A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Griesbach, John

GRIESBACH, John Henry, born at Windsor, June 20, 1798, was eldest son of Justin Christian Griesbach, violoncellist in Queen Charlotte's band, and nephew to Friedrich Griesbach, the oboe player. He studied music under his uncle, George Leopold Jacob Griesbach, and at 12 years of age was appointed violoncellist in the Queen's band. He then studied for some years under Kalkbrenner. On the breaking up of the Queen's band at her death he came to London and appeared at concerts as a pianist. In 1822 he composed a symphony and a capriccio for pianoforte and orchestra, and shortly afterwards a second symphony for the Philharmonic Society. Although he was after this time principally engaged in tuition he found time to produce numerous compositions of various kinds, and also to attain to no mean skill in astronomy, painting in water colours, entomology, and mathematics. His principal compositions were 'Belshazzar's Feast,' an oratorio, written in 1835 with a view to stage representation, but such performances being interdicted he some years afterwards remodelled the work, and it was performed, under the title of 'Daniel,' by the Sacred Harmonic Society on June 30, 1854; Overture and Music to Shakspere's 'Tempest'; 'James the First, or, The Royal Captive.' operetta; 'The Goldsmith of West Cheap,' opera; 'Eblis,' opera (unfinished); ' Raby Ruins,' musical drama; several overtures and other instrumental pieces, anthems, songs, cantatas, &c. He also wrote 'An Analysis of Musical Sounds' (published), and 'The fundamental elements of Counterpoint,' 'The Acoustic Laws of Harmony,' and 'Tables shewing the variations of musical pitch from the time of Handel to 1859' (unpublished). He was 14 times a director of the Philharmonic Society. He died Jan. 9, 1875.

[ W. H. H. ]