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Carl Heinrich Graun (7 May 1704 – 8 August 1759) was a German composer and tenor. Along with Johann Adolph Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.[1]

Carl Heinrich Graun
Born(1704-05-07)7 May 1704
Wahrenbrück, Electorate of Saxony
Died8 August 1759(1759-08-08) (aged 55)
NationalityGerman
EducationKreuzkirche, Dresden
Occupationcomposer, tenor
Years active1726–1756
Known formost important German composer of Italian opera of his time
Notable workKapellmeister to Frederick the Great
Spousetwo
Childrenone daughter, four sons
RelativesJohann Gottlieb Graun (brother)

Biography


Graun was born in Wahrenbrück in the Electorate of Saxony. In 1714, he followed his brother, Johann Gottlieb Graun, to the school of the Kreuzkirche, Dresden, and sang in the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the chorus of the Dresden Opera. He studied singing with Christian Petzold and composition with Johann Christoph Schmidt. In 1724, Graun moved to Braunschweig, singing at the opera house and writing six operas for the company. In 1735, Graun moved to Rheinsberg in Brandenburg, after he had written the opera Lo specchio della fedeltà for the marriage of the then crown prince Frederick (the Great) and Elisabeth Christine in Schloss Salzdahlum in 1733. He was Kapellmeister to Frederick the Great from his ascension to the throne in 1740 until Graun's death nineteen years later in Berlin.

Graun memorial in Wahrenbrück
Graun memorial in Wahrenbrück

Graun wrote a number of operas. His opera Cesare e Cleopatra inaugurated the opening of the Berlin State Opera (Königliche Hofoper) in 1742. Montezuma (1755) was written to a libretto by King Frederick. His works are rarely played today, though his passion cantata Der Tod Jesu (The Death of Jesus, 1755) was frequently performed in Germany for many years after his death. His other works include concertos and trio sonatas. He was known for particularly good text-setting, probably due to his background as a vocalist.[2]

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,[3] became an eminent 20th-century novelist.


Works



Stage works



Other works



Bibliography



Notes


  1. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera vol. 2 p. 519
  2. Sulzer, Johann Georg (1774). Allgemeine Theorie der Schönen Künste (1. Auflage ed.). Leipzig: Weidmann; Reich.
  3. Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov, Vintage International, 1989, p. 54.

Sources





На других языках


[de] Carl Heinrich Graun

Carl Heinrich Graun (* 1704/1705 in Wahrenbrück; † 8. August 1759 in Berlin) war ein deutscher Komponist und Sänger.
- [en] Carl Heinrich Graun

[es] Carl Heinrich Graun

Carl Heinrich Graun (7 de mayo de 1704 — 8 de agosto de 1759) fue un compositor y tenor alemán. Junto con Johann Adolph Hasse es considerado el compositor de ópera alemán más importante de su tiempo.

[ru] Граун, Карл Генрих

Карл Генрих Гра́ун (нем. Carl Heinrich Graun; 7 мая 1704 (1704-05-07), Варенбрюк — 8 августа 1759, Берлин) — немецкий композитор.



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