- Carl Heinrich Graun
Carl Heinrich Graun (
May 7 ,1704 -August 8 ,1759 ) was a Germancomposer andtenor singer. Along withJohann Adolf Hasse , he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italianopera of his time. ["TheNew Grove Dictionary of Opera vol. 2 p.519]Biography
Graun was born in
Wahrenbrück inBrandenburg . He sang in the chorus of theDresden opera before moving to Braunschweig, singing there and writing six operas for the company. He waskapellmeister toFrederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) from his ascension to the throne in 1740 until Graun's death nineteen years later inBerlin .Graun wrote a number of operas. His opera "Cleopatra e Cesare" inaugurated the opening of the Berlin opera house in 1742 . Others, such as "Montezuma" (1755), with a
libretto by King Frederick. None of his pieces are often performed today, though his passion "Der Tod Jesu" (The Death of Jesus, 1755) was frequently given in Germany for many years after his death. His other works includeconcerto s andtrio sonata s.Carl Heinrich Graun was the brother of
Johann Gottlieb Graun , also a composer.Works
Stage works
* Polydorus (5 acts, 1726-28)
* Iphigenia in Aulis (3 acts 1728)
* Scipio Africanus (3 acts, 1732)
* Lo specchio della fedeltà (3 acts, 1733)
* Pharao Tubaetes (5 acts, 1735)
* Rodelinda, regina de' langobardi (3 acts, 1741)
* Cleopatra e Cesare (3 acts, 1742)
* Artaserse, libretto byMetastasio (3 acts, 1743)
* Catone in Utica, libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1743)
* Alessandro e Poro, libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1744)
* Lucio Papirio (3 acts, 1744)
* Adriano in Siria, libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1746)
* Demofoonte, libretto by Metastasio (3 acts, 1746)
* Cajo Fabricio (3 acts, 1746)
* Le feste galanti (1747)
* Cinna (3 acts, 1748)
* L'Europa galante (1748)
* Ifigenia in Aulide (3 acts, 1748)
* Angelica e Medoro (3 acts, 1749)
* Coriolano (3 acts, 1749)
* Fetonte (3 acts, 1750)
* Il Mithridate (3 acts, 1751)
* L’Armida (3 acts, 1751)
* Britannico (3 acts, 1751)
* L'Orfeo (3 acts, 1752)
* Il giudizio di Paride (1 act, 1752)
* Silla (3 acts, 1753)
* Semiramide (3 acts, 1754)
* Montezuma (3 acts, 1755)
* Ezio, libretto by Metastasio (1755)
* I fratelli nemici (3 acts, 1756)
* La Merope (3 acts, 1756)Other works
* Te Deum
* Der Tod Jesu (1755)
* Oratorium in Festum Nativitatis Christi
* Osteroratorium
* Six Italian Cantatas
* Concerto for Horn, Strings and Cembalo D-major
* Sinfonia C-majorBibliography
* John W. Grubbs (1972): The Sacred Choral Music of the Graun Brothers
Notes
ources
"Graun, Carl Heinrich" by E Eugene Helm, in 'The
New Grove Dictionary of Opera ', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7External links
*IMSLP|id=Graun, Karl Heinrich|cname=Carl Heinrich Graun
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.