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* GRIBOYEDOFF. 279 GRIEPENKERL. fighting line, and, becoming tiied of inaction, resigned in ISIG. A year jjreviously lie trans- lated De Lesser's work tiecrct dii mcmige, anil in 1817 Barth's t'ausscs iiifiilrlitis. His eoiiiedy, Misfortune of Being Too Clever, was read to his friends in 1824; but the censor found the play too pointed, and did not permit its publi- cation, with the result llvit the comedy circulated in thousands of manuscript copies. The only performance of the comedy the author ever saw was at a private theatrical in Erivan in 182.j : the first public performance took place in 1831. Griboyedofl' was commissioned by General Paskie- vitch to carry on the peace negotiations with Turkey and Persia, and for this senice Emperor Nicholas I. made him Minister Plenipotentiary at Teheran. Here, with thirty-six others, he was slain, sword in hand, defending the embassy against an unruly mob during an uprising at the Persian capital. The singular literary merits of his only original comedy, Misfortiini? of Being Too Clever, seem to give sufficient ground to be- lieve that death probably cut short the career of one of Russia's greatest poets. The comedy, over which he brooded and worked in all nearly ten years, is a satirical picture of the stniggle between two generations about 1820. The char- acters are endowed with bold traits typical of all periods of transition, when one part of society desperately clings to the obsolete forms, while the other, in the enthusiasm of reform, is eager to break with the old. But the great vitalizing spirit of the comedy, besides its masterly char- acter drawing and biting satire, is its remark- able style — a style defiant of all canons of dra- matic construction — and its still more remarkable language. The best edition of Griboyedoff's works is that by I. A. Shlyapkin. with exhaustive notes and bibliography (Saint Petersburg. 1889). For an analysis of the play, consult : Gontcharoff, Jlillion of Tortures, vol. ix. of collected works (Saint Petersburg. 1899) ; Veselofski. Russian Librorti, vol. v. (1875). The comedy has been translated into German (1831 and 1853). Polish (1857). English (1857). French (acts iii. and iv.. 1858). and Georgian. The best German trans- lation, entitled Verstnnd sclwfft Leiden, is bv Dr. Bertram (Leipzig. 1853). The latest iii French is by A. Legrelte. Le malhrur d'aroir de I'e^prit (1885). with a biographical sketch. GRID1,EY, Cn.4RLES Vernon ( 1845-98 ). An American naval officer, born at Logansport. Ind. He graduated at tlie United .States Naval Acad- emy in 18(>3; seiTed in the West Gulf blockad- ing squadron in the Civil War. participating in the battle of Mobile Bay (18(54), and was as- signed to various vessels up to 1875. when he was stationed at the Naval Academy for four years. In 1882 he was commissioned commander. He was navigation officer at the Boston Na-y Yard from 1882 to 1884: was inspector of the Tenth Lighthouse District from 1837 to 1891; and served as lighthouse inspector from 1895 to 1897, when he was promoted to be captain, and given the command of the Olifmpin. the flagship of the Asiatic Station. He directed his vessel in person, though seriously ill, at the battle of Manila (May 1. 1898). and received the commen- dation of Admiral Dewey for his skill and courage. He was given sick leave immediately after the engagement, but died, while on his way home, at Kobe. Japan. GRIDLEY, RiciiAKD (1711-90). An Ameri- can soldier, born in Boston. He held the rank of lieutenant-colonel of engineers at the first cap- lure of Louisburg, and took part in several colo- nial wars. In 1775, as engineer-in-chief of the Massachusetts troops at Cambridge, he laid out the fortifications on Breed's Hill, and the next day he commanded the American artillery in the action known as the battle of Bunker Hill. Later he fortified Dorchester Heights, and, after the British left Boston, directed the erection of works around the harbor. He was commissioned major-general by Congress, and commanded the Continental Artillery from September 20th till November, 1775, when he was superseded by Colonel Knox. GRIEBEN", gre'ben, Hermann (1822-90). A German journalist and author, born at Koslin, and educated at Breslau. He founded the I'oni- Dierselic Zeitnng at Stettin in 1853, and in 1S59 became one of the editors of the Kiilnischc Zei- tuncj. His works include a political drama, Liebfrauc (1855), and the popular collection of songs entitled Rheinisehe Wanderlieder (3d ed. 1884). The third edition of his collected poems was published in 1884. GRIEG, greg. E'dvard Hagekup (1843—). A Norwegian composer and pianist, born at Bergen, Norway, .June 15, 1843, one year after the birth of the unfortunate Rikard Nordraak (1842-66), who afterwards exercised so powerful an influence upon the ex]jression of Grieg's genius. (Jn tlie completion of his studies at Leipzig, in 1862, he went to Copenhagen for a period of study with Gade, whom he determined to emulate, and im- mediately plunged into a close study of Norse Saga literature, legendary lore, folk-music, and national melodic characteristics. It was at this period of his development that Rikard Nordraak entered into his life, and by his greater insight made clear to Grieg the path of which the latter was in search. Quite a number of vocal ro- mances, the Bumorcslcen (op. 6). the E minor piano sonata (op. 7), and the F minor piano and violin sonata (op. 8) are souvenirs of this friend- ship. The winter of 1865-66 was spent in Rome, after which he made Christiania his home for eight years. His residence in the latter city was inaugurated by a concert of Norse music which he gave, and at which Mina Hagerup (whom he later married) sang romances written by Nor- draak. Kjerulf, and himself. A stay of a few months in Rome, in 1870, was made possible by the grant of a Government stipend. Here he received much encouragement from Liszt, to whom he dedicated his Foran Sydens Kloster (from Bjornson's Arnljot), a work of magnificent power and conception. Next followed important engagements in England and Germany, where he was belli in the highest esteem. Grieg has been called the Chopin of Northern music, be- cause of the undercurrent of melodic nationality in his work, yet, on the other hand, the vigor and constantly recurring note of defiance is as cer- tainly akin to Schumann. Of his larger composi- tions, the Peer Gt/nt finite is psrhaps the most widely known, and of his smaller works, the short piano compositions are universally popular. An excellent biographical sketch is Clossou, Edvard Grieg et la musique scandinetve (Paris, 1892). GRIEPENKERL, gre'ppii-kerl, Chri.stian (1839 — J. A German painter, born in Olden-