GriffCS, Elliot

GriffCS, Elliot, American pianist, teacher, and composer; b. Boston, Jan. 28, 1893; d. Los Angeles, June 8, 1967. He studied at Ithaca Coll (graduated, 1913), then with Horatio Parker at the Yale Univ. School of Music (1915-16), and with Chadwick, Stuart Mason, and Pattison at the New England Cons, of Music in Boston (1917-18); won a Juilliard scholarship (1922) and a Pulitzer scholarship (1931). He was active as a recitalist; also taught in various institutions, including Grinnell Coll. in Iowa (1920-22), the Brooklyn Settlement School (1923-24), the St.Louis School of Music (head of theory dept, 1935-36), and the Westchester Cons, in White Plains, N.Y. (director, 1942^3). He settled in Los Angeles as a composer of film scores. He wrote works in ingratiatingly Romantic colors.

Works

DRAMATIC The Blue Scarab, operetta (1934); Port of Pleasure, opera (Los Angeles, June 29, 1963). ORCH .: A Persian Fable (1925); Paul Bunyan, Colossus, symphonic poem (1926-34); 2 syms.: No. 1 (1931) and No. 2, Fantastic Pursuit, for Strings (1941); Yon Green Mountain, suite (1943); Montevallo, concerto grosso for Organ, Piano, and Strings (1945). CHAMBER: 3 string quartets (1926,1930,1937); Violin Sonata (1931); To the Sun, symphonic fragment for Piano Trio (1940); Suite for Piano Trio (1941); The Aztec Flute for Flute and Piano Trio (1942); The Fox and the Crow for Chamber Ensemble (1950); piano pieces.VOCAL: Song cycles and solo songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire