Graun, Johann Gottlieb (EN)

Graun Johann Gottlieb, Giovanni Amadeo, * between 28 October 1702 and 27 October 1703 Wahrenbrück, †27 October 1771 Berlin, brother of August Friedrich, German composer and violinist.

In 1713, he became a pupil at the Kreuzschule in Dresden. He studied singing with the cantor J.Z. Grundig, and violin and composition with J.G. Pisendel. In 1718 he was enrolled as a student at the University of Leipzig, but did not leave the school in Dresden until 1721. In 1723 he accompanied his younger brother on a journey to Prague, where he studied under G. Tartini for about six months. In 1726 or 1727, he was appointed concertmaster in Merseburg, where he also taught W.F. Bach to play the violin. In 1728, he performed for the first time at the Berlin court. It was probably in that same year that he became concertmaster of Prince von Waldeck’s ensemble in Arolsen. In 1732, he joined the orchestra of the Prussian heir to the throne (later King Frederick II) in Ruppin, which was transferred to Rheinsberg in 1736. In 1740, following Frederick’s coronation, he became concertmaster of the royal orchestra in Berlin and held this post until his death. In 1741, he received a salary of 1,560 thalers. Among his pupils was F. Benda. At present, it is not possible to compile a complete list of the compositions by Johann Gottlieb Graun and his younger brother Carl Heinrich, as some works are attributed solely to one name, whilst others appear in various sources under the names of both Johann Gottlieb and Carl Heinrich. Many compositions have been lost, and based on the not always accurate information in publication catalogues, it is often difficult to determine which piece is meant.

Johann Gottlieb Graun – alongside Carl Heinrich Graun, a leading figure of the Berlin School – was, in his day, a well-known and highly regarded composer of instrumental music, as evidenced, among other things, by the numerous copies of his compositions (for example, J.S. Bach copied two of his trios). Frederick II’s sister, Princess Anna Amalia, acquired Johann Gottlieb Graun’s compositional legacy after his death and, after having it transcribed, incorporated it into her library (10 volumes). Johann Gottlieb Graun composed music in the galant style. His three-movement symphonies bear certain hallmarks typical of Baroque music, such as the leading melodic figure running through the entire piece, but polyphonic devices (imitations, fugato, canons) are combined in them with the homophonic concertante style typical of Italian music. Graun’s violin concertos are his finest works; he was himself an excellent instrumentalist; his rubato was particularly famous, whilst his double stops and tendency to use high registers indicate the influence of Tartini. However, the influence of his first teacher, Pisendel, is more evident in Graun’s music. His numerous three-movement trio sonatas draw on the sonata da chiesa. They are generally written for two violins and basso continuo, two flutes and basso continuo, or violin, flute and basso continuo. In these works, as well as in the sonatas for violin and basso continuo, the virtuosic element is prominently featured. Johann Gottlieb Graun’s church music has not yet been studied.

Literature: J. A. Hiller Johann Gottlieb Graun, “Wöchentliche Nachrichten und Anmerkungen” X, Leipzig 1766; H. Hoffmann Die norddeutsche Triosonate des Kreises um Johann Gottlieb Graun und Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Kiel 1927.