Scipio Africanus'' (3 acts, 1732) *''Lo specchio della fedeltà'' (3 acts, 1733) *''Pharao Tubaetes'' (5 acts, 1735) *''Rodelinda, regina de' langobardi'' (3 acts, 1741) *''

'' (3 acts, 1742) *''Artaserse'', libretto by

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...

(3 acts, 1743) *''

Catone in Utica ''Catone in Utica'' (; ) is an opera libretto by Metastasio, that was originally written for Leonardo Vinci's 1727 opera. Following Vinci's success, Metastasio's text was used by numerous composers of the baroque and classical eras for thei ...

'', libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1743) *'' Alessandro e Poro'', libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1744) *''Lucio Papirio'' (3 acts, 1744) *''

Adriano in Siria ''Adriano in Siria'' (''Hadrian in Syria'') is a libretto by Italian poet Metastasio first performed, with music by Antonio Caldara, in Vienna in 1732, and turned into an opera by at least 60 other composers during the next century. Metastasio ...

'', libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1746) *''Demofoonte'', libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1746) *''Cajo Fabricio'' (3 acts, 1746) *''Le feste galanti'' (1747) *''Cinna'' (3 acts, 1748) *''L'Europa galante'' (1748) *''Ifigenia in Aulide'' (3 acts, 1748) *'' Angelica e Medoro'' (3 acts, 1749) *''Coriolano'' (3 acts, 1749) *''Fetonte'' (3 acts, 1750) *''Il Mithridate'' (3 acts, 1751) *''L’Armida'' (3 acts, 1751) *''Britannico'' (3 acts, 1751) *''L'Orfeo'' (3 acts, 1752) *''Il giudizio di Paride'' (1 act, 1752) *''Silla'' (3 acts, 1753) *''Semiramide'' (3 acts, 1754) *'' Montezuma'' (3 acts, 1755) *''Ezio'', libretto by Metastasio (1755) *''I fratelli nemici'' (3 acts, 1756) *''La Merope'' (3 acts, 1756)

Other works

*Te Deum *''

Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" (A Lambkin goes and bears the guilt) is a Lutheran Passion hymn in German by Paul Gerhardt. The hymn text was first published in Johann Crüger's ''Praxis Pietatis Melica'', starting from the lost 1647 ...

Passion cantata In Christian music, a Passion is a setting of the Passion of Christ. Liturgically, most Passions were intended to be performed as part of church services in the Holy Week. Passion settings developed from Medieval intoned readings of the Gospe ...

(ca. 1730) *''Kommt her und schaut'' (''Große Passion'') (1730) *''

'', Passion cantata (1755) *''Oratorium in Festum Nativitatis Christi'', Christmas oratorio *Easter Oratorium *Six Italian Cantatas *Concerto for Horn, Strings and Cembalo D major *

Lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

er (1743) *Sinfonia C major *Concerto for Viola da gamba *Harpsichord Concerto in C minor *Gigue in B-flat minor

Bibliography

*John W. Grubbs (1972): ''The Sacred Choral Music of the Graun Brothers'', 1972

Notes

Sources

*"Graun, Carl Heinrich" by E. Eugene Helm, in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', ed.

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

(London, 1992)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graun, Carl Heinrich 1704 births 1759 deaths People from Uebigau-Wahrenbrück People from the Electorate of Saxony German Baroque composers German Classical-period composers German male classical composers 18th-century classical composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians People educated at the Kreuzschule General directors of the Berlin State Opera