Marcel Grandjany’s Pedagogical Compositions and Transcriptions, part 1 (World Harp Congress Review, Spring 2024)

Abstract:  Marcel Grandjany was one of the most influential harpists and pedagogues of the twentieth century. Not only did he have a concert career that spanned more than fifty years, he taught at the Juilliard School from 1938-1975 and was a prolific composer for his instrument. While his early works and transcriptions were meant to expand the recital repertoire of the harp, his later years were spent on pieces for student harpists of all ages. These original compositions and transcriptions served to train the student in harp technique and music fundamentals, and also to train the young musician in expression and musicality. By having the student learn and perform works that were sequential yet musically valuable, the young harpist would be trained to be a musician first and harpist second. Grandjany was able to provide harp students with a repertoire that, from the beginning of study, emphasized not just the technical but the musical, growing in substance and expressiveness as the student’s abilities progressed.

Introduction:  Marcel Grandjany was a concert harpist, composer, organist, and teacher, but above all he was a musician’s musician. His unequaled tone and musicianship combined to create performances regarded as beyond sublime. These qualities, along with his kindness, empathy, generosity, and humility helped to make him one of the most revered and influential harp pedagogues of the twentieth century. His technique was derived from the French school of harp playing that had been taught at the Conservatoire de Paris for decades but his own additions and modifications created the “Grandjany School” that was his and his alone. While there was a tradition of harpist/composers dating back centuries, Grandjany used his talent for composition not just to write concert pieces for his instrument, but to write and transcribe music that was for his students: music that helped them perfect technique at every stage of learning but was also great music that was pleasing to hear as well as to perform. 

Biography: Marcel Georges Lucien Grandjany was born in Paris on September 3, 1891. He came from a family with musical heritage, as his uncle Lucien had been a classmate of Claude Debussy at the Paris Conservatoire and went on to have a celebrated career as an organist, choir director and professor at the Conservatoire. Marcel lost his mother at the tender age of four, and was sent to live with an aunt on his father’s side. Her daughter, his cousin Mlle. Juliette Georges, was a school music teacher and a graduate of the Conservatoire and began young Marcel’s musical education with solfege and piano lessons. She was also responsible for introducing him to his first harp teacher, Henriette Renié. He would continue as Renié’s student for the next ten years, even while he was in the studio of Alphonse Hasselmans, professor of harp at the Conservatoire. Grandjany had entered the Conservatoire at the age of nine, winning third prize in solfege almost immediately. The following year he won first prize under the tutelage of Noël Gallon. He entered Hasselmans’ harp class at the age of eleven.

Even though Henriette Renié had been a student and protégé of Hasselmans, he was not entirely in agreement with Grandjany continuing his studies with her while concurrently studying with him at the Conservatoire.  Hasslemans was a harsh and cold man who, while an excellent teacher who had trained many of the great harpists of the early twentieth century, contrasted greatly with Renié’s teaching style. Grandjany would forever consider himself a disciple of Renié[1] and their relationship was a warm and close one up until her death in 1956. 

Grandjany was awarded the first prize in harp at the Conservatoire at the age of thirteen, and continued his study in fugue, counterpoint and composition. He was a student of Jean Roger-Ducasse, Gabriel Faure’s assistant and was a finalist for the 1913 Prix de Rome before having to withdraw due to illness. His study of composition and the French impressionistic movement would be an influence on his own compositions throughout his life. Grandjany began his concert harp career at the age of seventeen, making his debut in Paris at the Salle Érard and as soloist with the Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra. He performed works by Ravel and Pierné with the composers as conductors, and was one of the first harpists to perform Debussy’s trio sonata. 

His performing and composing career would be halted by World War I, during which time Grandjany gave up playing harp in deference to his musical friends and colleagues who were off fighting on the front. Because of health issues, Grandjany was not able to serve in the army, and for the duration of the war, he served as organist and choir director for the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, returning to the harp after the war ended. 

