Johann Gottlieb Graun

Johann Gottlieb Graun (b Wahrenbrück, 1702–3; d Berlin, 27 Oct 1771). Composer, brother of (1) August Friedrich Graun.

From 1713 he attended the Kreuzschule in Dresden, where he sang in the boys' choir directed by Johann Zacharias Grundig, and from 1720 by Theodor Christlieb Reinhold. Although he was registered in 1718–19 at the University of Leipzig, the school archives show that he remained an alumnus until 1721. Graun studied the violin and composition with the Dresden Konzertmeister J.G. Pisendel, and continued his studies with Tartini in Padua, returning to Dresden afterwards. In 1726 he was appointed Konzertdirektor at the royal court in Merseburg, where his annual salary was over 306 thalers, including 43 thalers and 18 groschen as payment for his compositions. These probably included the six violin sonatas that Graun published in Merseburg. A measure of his reputation as a violinist is that J.S. Bach allowed his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, to be taught by him in 1726–7.

The next phase in Graun's career was his appointment as Konzertdirektor at the court of Carl August Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck, on 1 September 1731. He had probably already been working in the prince's service since 1727. There he directed a small Kapelle made up of highly qualified singers and players. Their repertory consisted mainly of Italian music and works by Telemann. Graun's annual salary was 400 thalers, together with payments in kind. Clearly he now felt in a position to start a family, and in 1731 he married Dorothea-Josepha Schmiel, who bore him three children. In May 1728 Graun had performed at the Prussian court in Berlin and quite probably earned the approval of Pietro Locatelli, who was present. Apparently he maintained contacts with Berlin; not only did his marriage take place there, but in 1732 he became a member of the newly formed Kapelle of the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick in Ruppin. The orchestra developed gradually: in 1733 Franz Benda (a pupil of Graun) joined, in the following year Johann Benda and Christoph Schaffrath came, and then Graun's brother (3) Carl Heinrich in 1735. With 17 members, the Kapelle followed the crown prince to Rheinsberg in 1736 and formed the kernel of the Prussian court Kapelle that Frederick the Great developed further after his accession to the throne in 1740. J.G. Graun held the position of Konzertmeister, with a salary of 1200 thalers, until his death. His duties included directing the orchestra at numerous court concerts, mainly for the reigning Queen Elisabeth Christine and for Frederick the Great's mother, the dowager Queen Sophia Dorothea. Most of Graun's instrumental works could have been written for the king's chamber concerts or for the larger court concerts. It is not known whether he was involved with any of the many musical societies formed in Berlin and Potsdam in the 1740s and 50s, which included professional musicians as well as amateurs from the nobility and bourgeoisie. However, we do know that Graun was involved in teaching the new generation of orchestral players; he received additional payments for instructing the violinists Ivan Böhme in 1746–50 and Balthasar Christian Bertram in 1749–51.

Graun was held in high regard by his contemporaries, especially as an orchestral trainer and instrumental composer. There is evidence of this in the large number of surviving manuscripts of his orchestral and chamber music, in particular an extensive collection of his works in the library of Frederick the Great's sister, Princess Anna Amalia (now in D-Bsb). Any attempt to describe his musical style, particularly in comparison with that of his younger brother, is problematic because of difficulties with the sources and obvious similarities in their musical handwriting, which perhaps stem from common influences in Dresden. In his trios J.G. Graun appears to have adopted the three-movement (slow–fast–fast) form, in place of the four-movement da chiesa form, before his brother did. In addition, he composed mostly for string ensembles, which is hardly surprising: for two violins or for ensembles including the viola or viola da gamba (see Wendt, 1983). The trios of both brothers have in common a type of thematic development based on Fortspinnungand featuring syncopation, triplets and so-called lombardic rhythms, and both brothers limited the thematic interest to the upper parts. Most of J.G. Graun's instrumental concertos are for one or two solo violins, although there are some for other instruments. The ritornello form of Tartini provided a structural starting-point for these works, on which much research still needs to be done.

The symphonies attributed to J.G. Graun include works for strings (to some of which wind parts were added later) and others for larger forces. This indicates different places and performance conditions (chamber or concert hall), although the structure of the music does not necessarily reflect this. In all this variety of form lies the basic principle of grouping motifs together, especially in the outer movements. In the weighty first movements this principle is maintained within an overall three-part structure, and in the finales it is integrated in the design of a movement resembling one from a suite. In his symphonies Graun followed the Italian model, but he was also a composer who cultivated the French overture. These works probably date from the 1720s and 30s, as the form soon became unpopular at the court of Frederick the Great. Graun's liturgical music and his Italian passion oratorio may date from the period before his appointment in Prussia, as there were hardly any later opportunities for their use until regular performances of sacred music began in a few Berlin churches in the 1750s.