Johann Gottlieb Graun
Encyclopedia
Johann Gottlieb Graun was a German
Baroque
/Classical era composer and violin
ist.
Graun was born in Wahrenbrück
. His brother Carl Heinrich
was also a composer and singer. He studied with J.G. Pisendel
in Dresden
, and Giuseppe Tartini
in Padua
. Appointed Konzertmeister in Merseburg
in 1726, he taught the violin to J.S. Bach
's son Wilhelm Friedemann
. He joined the court of the Prussian
crown prince (who later became Frederick the Great) in 1732 and was made Konzertmeister of the Berlin Opera in 1740.
Graun was a highly respected violinist and composer, whose works continued to be performed after his death. "The concert-master, John Gottlib Graun, brother to the opera-composer, his admirers say, 'was one of the greatest performers on the violin of his time, and most assuredly, a composer of the first rank'," wrote Charles Burney
. As a composer, he was primarily known for his instrumental works, though he also wrote vocal music and operas. He wrote a large number of violin concertos, trio sonatas, and solo sonatas for violin with cembalo, and also wrote two string quartets - among the earliest attempts in this genre. He also wrote many concertos for viola da gamba, which were very virtuosic, and were played by Ludwig Christian Hesse, considered the leading gambist of the time.
Despite the popularity of his works, Graun was not free from criticism. Burney noted, "In his concertos and church music... the length of each movement is more immoderate than Christian patience can endure."
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
/Classical era composer and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist.
Graun was born in Wahrenbrück
Uebigau-Wahrenbrück
Uebigau-Wahrenbrück is a town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 11 km northwest of Bad Liebenwerda, and 21 km east of Torgau.-References:...
. His brother Carl Heinrich
Carl Heinrich Graun
Carl Heinrich Graun was a German composer and tenor singer. Along with Johann Adolf Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.-Biography:...
was also a composer and singer. He studied with J.G. Pisendel
Johann Georg Pisendel
Johann Georg Pisendel was a German Baroque musician, violinist and composer who, for many years, led the Court Orchestra in Dresden, then the finest instrumental ensemble in Europe.-Biography:...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, and Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini
Giuseppe Tartini was an Italian baroque composer and violinist.-Biography:Tartini was born in Piran, a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice to Gianantonio – native of Florence – and Caterina Zangrando, a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic Piranian families.It...
in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
. Appointed Konzertmeister in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
in 1726, he taught the violin to J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's son Wilhelm Friedemann
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach , the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer...
. He joined the court of the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
crown prince (who later became Frederick the Great) in 1732 and was made Konzertmeister of the Berlin Opera in 1740.
Graun was a highly respected violinist and composer, whose works continued to be performed after his death. "The concert-master, John Gottlib Graun, brother to the opera-composer, his admirers say, 'was one of the greatest performers on the violin of his time, and most assuredly, a composer of the first rank'," wrote Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
. As a composer, he was primarily known for his instrumental works, though he also wrote vocal music and operas. He wrote a large number of violin concertos, trio sonatas, and solo sonatas for violin with cembalo, and also wrote two string quartets - among the earliest attempts in this genre. He also wrote many concertos for viola da gamba, which were very virtuosic, and were played by Ludwig Christian Hesse, considered the leading gambist of the time.
Despite the popularity of his works, Graun was not free from criticism. Burney noted, "In his concertos and church music... the length of each movement is more immoderate than Christian patience can endure."