Edwin Grasse
Encyclopedia
Edwin Grasse was an American
violin
ist, organist
and composer. Among his compositions were orchestra
l works, including a symphony
and a violin concerto
, and much chamber music
, including a string quartet
.
Born in New York City
, Grasse was blind from infancy. He began studying the piano at the age of 3 and the violin at age 5. He studied the violin in his native city with Carl Hauser for nine years before entering the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
in 1899. There he excelled under the instruction of César Thomson
, earning a premier prix in violin and winning the Prix de Capacité in 1901. The latter prize had not been awarded in a decade. In 1902 he made his debut as a concert violinist in Berlin. He spent the next few years performing throughout Europe. After returning to New York City he studied organ with Daniel Philippi. He was active as a performer mainly in New York City through 1940, appearing regularly in concerts at Carnegie Hall
, Steinway Hall
, and Town Hall
. He died in New York City at the age of 69.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and composer. Among his compositions were orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l works, including a symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
and a violin concerto
Violin concerto
A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin and instrumental ensemble, customarily orchestra. Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day...
, and much chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, including a string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Grasse was blind from infancy. He began studying the piano at the age of 3 and the violin at age 5. He studied the violin in his native city with Carl Hauser for nine years before entering the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a drama and music college in Brussels, Belgium. An academy for acting and the arts, it has been attended by many of the top actors and actresses in Belgium such as Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink....
in 1899. There he excelled under the instruction of César Thomson
César Thomson
César Thomson was a Belgian violinist, teacher and composer.He was born in Liège in 1857. At age seven, he entered the Liège Conservatory of Music, and studied under Jacques Dupuis and Lambert Massart. By age 16, he was considered to have "a technique unrivalled by any other violinist then living"...
, earning a premier prix in violin and winning the Prix de Capacité in 1901. The latter prize had not been awarded in a decade. In 1902 he made his debut as a concert violinist in Berlin. He spent the next few years performing throughout Europe. After returning to New York City he studied organ with Daniel Philippi. He was active as a performer mainly in New York City through 1940, appearing regularly in concerts at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and Steinway-Häuser are located in world cities such as New York City, London, Hamburg, Berlin,...
, and Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
. He died in New York City at the age of 69.
Selected works
- Sonata in C for violin and piano, Op. 14 (1912)
- Scherzo capriccioso for violin and piano, Op. 19 (1912)
- Wellenspiel (Waves at Play), Character Piece for violin and piano (1914)
- Song without Words in G major for violin and piano (1915)
- Im Ruderboot (In a Row Boat) for violin and piano (1915)
- Polonaise No. 1 in C major for violin and piano (1915)
- Promenades à cheval for violin and piano (1932)