Alexander Tikhonovich GretchaninovAlso commonly transliterated as ''Aleksandr/Alexandre'' ''Grechaninov/Gretchaninoff/Gretschaninow'' ( rus, Алекса́ндр Ти́хонович Гречани́нов, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲɪtɕɐˈnʲinəf; – 3 January 1956) was a Russian Romantic composer.

Life

Gretchaninov started his musical studies rather late, because his father, a businessman, had expected the boy to take over the family firm. Gretchaninov himself related that he did not see a piano until he was 14 and began his studies at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

in 1881 against his father's wishes and without his knowledge. His main teachers there were

Sergei Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of musical composition, composition, music theorist and author. Life Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire, to a cultur ...

and

Anton Arensky Anton Stepanovich Arensky (; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Biography Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving family in Novgorod, Russia. He was musically precocious and ha ...

. In the late 1880s, after a quarrel with Arensky, he moved to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

where he studied composition and orchestration with

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

until 1893. Rimsky-Korsakov immediately recognized Gretchaninov's extraordinary musical imagination and talent and gave him much extra time as well as considerable financial help. This allowed the young man, whose parents were not supporting him, to survive. Out of this came an important friendship, which only ended in 1908 with Rimsky's death. As such, it is not surprising that Rimsky's influence can be heard in Gretchaninov's early works, such as his String Quartet No. 1, a prize-winning composition. Around 1896, Gretchaninov returned to Moscow and was involved with writing for the theatre, the opera and the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

. His works, especially those for voice, achieved considerable success within Russia, while his instrumental works enjoyed even wider acclaim. By 1910, he was considered a composer of such distinction that the Tsar awarded him an annual pension. Though Gretchaninov remained in Russia for several years after the Revolution, he ultimately chose to emigrate, first to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1925, and then, at the age of 75, to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1939. He remained in the U.S. the rest of his life and eventually became an American citizen. He died in New York at the age of 91 and is buried outside the church at Rova Farms, a Russian enclave in Jackson Township,

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the southernmost county in the New York metropolitan area. The county borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east and in terms of total area is the state's largest county. Its co ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Music

Gretchaninov wrote five

symphonies 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 c ...

, the first premiered by Rimsky-Korsakov; four

string quartet The term string quartet refers 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 Violin, violini ...

s, the first two of which won important prizes, two

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in European classical music, classical chamber music. The term can also ...

s, sonatas for violin, cello, clarinet, piano and balalaika, several

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, song cycle ''

Les Fleurs du Mal ''Les Fleurs du mal'' (; ) is a volume of French poetry by Charles Baudelaire. ''Les Fleurs du mal'' includes nearly all Baudelaire's poetry, written from 1840 until his death in August 1867. First published in 1857, it was important in the ...

'', op. 48 (setting lyrics by

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, an ...

) and much other music. Like

Vladimir Rebikov Vladimir Ivanovich Rebikov (, ); born May 31 S May 191866 - Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia — died October 1, 1920 - Yalta, Crimea) was a late romantic 20th-century Russian composer and pianist. Biography Born into a family of distant Tatar anc ...

's, his position in the history of Russian music was mainly transitional, his earlier music belonging firmly in that earlier Romantic tradition while his later work is influenced by some of the streams that also affected

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

and

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

. Sketches for an unfinished sixth symphony from the 1940s exist. He also composed a number of small scale piano pieces. Most of Gretchaninov's manuscripts reside in the Music Division of

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

Selected works

Orchestral

Symphonies

* Symphony No. 1 in B minor, Op. 6 (1894); premiered by

in Saint Petersburg on 26 January 1895 * Symphony No. 2 in A major, ''Pastoral'', Op. 27 (1908); premiered by Gretchaninov in 1909 in Kiev * Symphony No. 3 in E major, Op. 100 (1923); premiered by Gretchaninov in 1923(4?) in Moscow * Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 (1927); premiered by

John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 1943 ...

& the

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

on 9 April 1942 * Symphony No. 5 in G minor, Op. 153 (1936); premiered by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

and the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

on 5 April 1939 * Symphony No. 6 (sketches, c. 1940s)

Concerti

* Cello Concerto, Op. 8 (1895) * ''In modo antico'', Op. 81, for violin & orchestra (1918) * Violin Concerto, Op. 132 (1932) * Concerto for flute, harp and strings, Op. 159 (1938)

Other orchestral

* Concert Overture in D minor (1892) * Elegy in Memory of Tchaikovsky (1893) * Incidental Music to the play ''Tsar Feodor'' of Tolstoy (1898) * Incidental Music to the play ''The Death of Ivan the Terrible'' of Tolstoy (1899) * Incidental Music to the play ''Dreams'' of Danchenko (1899) * Funeral March (1905) * Rhapsody on Russian Themes, Op. 147 (1940) * ''Poème élégiaque'', Op. 175 (1944 or 1945) * ''A Grand Festival Overture'', Op. 178 (1946) * ''Poème lyrique'', Op. 185 (1947–48)

Opera

* ''

Dobrynya Nikitich Dobrynya Nikitich () is one of the most popular bogatyrs (epic knights) from the " Kievan" series of Russian folklore based on bylina (epic songs) originating from the area around the capital of the Kievan Rus, Kiev. According to the bylinas, ...

