Alexander Gretchaninoff (a new find for me)

[m1469]

I just recently found some sheet music by Alexander Gretchaninoff : "The Grandfather's book" Op 119.


I purchased it because these are short pieces that I am curious about for the sake of teaching.  I still need to play through all of them, but have people ever heard of this guy before ?  And do you ever use his compositions in your teaching ?


m1469 

[Barbosa-piano]

I have heard very few about him, but I know that Gretchaninoff basically lived in the same period as Rachmaninoff, and faced the same problems, finding similar ways to cope with his problems. He fled Russia after the Revolution of 1917, moving to Europe, and then the U.S., which led him to become an American citizen in the 1940's. He was a very good composer. Not very well known, his music would fit well into the Romantic category. His piece Plainte Op. 3 no. 1, shows a very strong resemblance of Chopin's Prelude in E minor. This is one of the few pieces by him that I have heard. Have a good luck teaching, easier books by minor composers are very good to increase sight reading skills.

Mario Barbosa

[m1469]

Thanks, Mario, for this information.  It brings this man to life a little more for me.

Cheers,
m1469

[TheHammer]

Normally I would link you to wikipedia, but the English article hasn't much things to say, so I will jsut translate the German one, because I am such a nice guy (actually because I want to practice German-->English translation)

Alexander Tichonowitsch Gretschaninoff (Octobre 13th/25th 1864 in Moscow, died January 3rd in NY) was a Russian composer.

Life:
Gretchaninoff (from now on: G.) made his first acquaintances with music in a church choir. Since 1881 he studied piano, contrapunct, harmony and fugue composition as well as formal instructions at a conservatory in Moscow (against his father's will, who was a merchant), among others under Anton Arenski and Sergej Tanejew. 1890 he moved to the conservatory in St. Petersburg, to study composition with Nikolaj Rimski-Korsakow there until 1893. After first successes as a composer he returned to Moscow in 1896, where he first dedicated himself to church music, than to incidental music. Until the Octobre Revolution G. taught (among others at the Gnesin-institute), wrote for magazines and acted as a conductor. His pedagogical enterprises (among others as the head of a church choir) have to be emphasized. After the Octobre Revoltion, which represented the end of his originally lifelong pension - which he had received from the Tsar for his "Second Liturgy (?) of the holy John Chrysostomos (German spell.)"- G. was more and more active in public positions. 1925 he moved to Paris, without breaking with the Sovietunion, though. He undertook concert tours more often now, before he dediced to immigrate into the USA because of the threatening political situation. After 1940 he lived in New York. During WW2 he wrote several compositions which were supposed to support the forces of the Red Army. 1946 he received the American citizenship. Throughout his life, G. received many prizes and awars.

Style:
In G. early works, the influence of Rimsky-Korsakkow is still perceivable. Later, G. opened to western styles, at first (especially in his early operas) he absorbed elements of Richard Wagner into his own style, after 1910 he was geared to newer French music. One centre of reference remained Tchaikovsky. All in all, he is, even despite his clear "russian style", regarded as  more cosmopolitically orientated.
On the other hand he always was rather traditional, so that his works sound more or less conservative. G. clerical (?) music is formed by endeavours for renewal by the means of a return to the oldest Russian traditions. He is thought of as the main representative of this movement, the so called "Moscowian (?lol, I have no clue) School" or "New Direction".
G. dedicated himself to works for children quite often, as for example in his piano pieces for children or his child operas. After his death the during his lifetime highly regarded G. soon fell into oblivion, whereas he was ignored in the Sovietunion due to his emigration.
Despite this, some of his clerical works find more and more recognition in nowaday's Russia, in the course of the new connection to religion, recently to be observed there.



Translated by me from here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Tichonowitsch_Gretschaninow
There is also a list of his compositions on this site (German spellings, though).
 
Hmm...some things could get overworked but I guess it will be enough. Was fun and didn't take me too long. Sounds interesting as well.