Paul Graener
Encyclopedia
Paul Graener was a German composer and conductor.
and orphan
ed as a young child. A boy soprano
, he taught himself composition and in 1896 moved to London
, where he gave private lessons and served briefly as conductor at the Haymarket Theatre
. Before the move, he had married Maria Elisabeth Hauschild, who was to bear him three children in London. Graener is recorded in the United Kingdom Census of 1901
as a "musical director (theatre)" living at 3 Poplar Grove in Hammersmith together with Maria (born in Kiel), their first two children (Heinz and Paul, aged 4 and 2) and Graener's author cousin, George.
In around 1910 Graener moved to Vienna
, where he took up a teaching post at the Neues Wiener Konservatorium
. He moved several times in the 1910s, living in Salzburg, Dresden
, and Munich
, eventually accepting the position of professor of composition at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre which had previously been held by Max Reger
. In 1925 he quit the post in order to focus on composition.
Returning to Berlin in 1930, he directed the Stern'sches Konservatorium
and, from 1935 to 1941, served as professor of composition at the Reichsmusikkammer
. This position, previously held by Wilhelm Furtwängler
, was within a Nazi
-sponsored organization, although the extent to which Graener sympathized with Nazi ideals is a subject of debate. In the late 1920s Graener had joined the Militant League for German Culture
and on 1 April 1933 he became a member of the Nazi Party. During World War II
, Graener's Berlin apartment was bombed and he moved with his family to, successively, Wiesbaden
, Munich, Vienna, and Salzburg. Graener died in Salzburg at the age of 72 in 1944.
Stylistically, Graener was heavily indebted to the late Romanticism
of Richard Strauss
and Max Reger
.
Biography
Graener was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed as a young child. A boy soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, he taught himself composition and in 1896 moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he gave private lessons and served briefly as conductor at the Haymarket Theatre
Haymarket Theatre
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
. Before the move, he had married Maria Elisabeth Hauschild, who was to bear him three children in London. Graener is recorded in the United Kingdom Census of 1901
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
as a "musical director (theatre)" living at 3 Poplar Grove in Hammersmith together with Maria (born in Kiel), their first two children (Heinz and Paul, aged 4 and 2) and Graener's author cousin, George.
In around 1910 Graener moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he took up a teaching post at the Neues Wiener Konservatorium
Neues Wiener Konservatorium
The Neues Wiener Konservatorium was a music school established in Vienna by Theobald Kretschmann in 1909. In 1929 it had the largest number of enrolled students during its lifetime....
. He moved several times in the 1910s, living in Salzburg, 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 Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, eventually accepting the position of professor of composition at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre which had previously been held by Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
. In 1925 he quit the post in order to focus on composition.
Returning to Berlin in 1930, he directed the Stern'sches Konservatorium
Stern conservatory
The Stern Conservatory was a private music school in Berlin with many notable tutors and alumni.-History:It was originally founded in 1850 as the Berliner Musikschule by Julius Stern, Theodor Kullak and Adolf Bernhard Marx. Kullak withdrew from the conservatory in 1855 in order to create a new...
and, from 1935 to 1941, served as professor of composition at the Reichsmusikkammer
Reichsmusikkammer
The Reichsmusikkammer was a Nazi institution. It promoted "good German music" which was composed by Aryans and seen as consistent with Nazi ideals, while suppressing other, "degenerate" music, which included atonal music, jazz, and music by Jewish composers...
. This position, previously held by Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
, was within a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
-sponsored organization, although the extent to which Graener sympathized with Nazi ideals is a subject of debate. In the late 1920s Graener had joined the Militant League for German Culture
Militant League for German Culture
The Militant League for German Culture [German: Kampfbund für deutsche Kultur ], was a nationalist-minded anti-Semtic political society during the Weimar Republic and the Nazi era...
and on 1 April 1933 he became a member of the Nazi Party. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Graener's Berlin apartment was bombed and he moved with his family to, successively, Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Munich, Vienna, and Salzburg. Graener died in Salzburg at the age of 72 in 1944.
Stylistically, Graener was heavily indebted to the late Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
and Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
.
Operas
- The Faithful Sentry op. 1 (premiered 1899)
- Das Narrengericht op. 38 (1913)
- Don Juans letztes Abenteuer op. 42 (1914)
- Theophano op. 48 (premiered 1918, Munich)
- Schirin und Gertraude op. 51 (1920)
- Hanneles Himmelfahrt W/o Op. (1927) (after Gerhart HauptmannGerhart HauptmannGerhart Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1912.-Life and work:...
's playThe Assumption of HanneleThe Assumption of Hannele , also known simply as Hannele, is an 1893 play by the German playwright Gerhart Hauptmann. In contrast to Hauptmann's naturalistic dramas, The Assumption of Hannele adopts a more symbolist dramaturgy and includes a dream sequence. The play is the first in world literature...
) - Friedemann Bach op. 90 (1931) (after Albert Emil Brachvogel's novel)
- Der Prinz von Homburg op. 100 (1935)
Orchestral
- Sinfonietta for Strings and Harp, op. 27 (1910)
- Symphony in D Minor Schmied Schmerz (1912, op. 39)
- Aus dem Reiche des Pan (1920)
- Variationen über ein russisches Volkslied op. 55 (from 1926)
- Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra op. 78 (published in 1927)
- Die Flöte von Sanssouci (1930)
- Comedietta op. 82
- Variationen über Prinz EugenPrinz Eugen, der edle RitterPrinz Eugen, der edle Ritter is an Austrian folksong about the victory of Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1717 during the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–1718....
(1939) - Turmwächterlied (1938)
- Wiener Sinfonie (1941, First Performance: Hans KnappertsbuschHans KnappertsbuschHans Knappertsbusch was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner and Richard Strauss....
, Berlin Philharmonic) - Flute Concerto op. 116
Chamber music
- 4 String Quartets (incl. opp. 54, 65 and 80 published 1920-8 )
- Suite op. 63 for flute and piano (published in 1924 )