'', Op. 22 (1895-1901) after the story of the bogatyr

. * ''Soeur Béatrice'', Op. 50 (1908–10) * ''The Dream of the Christmas Tree'' Kinderoper, Op. 55 (1911) * ''Der Kater, der Hahn und der Fuchs'', Kinderoper, Op. 103 (1924) * ''The Wedding'', Op. 180 (1946)

Secular songs and choral music

* ''4 Mélodies'', for medium voice and piano, Op. 20 (1899) * ''Snowflakes (Снежинки, ''Snezhiniki'') – Song Cycle for Woman's Voice or Choir and Orchestra or Piano'', Op. 47 (1910) * ''Les Fleurs du mal – 5 Songs after Baudelaire'', Op. 48 (1909) * ''The Bee: 6 Children's Songs'', Op. 66 (1914) * ''Under the Waxing Moon'', 4 Songs from a Child's World after Poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, Op. 95 (1925) * ''Sonetti romani'', for voice and piano (Russian text by Vyacheslav Ivanov), Op. 160 (1939) ** ''Piazza di Spagna'', Op. 160, No. 1 ** ''Fontana della Tartaruga'', Op. 160, No. 2 ** ''Triton'', Op. 160, No. 3 ** ''Il tramontare del sole al Pincio'', Op. 160, No. 4 ** ''Fontana di Trevi'', Op. 160, No. 5 * ''Vers la victoire'', symphonic poem (1943)

Liturgical vocal/choral

* ''Liturgie Johannes Chrysostomos'' No. 1, Op. 13 (1897) * ''Liturgy of Christmas Eve'', Op. 19, for double mixed choir (1898) * ''Liturgie Johannes Chrysostomos'' No. 2, Op. 29 (1902) * '' Holy Week (Страстная седмица)'', Op. 58 (1911) * ''All-Night Vigil (Всенощное бдение)'', Op. 59 (1912) * ''Kvalite Boga'', Op. 65 (1915) * ''Liturgia Domestica'' (''Liturgie Johannes Chrysostomos'' No. 3), Op. 79 (1917) * ''Missa Oecumenica'', Op. 142 (1936) * ''Missa Festiva'', Op. 154 (1937) * ''Missa Sancti Spiritus'', Op. 169 (1940) * ''Missa Et in Terra Pax'', Op. 166 (1942) * ''Liturgie Johannes Chrysostomos'' No. 4, Op. 177 (1943)

Chamber music

* String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 2 (1894) * 2 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 14 (1897) * Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 38 (1906) * String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, Op. 70 (1913) * String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 (1915) * Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 87 (1919) * Cello Sonata in E minor, Op. 113 (1927) * String Quartet No. 4 in F major, Op. 124 (1929) * Piano Trio No. 2 in G major, Op. 128 (1931) * Violin Sonata No. 2 in C minor, Op. 137 (1933) * Sonata for Clarinet or Viola & Piano (Clarinet Sonata No. 1), Op. 161 (1935–40) * Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 172(a) (1943)

Piano music

* 5 Pastelles: Plainte, Méditation, Chant d'automne, Orage, Nocturne, Op. 3 (1894) * 2 Pieces: Poème, Cortège, Op. 18 * 2 Pieces: Impromptu, Prélude, Op. 37 * 4 Mazurkas, Op. 53 (1911) * ''Pastelle No. 2'', 8 pieces for piano, Op. 61 (1913) * 3 ''Moments lyriques'' (Prélude, Berceuse, Mazurka), Op. 78 (pub. 1950) * ''Livre d'enfants'', 15 pieces for piano, Op. 98 (1923) * ''On the Green Meadow'', Op. 99 (1924) * 2 Piano Sonatinas, Op. 110 (1927) * The Grandfather's Book, Op. 119 * ''Glass Beads'', Op. 123 (1929) * Piano Sonata No. 1 in G minor, Op. 129 (1931) * Piano Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 174 (1944) * Petite Suite for Piano, Op. 176 (1944)

Notes

References

Some of the information on this page appears on th
Alexander Gretchaninov page
of th
Edition Silvertrust website
Permission has been granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

External links

Gretchaninov manuscripts
in th
Music Division
o

*

Soundbites & short biography. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gretchaninoff, Alexander 1864 births 1956 deaths Classical composers of church music People from Kaluga People from Kaluzhsky Uyezd Composers for piano Russian string quartet composers 19th-century classical composers from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian classical composers Composers from the Russian Empire Russian emigrants to the United States Immigrants to the United States Immigrants to France 20th-century male composers 19th-century male musicians from the Russian Empire Moscow Conservatory alumni