Charles Tomlinson Griffes ( ; September 17, 1884 – April 8, 1920) was an American composer for piano,

chamber ensemble Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

s and

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...

. His initial works are influenced by German Romanticism, but after he relinquished the German style, his later works make him the most famous American representative of musical

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, along with

Charles Martin Loeffler Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler (January 30, 1861 – May 19, 1935) was a German-born American violinist and composer. Family background Charles Martin Loeffler was born Martin Karl Löffler on January 30, 1861, in Schöneberg near Berlin to par ...

. He was fascinated by the exotic, mysterious sound of the French Impressionists, and was compositionally much influenced by them while he was in Europe. He also studied the work of contemporary Russian composers such as

Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, scientific transliteration: ''Aleksandr Nikolaevič Skrjabin''; also transliterated variously as Skriabin, Skryabin, and (in French) Scriabine. The composer himselused the French spelling "Scriabine" which was a ...

, whose influence is also apparent in his use of

synthetic scale In music, a synthetic scale is a scale that derives from a traditional diatonic major scale by altering of one degree by a semitone in either direction."Synthetic Musical Scales". Author(s): J. Murray Barbour. Source: ''The American Mathematic ...

Musical career

Griffes was born in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...

. He had early piano lessons with his sister Katherine and later studied piano with Mary Selena Broughton, who taught at

Elmira College Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York, United States. Founded as a Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that ...

. Broughton had a profound impact on his personal and musical development. After early studies on piano and organ in his home town, on recommendation of Broughton, he went to Berlin to study with pianist

Ernst Jedliczka Ernst Jedliczka (24 May 1855 – 3 August 1904) was a Russian-German pianist, piano pedagogue, and music critic. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition'' stated that Jedliczka "did much to spread Russian music in Germany, placing Russian co ...

and Gottfried Galston at the

Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts. History It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Mu ...

. Although recognised as a performer, Griffes grew more interested in composition. Despite being advised against it by Broughton, he left the conservatory and was briefly taught by composer Engelbert Humperdinck. During his time in Berlin he composed several German songs and the for orchestra. On returning to the U.S. in 1907, he became director of music studies at the

Hackley School Hackley School is a private college preparatory school located in Tarrytown, New York, and is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. Founded in 1899 by a wealthy philanthropist, Frances Hackley, the school was intended to be a Unitar ...

for boys in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Greenburgh, New York, Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, Unit ...

, a post which he held until his early death thirteen years later. His post has been described as "grim and unrewarding", though it gave him financial stability. He continued to compose at Hackley in his free time and promoted his music during the summer. His most famous works are the ''White Peacock'', for piano (1915, orchestrated in 1919); his Piano Sonata (1917–18, revised 1919); a

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement (music), movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. T ...

, ''The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan'', after the fragment by

Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

(1912, revised in 1916), and ''Poem for Flute and Orchestra'' (1918). He also wrote numerous programmatic pieces for piano, chamber ensembles, and for voice. The amount and quality of his music is impressive considering his short life and his full-time teaching job, and much of his music is still performed. His unpublished ''Sho-jo'' (1917), a one-act pantomimic drama based on

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

themes, is one of the earliest works by an American composer to show direct inspiration from the music of Japan.

Personal life

Griffes died of

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in New York City during the 1918 worldwide

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

pandemic at the age of 35 and is buried in

Bloomfield Cemetery Bloomfield Cemetery, designated a New Jersey Historic Site, is located at 383 Belleville Avenue, Bloomfield, New Jersey, Bloomfield in Essex County, New Jersey. Bloomfield Cemetery is one of New Jersey’s most significant rural cemeteries, and ...

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and an inner-ring suburb of Newark. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 53,105, an increase of 5,790 (+12.2%) from the 2010 census cou ...

. His papers passed to his younger sister Marguerite, who chose to destroy many that explicitly related to his life as a homosexual. Donna Anderson (1935–2018) was his literary executor. Griffes kept meticulous diaries, some in German, which chronicled his musical accomplishments from 1907 to 1919, and also dealt honestly with his homosexuality, including his regular patronage of the

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s at Lafayette Place and the Produce Exchange. During his time as a student in Berlin, he was devoted to his "special friend" Emil Joèl (aka "Konrad Wölcke"). In later life, he had a long-term relationship with John Meyer (biographer

Edward Maisel Edward Maisel (August 16, 1917, Buffalo, New York – March 21, 2008) was an internationally known writer on music and tai chi. He went to Harvard University where he graduated magna cum laude; he was also Phi Beta Kappa. He lived in New York City ...

used the pseudonym Dan C. Martin), a married New York policeman.

