{{short description|German composer and conductor}} {{EngvarB|date=January 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}} '''Bernard Grun''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Bernhard Grün}}; 11 February 1901{{nbsp}}{{ndash}} 28 December 1972) was a Central European<ref name=roed>{{citation |last=Röder |first=Werner |title=Biographisches Handbuch der Deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933, ''Vol. II'' }}. {{in lang|de}}</ref> composer, conductor, and author. He is primarily remembered as the compiler of ''The Timetables of History''.
{{anchor|Biography|History}}
==Early life== Grün was born on 11 February 1901 in Startsch, Moravia, Austria-Hungary (now Stařeč, Czech Republic).<ref name=oemo>{{citation |contribution=Bernhard Grün (Bernard Grun) |contribution-url=http://musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_G/Gruen_Bernhard.xml |title=Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon Online |publisher=Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften |last=Kornberger |first=Monika }}.</ref> He completed a degree in philosophy and a doctorate in law at Vienna and Prague,<ref name=roed/> going on to study music theory at Vienna's national music academy<ref name=obit/> under Alban Berg, Hans Gál, Felix von Weingartner, and Egon Wellesz.<ref name=roed/><ref name=oemo/>
== Career == Grün composed chamber music and songs and took work as a conductor in Karlsruhe and Mannheim before joining the Comedy House (''{{lang|de|Komödienhaus}}'') in Vienna.<ref name="oemo" /> The 1920 film ''Die Erlebnisse der berühmten Tänzerin Fanny Elssler'' featured a screenplay by Grün.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portrait of the filmcomposer Bernard Grün by Thomas Staedeli|url=http://www.cyranos.ch/smgrub-e.htm|access-date=2021-06-27|website=www.cyranos.ch}}</ref> From 1924 to 1929 he worked as a conductor in Prague at the Neues Deutsches Theater (New German Theatre).<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmu00ganz_1/page/828/mode/2up?q=%22Grün%22|title=The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, Second Edition|volume=II|first=Kurt|last= Gänzl|author-link=Kurt Gänzl|chapter=Grün, Bernhard|publisher=Schirmer Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-02-865573-4 }}</ref>
His first major work was the 1929 ''Bohemian Musicians'',<ref name="oemo" /> performed in Vienna in 1930, and he composed music for the soundtrack of the 1932 film ''Ein Auto und kein Geld''. Grün completed ''Marlene's Wedding'' and ''Gaby'' before being forced to leave Austria ahead of its unification with Nazi Germany. ''Balalaika'' was released in 1936, with a Nelson Eddy song that became an international hit. Grun moved to the United Kingdom in 1939, anglicising his name to "Bernard Grun". Following this, he co-composed music for the 1938 musical ''Magyar Melody''. On 27 March 1939, it became the first musical to be broadcast directly from a theatre and shown on television (BBC TV).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portrait of the filmcomposer Bernard Grün by Thomas Staedeli|url=http://www.cyranos.ch/smgrub-e.htm|access-date=2021-06-27|website=www.cyranos.ch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Magyar Melody - The Guide to Musical Theatre|url=https://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_m/magyar_melody.htm|access-date=2021-06-27|website=www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com}}</ref>
In 1946, he published his compilation ''The Timetables of History'', adapted from Werner Stein's ''Kulturfahrplan'', presenting human history since 5000{{nbsp}}BC in tabular form. Each century, then decade, then year, is presented with its major events (if known) divided under the seven headings: * Influential leaders and political events * Literature & Theater * Religion, Philosophy, Learning * Visual Arts * Music * Scientific and technological inventions * Daily Life, innovations, trends. It has been in constant publication, with the most recent update in 2005.<ref>{{citation |contribution=The Timetables of History |publisher=Simon & Schuster |contribution-url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Timetables-of-History/Bernard-Grun/9780743270038 |title=Books |url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/ }}.</ref>
In the postwar period, Grun continued writing film music for titles such as ''White Cradle Inn'' (1947), ''The Blind Goddess'' and ''Brass Monkey'' (all from 1948).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portrait of the filmcomposer Bernard Grün by Thomas Staedeli|url=http://www.cyranos.ch/smgrub-e.htm|access-date=2021-06-27|website=www.cyranos.ch}}</ref>
