Grandjany Rhapsodie?

[unknown-user]

Anyone have any of the following information for this piece?

Date of composition?

Circumstances surrounding composition (perhaps a Conservatoire concours)?

[Misty Harrison]

Weidensaul article in old AHJ has a lot of information and also Inglefield’s book on Grandjany.

[Katherine Denler]

Hi!

In the AHJ, Vol. 13, No. 1. Summer 1991 there is an article by Kathy Bundock Moore, Marcel Grandjany: A Centennial Biography. This includes a short analysis of his composition style, grouping the solo pieces as his early period of composition. She lists Rhapsodie, Op. 10 as 1921. Significant events would include him giving up the harp during WWI (1914-1918), “He was disappointed at his inability to serve on active duty and stopped playing the harp out of respect for those fellow musicians who had been called to the front lines–the list of those who died or were maimed is long indeed.” (p. 5) He was then married to Georgette Boulanger in 1919. It appears that otherwise he was teaching, and “In 1921, he was asked to begin a harp class at the opening season of the Conservatoire Americain at Fontainebleau (a tremendous honor for him), joining such well-known instructors as Nadia Boulanger, Paul Vidal…, and organist/composer Charles-Marie Widor.”

[Misty Harrison]

the Inglefield book has some information on the Rhapsody from Mrs. Grandjany

that is why I recommended it.

The Weidensaul article in the AHJ is not on everything about Grandjany but just about the Rhapsody. It will answer a lot of your questions.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Lynne Aspnes can tell you the name of the Chant it is based on, and some other information.

[unknown-user]

Thanks, everyone!
Saul, what is Lynne’s email?

~Sam

[barbara-brundage]

You know, Sam, google is your friend:

>Rhapsodie pour la harpe, Opus 10 (1923) by Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975) The Rhapsodie marked Grandjany’s debut as a composer of solo works of symphonic conception. Its intended use was as a recital opener to “impose the harp,” as his teacher Renié, to whom the work is dedicated, had advocated. The theme of the Rhapsodie is based on a Gregorian chant (Salve Festa Dies) which is sung at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil for the newly baptized. To a devout Roman Catholic, this melody has enormous emotional significance – it is Grandjany’s love song to his Mother Church, but as with all of his compositions, it transcends traditional music for the harp and reaches, through its large design, emotional input, and appropriate technical challenges, another plane rarely visited in our repertoire.

and there’s a great deal more info available, too.

[unknown-user]

Barbara,

You don’t have to tell me, of all people, to do a google search. I spent about ten minutes searching but nothing came up! Where did you find that bit? Very helpful indeed!

~Sam

[barbara-brundage]

Hi, Sam. That was from the program from the 40th annual AHS conference, the one in Minneapolis.

[barbara-brundage]

I’m kind of surprised you didn’t find it–it was about the fifth or sixth thing that came up for me.

[richard-hagan]

Hi Sam —

Kathleen Bride played the piece at the AHS conference in Detroit.

[barbara-brundage]

Just out of curiosity, Sam, are you using windows? I’ve noticed that there’s usually a considerable difference in google results on windows vs. mac, although I’ve never been sure just why that is.

[frances-duffy]

The chant is “Salve, Festa Dies”

[melissa-gallant]

Here’s a video link

[kay-lister]

Melissa – that was lovely, thank you!

Kay

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