Edwin Grasse (13 August 1884 – 8 April 1954) was an American violinist, organist and composer. Among his compositions were orchestral works, including a

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and a violin concerto, and much

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, including a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

. Born in New York City, Grasse was blind from infancy. He began studying the piano at the age of 3 and the violin at age 5. He studied the violin in his native city with Carl Hauser for nine years before entering the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

in 1899. There he excelled under the instruction of César Thomson, earning a premier prix in violin and winning the Prix de Capacité in 1901. The latter prize had not been awarded in a decade. In 1902 he made his debut as a concert violinist in Berlin. He spent the next few years performing throughout Europe. After returning to New York City he studied organ with Daniel Philippi. He was active as a performer mainly in New York City through 1940, appearing regularly in concerts at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, Steinway Hall, and

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. He died in New York City at the age of 69.

Selected works

* Sonata in C for violin and piano, Op. 14 (1912) * ''Scherzo capriccioso'' for violin and piano, Op. 19 (1912) * ''Wellenspiel'' (Waves at Play), Character Piece for violin and piano (1914) * ''Song without Words'' in G major for violin and piano (1915) * ''Im Ruderboot'' (In a Row Boat) for violin and piano (1915) * ''Polonaise No. 1'' in C major for violin and piano (1915) * ''Promenades à cheval'' for violin and piano (1932)

References

External links

* 1884 births 1954 deaths American male composers American composers American male violinists Blind musicians Royal Conservatory of Brussels alumni 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-19thC-stub