Yusef Greiss (1899-1961)

[kyjo]

There aren't many Egyptian classical composers, but it's even rarer to find a Egyptian composer that's not contemporary and that composed substantial symphonic works! Well, in that case, Yusef Greiss is quite a find ! Here's his Wikipedia article:

Yusef Greiss (Arabic: يوسف جريس‎; (b. Cairo, Egypt, December 13, 1899; d. Venice, Italy, April 7, 1961) was an Egyptian composer of classical music, part of that nation's first generation of such composers.

Greiss was of Coptic heritage. He composed orchestral works and chamber music. His patriotic work for orchestra entitled Masr (1932) is considered the first orchestral piece composed by an Egyptian.

As of 2008, the Egyptian musicologist Haig Avakian is editing and preparing Greiss's complete works for publication.





Contents
  [hide]  1 Performance
2 His Works
3 External links
4 See also


[edit] Performance

Solo violin and piano compositions are major parts in Greise's compositions.

He wrote 23 solo piano compositions,

14 solo violin three solo flute,

six lyrical compositions with piano

and 10 orchestra compositions.

[edit] His Works

First: Solo piano compositions
The Sudanese, 1932
Nile Boatman, 1932
La Galerien, 1932
Good Luck, 1932
A Boat Burns, 1932
How Are You,1932
Truth, 1932
Little Palestinian, 1932
Happiness, 1932
A Night in the Boat,1945

Second: Solo violin compositions
The Bedouin No. 1931 of 1932
The Egyptian Village, No. 22 of 1932
Dance of the Palm Valley
Souvenir, No. 25 of 1932.
Son of the Valley, 1943
Bedouin Singing, 1944
Company of the Nile 1944,
Desert Songs, 1944
Sphinx and Violin, 1947
Daughter of Pyramids, 1961

Third: Violin and piano compositions
We Dance, 1928
Forest, 1929
On Bank of the Nile, 1931
The Carrier of Water, 1931
Greetings to Vienna, 1931
Dance of Palm Trees, 1932
In the Desert, 1932
Murrmering Scarabee, 1944
Romance, 1945
The Nile Sings, 1950

Fourth: Solo flute compositions
Echo of the Desert, 1944
Echo of the Valley, 1944
Echo of the Nile, 1944

Fifth : Solo cello compositions
The Man Peasant, 1922

Sixth : Cello and piano compositions
The Woman Peasant, 1923

Seventh : Lyrical compositions with piano
Song of the Valley, 1943.
Boat of Fate, 1944
Dance of the Nile, 1944
Song of the Shepherd, 1944
The Nile's Song and Call, 1944
Dance of the Village, 1944

Eighth : Orchestral compositions
Egypt, Symphony, 1932
The Carrier of Water, 1932
Toward Desert Monastery, Symphony, 1934
The Nile and Rose, Symphony, 1943
Pharos' Pyramids, Symphony, 1960

Most of his compositions remained unpublished up to now.

On the Day of Art in 1981, the state honored and listed him in the Record of Immortals in the Arts Academy

Kind of interesting, no? 4 symphonies and much else besides! And it's especially good to know that Greiss' works are being published! What are your thoughts on this intriguing figure?

[kyjo]

Since this worked in the Djabadary thread, I'm going to resurrect poor Yucef. Any interest now  ?

[Alan Howe]

I don't know anything about his music. Do you, kyjo (beyond the bare bones you have outlined)?

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I doubt if this thread will get off the ground unless you tell us something about the music. What it is like, how to approach it, in what kind of idiom is it written, what were the influences upon this composer,  is the music within the European tradition or what? There is very little point in simply pasting entries from Wikipedia - especially since the author seems remarkably partisan! You say, kyto, that the music is "quite a find". I'm sure it is - but so would anything else that people here don't know anything about. In short, you need to supply some reasons why folk on this particular forum should bother themselves with a 20th century Egyptian figure. Have you heard any of this music? On the assumption that you have, what does it sound like?

Not for me to be a censor (besides, I don't much care for censorship!). But I have to confess I'm a little irritated that the UC site gets clogged up with threads that prima facie would seem tangential to the subjects and issues that brought the forum into existence and bind us all together. 'Nuff said.

[eschiss1]

For instance, has anyone seen or heard his Le Bedouin (op.12 for violin solo, published 1931) or Porteuse d'eau (op.8 for violin and piano, likewise)... some UK, Spanish and a Texan library have the scores variously. (Was Yūsuf Jirīs the same person spelled differently? That expands "searching possibilities- Worldcat has a little under that name, for instance.)

[Arbuckle]

I have an orchestral piece by him off Spanish Radio, called "Misr, Symphonic Poem". Sounded kind of clunky to me, not very interesting themes with a hint of exotic (to me) melody, and unremarkable orchestration, not really sure of its provenance to point of broadcast, so will not put it up. Reminded me a little of Quandour (?sp), who is a Jordanian, I think of Circassian extraction, his works are on YouTube, and I don't need to hear them again.  I kept it more as a curiosity than out of affection. From my collection, I would say I heard it the same time as pieces by Abu-Bakr Khairat, and Ahmed Ebeid, in case anyone cares to see if they are Egyptian too.

[kyjo]

I am sorry, I have not heard any of his music, but apparently you have, Arbuckle. I wasn't expecting his music to be masterful by any stretch of the imagination, so I wasn't surprised by how you described the symphonic poem you heard. I would expect he would be more of a curiosity than an undiscovered genius, but I thought I would bring him up. And glad UC is back (I suffered from a brief epidemic of being-without-UC-disease !)!

[Alan Howe]

I think it unlikely that this thread meets the new guidelines, so I'm locking it now.