In 1952, "Broken Wings", a song which Grun co-wrote, was published.<ref name=":0">Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. United States: n.p., 1952. p.107.</ref> Grun was credited as a composer alongside John Jerome, which was a collaborative pseudonym for Harold Cornelius Fields, Howard Ellington Barnes and Joseph Dominic Roncoroni.<ref>Jerome, John, and Bernard Grun. “Broken Wings / John Jerome ; Bernhard Grun.” London: John Fields Music Co. Ltd., 1952.</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. United States: n.p., 1958. p.1716.</ref> The song entered the UK Singles Chart in a recording by The Stargazers, a British vocal group, in February 1953.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 August 2006|title=Stargazers: UK Top 10 hits|url=http://www.chartwatch.co.uk/TopTen/acts/ACT02508.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-27|website=Chartwatch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030701090027/http://www.chartwatch.co.uk/TopTen/acts/ACT02508.htm|archive-date=1 July 2003}}</ref> The same month, two other recordings of the song also entered the UK chart: an American recording by Art and Dotty Todd (which peaked at number 6), and one by British singer Dickie Valentine (which reached number 12). The Stargazers' recording climbed to number 1 in April 1953.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Songwriter: Bernard Grun|url=http://www.chartwatch.co.uk/TopTen/writers/wri58.htm|access-date=2021-06-27|website=www.chartwatch.co.uk}}</ref> The song also made number 1 on the UK's sheet music sales chart in February 1953, where it stayed for six weeks.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Henson|first=Brian|title=First hits, 1946-1959|date=1989|publisher=Boxtree|others=Colin Morgan|isbn=1-85283-268-1|location=London|oclc=19389211}}</ref>
Over the course of his life, Grun served as the musical director of theatres in Prague, Vienna, Berlin, and London,<ref name="obit" /> including His Majesty's Theatre. In addition to his own output, he was also responsible for adapting various musical works, including Bizet's ''Carmen'', Lehár's ''Count of Luxembourg'', Millöcker's ''Dubarry'', and Benatzky's ''White Horse Inn''.<ref name="worldcat" />
== Personal life and death == Grun married the British fashion designer Edith Hart.{{sfnp|Grun|1970}} He died of a heart attack on 21 December 1972 in Berlin while on a speaking tour, aged 71.<ref name="oemo" /><ref name="obit">{{cite news|title=Bernard Grun, composer, Dies |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19721229&id=I0g0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=nmYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5074,5185609&hl=en |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date=29 December 1972 }}.</ref>
==Works== ===Print=== Grun authored the books:<ref name=worldcat>{{citation |contribution=Bernard Grun |contribution-url=http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-42018/ |title=WorldCat Identities |publisher=OCLC }}.</ref>
* ''The Timetables of History'' (1946) * ''Private Lives of the Great Composers, Conductors, and Musical Artistes of the World'' (1954) * ''Prince of Vienna: The Life, the Times, and the Melodies of Oscar Straus'' (1955) * ''The Golden Quill'' (1956) * ''Fanny Beloved'' (1959) * ''Die Leichte Muse: Kulturgeschichte der Operette'' (1961) * ''Aller Spass dieser Welt'' (1965) * {{citation |last=Grun |first=Bernard |display-authors=0 |title=Gold und Silber: Franz Lehár und Seine Welt <!--|publisher=Langen Müller--> |ref={{harvid|Grun|1970}} }}, translated as ''Gold and Silver: The Life and Times of Franz Lehár'' (1970) * ''Alban Berg: Letters to His Wife'' (1971, editor and translator) * ''Bernard Grun's Beste Musiker Anekdoten'' (1974) * ''Mit Takt und Taktstock: Musikeranekdoten'' (1979)
===Music=== Grun composed the music for over 30 musicals,<ref name=obit/> including:
* ''Böhmische Musikanten'' (1929)<ref name=oemo/> * ''Musik um Susi'' (1932)<ref name=oemo/> * ''Marlenes Brautfahrt'' (1933) * ''Die Tänzerin Fanny Elßler'' (1934)<ref name=oemo/> * ''Gaby'' (1936) * ''Balalaika'' (1936 musical, with George Posford)<ref name=obit/><ref name=dick>{{citation |first=Richard |last=Traubner |title=Operetta: A Theatrical History |year=2004 }}.</ref> * ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' (1937)<ref name=oemo/> * ''Old Chelsea'' (1943, in part)<ref name=obit/><ref>{{citation |first=Charles |last=Castle |author2=Diana Napier Tauber |display-authors=1 |title=This Was Richard Tauber |year=1971 |page=148 }}.</ref> * ''Summer Song'' (1956 arrangement of Dvorak)
===Filmography=== {{expand list|date=February 2017}} Grun's work featured in over 60 films, mainly in the 1930s and '40s,<ref name=obit/> including:<ref name=imdb>{{citation |contribution=Bernard Grun |contribution-url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0344491/ |url=https://www.imdb.com/ |title=Internet Movie Database }}.</ref>
* ''Die Erlebnisse der Berühmten Tänzerin Fanny Elßler'' (1920, writer) * ''An Auto and No Money'' (1932, composer) * ''Balalaika'' (1939<ref name=dick/> & 1948, composer) * ''Magyar Melody'' (1939, composer) * ''White Cradle Inn'' (1947, released as ''High Fury'' in US; composer, arranger, & conductor) * ''Brass Monkey'' (1948, composer) * ''The Blind Goddess'' (1948, composer)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0344491}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grun, Bernard}} Category:1901 births Category:1972 deaths Category:People from Třebíč District Category:Musicians from the Margraviate of Moravia Category:Writers from the Margraviate of Moravia Category:Austrian composers Category:20th-century Austrian lawyers Category:20th-century British composers Category:20th-century Austrian musicians Category:20th-century Austrian male musicians Category:Austrian people of Moravian-German descent Category:Berg scholars