It was around this time that Grandjany met his future wife, Georgette Boulanger. She was a singer who was taking piano lessons with Grandjany’s cousin Juliette.  Having been born in the U.S.A. to French parents, Georgette had spent the first thirteen years of her life in America and Juliette thought she could give Marcel some lessons in the English language. The English lessons were only partially successful as Mrs. Grandjany said “as you can see I was a poor teacher because his English was very bad, even when he came to the U.S.; I translated for him though.” [2] They were married in 1919 and often gave harp and voice recitals together until the birth of their only child, son Bernard.

During the years following the war, Grandjany resumed his concert career, returning to the Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra as principal harpist, and continued teaching privately. He had begun with students sent to him by Henriette Renié but soon garnered a fine reputation and was invited to begin a harp class at the Conservatoire Américain at Fontainebleau. He taught there alongside Nadia Boulanger, Paul Vidal and Charles-Marie Widor.[3] He would continue his association with Fontainebleau until 1935, teaching during the summers after he had taken on other teaching positions in North America.

Grandjany formed a quintet of harp, flute, violin, viola, and cello in 1922 which was known as the Quintette Instrumental de Paris. This chamber group was responsible for many important compositions by composers of the time that include Gabriel Pierné, Joseph Jongen and Albert Roussel. After the departure of Grandjany for the U.S. he was replaced in the quintet by Pierre Jamet and it continued for many years, premiering many important new compositions for this combination of instruments.

Grandjany made his London debut in the winter of 1922 and first appeared in the United States in 1924. His first concert was held at Aeolian Hall in New York City on February 7 to great critical acclaim. He toured Europe and North America annually until 1935, including performing at the White House in 1934 and for Thomas Edison’s birthday party during one tour.[4] Fleeing Europe because of the rising Nazi threat, the Grandjanys arrived in New York City in April of 1936. Grandjany became head of the harp department at the Juilliard School in 1938, a position he would hold until his death.  In 1943 he was responsible for organizing the harp department at the Conservatoire de Musique et d’Art Dramatique in Montreal and founded the harp department at the Manhattan School of Music in 1956. He would eventually limit his teaching to the Juilliard School starting in 1966, at the request of the then president, Peter Mennin.  At that time, Mennin asked that all faculty members of the school give up any teaching positions at other schools and Grandjany was one of the few who complied.[5]

After his move to New York, Grandjany continued to perform as recitalist, recording artist, and soloist, playing his last public solo recital in 1967 at an American Harp Society conference. Grandjany was the founder of the society, after having been a judge at the First International Harp Contest in Israel. At that event in 1959, plans for an international society of harpists was discussed by the panel members and Grandjany founded the American branch in 1962. He held the first meeting in his 72^nd Street apartment, inviting prominent harpists of the day to serve on the founding committee. 

Grandjany died from a stroke in 1975 at the age of 83, while continuing to serve on the Juilliard faculty and teaching weekly lessons to his students. Although not able to play after he fractured his shoulder in a fall in 1970, he continued to teach, give master classes and lectures until his final days. His students numbered in the hundreds, and include prominent active harpists such as Kathleen Bride (The Eastman School), Sarah Bullen (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Ruth Inglefield (Peabody Conservatory) and Nancy Allen (The Juilliard School and the New York Philharmonic).  Others included former teachers and players such as Eileen Malone (Rochester Philharmonic and Eastman), Anne Adams (San Francisco Symphony and Opera), Marcella DeCray (San Francisco Conservatory), Ruth Negri Armato (New York Philharmonic), Jane B. Weidensaul (Manhattan School of Music), Francesca Corsi (New York City Opera), and Myor Rosen (New York Philharmonic). He reached countless other students through his masterclasses and many of today’s harpists still consider themselves “Grandjany” players because his techniques and teachings have been passed down by his students. His kindness and generosity as a harpist, teacher and human being are legendary among those who knew and loved him. He strove to promote the harp as a valid solo instrument, equal to the piano it its versatility and musical potential. His compositions and transcriptions tapped into that potential and are still some of the most widely performed works in the harp repertoire. Marcel Grandjany made an indelible mark on the harp world, and his legacy continues today.