Bernard Grun

Bernard Grun (; 11 February 1901 28 December 1972) was a Central European composer, conductor, and author. He is primarily remembered as the compiler of The Timetables of History.

Early life Grün was born on 11 February 1901 in Startsch, Moravia, Austria-Hungary (now Stařeč, Czech Republic). He completed a degree in philosophy and a doctorate in law at Vienna and Prague, From 1924 to 1929 he worked as a conductor in Prague at the Neues Deutsches Theater (New German Theatre).

His first major work was the 1929 Bohemian Musicians,

In 1946, he published his compilation The Timetables of History, adapted from 's , presenting human history since 5000BC 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.

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).

In 1952, "Broken Wings", a song which Grun co-wrote, was published. 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. The song entered the UK Singles Chart in a recording by The Stargazers, a British vocal group, in February 1953. 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. The song also made number 1 on the UK's sheet music sales chart in February 1953, where it stayed for six weeks.

Over the course of his life, Grun served as the musical director of theatres in Prague, Vienna, Berlin, and London,

Works Print Grun authored the books:

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) , 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, Madame Sans-Gêne (1937) Summer Song (1956 arrangement of Dvorak)

Filmography

Grun's work featured in over 60 films, mainly in the 1930s and '40s,

Die Erlebnisse der Berühmten Tänzerin Fanny Elßler (1920, writer) An Auto and No Money (1932, composer) Balalaika (1939 & 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)