Musical compositions

Stage works

*''The Kairn of Koridwen'' (dance drama in two scenes, after E. Schuré), fl, 2 cl, 2 hn, hp, cel, pf, 1916, New York, February 10, 1917; arr. pf, 1916 *''Sho-jo'' (Japanese pantomime in one scene), fl, ob, cl, hp, Chin. drum, tam-tam, timp, 4 str, 1917, rev. ?1919, Atlantic City, NJ, August 5, 1917 *''Sakura-sakura'' (Japanese folkdance arrangement), fl, cl, hp, 2 vn, vc, db, ?1917, Atlantic City, NJ, August 5, 1917 *''The White Peacock'' (solo ballet, arrangement of piano work), orchestra, ?1919, New York, June 22, 1919 *''Salut au monde'' (festival drama in three acts, after

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

), fl, cl, 2 hn, tpt, 2 trombones, timp, drums, 2 hp, pf, 1919, incomplete, New York, April 22, 1922

Orchestral works

*Overture, c1905 *''Symphonische Phantasie'', 1907, arranged for 2 pianos, ?1910 *''The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla Khan'', Op. 8, 1917,

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

, cond. P. Monteux, Boston, November 28, 1919 ersion of piano piece, 1912*''Notturno für Orchester'', ?1918,

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

, cond. L. Stokowski, Philadelphia, December 19, 1919; arr. piano and string orch. *''Poem'', flute and orchestra, 1918, G. Barrère,

New York Symphony Orchestra The New York Symphony Orchestra was founded as the New York Symphony Society in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. For many years it was a rival to the older Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was supported by Andrew Carnegie, w ...

, cond. W. Damrosch, November 16, 1919 *''Bacchanale'', ?1919, Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Stokowski, Philadelphia, December 19, 1919 ersion of Scherzo for piano, 1913*''Clouds'', ?1919, Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Stokowski, Philadelphia, December 19, 1919 ersion of piano piece, 1916*''The White Peacock'', ?1919, Philadelphia Orchestra, cond. Stokowski, Philadelphia, December 19, 1919 ersion of piano piece, 1915*''Nocturne'', 1919 ersion of 2nd movement of Piano Sonata, 1917–18*''Notturno'', strings ersion of orchestral piece, ?1918

Chamber music

*''Three Tone-Pictures'', woodwinds and harp, 1915, nos. 1–2 Barrère Ensemble, New York, December 19, 1916; arr. wind quintet, str qnt, pf, ?1919, New York Chamber Music Society, Greenwich, Connecticut, June 4, 1920 ersions of piano pieces, 1910–12#The Lake at Evening #The Vale of Dreams #The Night Winds *''Komori uta, Noge no yama'', fl, ob, cl, hp, 2 vn, vc, db, ?Chin. drum, ?1917 apanese melodies*''Two Sketches based on Indian Themes'': Lento e mesto, Allegro giocoso, str quartet, 1918–19; ?première, Flonzaley Quartet, New York, November 24, 1920

Piano

*''Six Variations'', Op. 2, 1898 *''Four Preludes'', Op. 4, 1899–1900 *''Three Tone-Pictures'', Op. 5: The Lake at Evening, 1910, L. Hodgson, New York, April 3, 1914; The Vale of Dreams, 1912; The Night Winds, 1911; arr. ens, 1915, arr. orch. 1919 *''Fantasy Pieces'', Op. 6: Barcarolle, 1912, Griffes, Lowell, Massachusetts, November 3, 1914; Notturno, 1915; Scherzo, 1913, orchestrated as ''Bacchanale'', ?1919 *''Roman Sketches'', Op. 7: The White Peacock, 1915, W. Christie, New York, February 23, 1916, orchestrated ?1919; Nightfall, 1916; The Fountain of the Acqua Paola, 1916; Clouds, 1916, orchestrated ?1919 *Children's pieces, first published under name of Arthur Tomlinson: 6 Short Pieces, 1918; 6 Patriotic Songs, 1918; 6 Bugle-Call Pieces, 1918; 6 Familiar Songs (1919); 6 Pieces for Treble Clef (1919) *Mazurka, 1898–1900 *Sonata, f, ?1904, Griffes, Berlin, June 22, 1905 *Sonata, D, 1 movement, ?1910 *Symphonische Phantasie, 2 pf, ?1910 ersion of orchestra piece, 1907*Sonata, D, 2 movements, ?1911 *The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla Khan, 1912, rev. 1915, orchestrated 1917 *Sonata, f, ?1912 *Rhapsody, b, 1914 *Piece, B, ?1915 *De profundis, 1915 *Legend, 1915 *Piece, d, 1915 *Winter Landscape, c1912 *Piece, E, 1916 *Dance, a, ?1916 *Sonata, 1917–18, Griffes, New York, February 26, 1918, 2nd movement orchestrated as ''Nocturne'', 1919 *Three Preludes, 1919 *Notturno rr. of orchestral piece, ?1918*Arrangement of J. Offenbach: Barcarolle, Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour, piano solo, perf. 1910 *Arrangement of E. Humperdinck: ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'', overture, 2 pianos, 1910

Organ

*Chorale on "" Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr", 1910

Songs

*''Tone-Images'', Op. 3 #La fuite de la lune (

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

), 1912 #Symphony in Yellow (Wilde), 1912 #We'll to the Woods, and Gather May (W. E. Henley), 1914 *''Two Rondels'', Op. 4, c1914 #This Book of Hours (W. Crane) #Come, Love, across the Sunlit Land (C. Scollard) *''Four Impressions'' (Wilde) #Le jardin, 1915 #Impression du matin, 1915 #La mer, 1912, new setting 1916 #Le réveillon, 1914 *''Three Poems'', Op. 9, 1916 #In a Myrtle Shade (

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

) #Waikiki (R. Brooke), E. Gauthier, M. Hansotte, New York, April 22, 1918 #Phantoms (A. Giovannitti) *''Five Poems of Ancient China and Japan'', Op. 10; E. Gauthier, Griffes, New York, November 1, 1917 #So-fei Gathering Flowers (Wang Chang-Ling), 1917 #Landscape (Sada-ihe), 1916 #The Old Temple among the Mountains (Chang Wen-Chang), 1916 #Tears (Wang Seng-Ju), 1916 #A Feast of Lanterns (Yuan Mei), 1917 *''Two Poems'' (J. Masefield); E. Gauthier, M. Hansotte, New York, April 22, 1918 #An Old Song Re-Sung, 1918 #Sorrow of Mydath, 1917 *''Three Poems of Fiona MacLeod'', Op. 11, 1918; V. Janacopulos, Griffes, New York, March 22, 1919; orchestrated 1918, M. Dresser, Philadelphia Orch, cond. T. Rich, Wilmington, DE, March 24, 1919 #The Lament of Ian the Proud #Thy Dark Eyes to Mine #The Rose of the Night *Si mes vers avaient des ailes (V. Hugo), 1901 *Sur ma lyre l'autre fois (C.A. Sainte-Beuve), ?1901 *German Songs, c1903–1909 #Am Kreuzweg wird begraben (

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

) #An den Wind (Nikolaus Lenau) #Auf ihrem Grab (Heine) #Auf dem Teich, dem Regungslosen (Lenau) #Auf geheimen Waldespfade (Lenau) #Das ist ein Brausen und Heulen (Heine) #Das sterbende Kind (Emanuel Geibel) #Der träumende See (Julius Mosen) #Des müden Abendlied (Geibel) #Elfe (Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, J. von Eichendorff) #Entflieh mit mir (Heine) #Es fiel ein Reif (Heine) #Frühe (Eichendorff) #Gedicht von Heine (Mit schwarzen Segeln) #Ich weiss nicht, wie's geschieht (Geibel) #Könnt’ ich mit dir dort oben gehn (Mosen) #Meeres Stille (J. W. von Goethe) #Mein Herz ist wie die dunkle Nacht (Geibel) #Mir war, als müsst’ ich graben (Das Grab) (Christian Friedrich Hebbel) #Nacht liegt auf den fremden Wegen (Heine) #So halt’ ich endlich dich umfangen (Geibel) #Winternacht (Lenau) #Wo ich bin, mich rings umdunkelt (Heine), c1903–11 #Wohl lag ich einst in Gram und Schmerz (Geibel) #Zwei Könige saßen auf Orkadal (Geibel), before 1910 *The Water-Lily (J.B. Tabb), 1911 *The Half-Ring Moon (Tabb), 1912 *Nachtlied (Geibel), 1912 *Pierrot (S. Teasdale), 1912 *Les ballons (Wilde), ?1912, rev. 1915 *Cleopatra to the Asp (Tabb) *Evening Song (S. Lanier) *The First Snowfall (Tabb) *Phantoms (Tabb), c1912 *The War-Song of the Vikings (F. MacLeod), 1914 *Two Birds flew into the Sunset Glow (Rom. trad.), 1914 *Song of the Dagger (Rom. trad.), 1916 *In the Harem (Chu Ch′ing-yü), ?1917 *Hampelas, Kinanti, Djakoan (Javanese trad.), c1917

Choral works

*Passionlied ("O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden") (Paul Gerhardt, P. Gerhardt), SSATB, 1906 *Lobe den Herren (Joachim Neander, J. Neander), SSATB, 1906 *Dies ist der Tag (Isaac Watts, I. Watts), SSATB, 1906 *These things shall be (J. A. Symonds), unison chorus, 1916

References

External links

* *
Edward Maisel research files on Charles T. Griffes, 1904–1985
Music Division, New York Public Library
"Thomas Hampson: I Hear America Singing"
composer profile, PBS *, American Musicological Society newsletter essay by Howard Pollack {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffes, Charles Tomlinson 1884 births 1920 deaths 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical composers American gay musicians American LGBTQ composers American male classical composers Classical musicians from New York (state) Composers for piano Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in New York (state) Gay composers Impressionist composers LGBTQ classical composers LGBTQ people from New York (state) People from Elmira, New York