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Grimm Jim

(07. 12. 1928 - 29. 10. 2006)

Grimm Jim
c/o Dario Agazzi
Via Vittoria 27
I-24027 Nembro
Italia



Biography
Jim Grimm (b. Basel, December 7, 1928 – d. Basel, October 29, 2006). Swiss composer; studied clarinet in Neuchâtel and composition in Geneva from 1952 to 1956.
Jim Grimm worked for Radio Basel in 1958. The following year Grimm entered the 'Studio de Musique contemporaine' in Geneva, where he composed a quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello.
1960 saw the premiere of his score 'Formules rythmique et sonores' (Rhythmic and Sonorous Formulas) for 12 instruments, conducted by Jacques Guyonnet. He attended the 'Ferienkurse für Neue Musik' in Darmstadt in the same year.
Several of his works were premiered between the year 1965 and 1967 including 'Analogien und Kontraste' (Similarities and Contrasts) for chamber orchestra, and 'Zeichen I' (Signs I) for 11 instruments, conducted by Guyonnet.
In 1969 he attended a course for conducting held by Pierre Boulez in Basel and published 'Der Mensch, der aus dem Kosmos kam' (The Man From the Cosmos), a science fiction novel for the Helmut Kossodo Editions.
He worked as a critic and music journalist, publishing one of the first analyses on the formal aspects of Boulez's Second Piano Sonata (1972).
Approaching the end of the 60s and with the completion of his cycle 'Zeichen I-II-III' (Signs I-II-III), Grimm's interest was no longer anchored exclusively to post-webernism: His calligraphic structures culminated in 'Nedea/tà', a large graphic score (3m x 70cm) that sheds light on the semiological interests of the composer.
He composed in increasing isolation in the years that followed: From 1979-83 he worked on the cycle 'Die Bewegungen der Zeit I-IV' (Movements of Time I-IV) for various instrumental ensembles or electronics. The six 'Kammerkonzerte' (Chamber Concerts) are to be considered as important distilled scores of his late phase, composed by Grimm between the year 1998 and 2006.
Although Grimm was a very isolated figure, a compact disc with works performed by the Ensemble Phoenix Basel under the baton of Jürg Henneberger was released in 2008; his Third Chamber Concert for 7 Instruments (2003) was included on this CD.
Jim Grimm has left behind a considerable corpus of compositions for various formations including for solo, ensemble and orchestra, as well as a number of works for electronics. Most of this work is now part of the Jim Grimm Collection at the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel, which also includes an important musicological and critical contribution contained in his unpublished book, 'Texte, Artikel, Analysen und Diagramme' (Texts, Articles, Analysis and Diagrams) (1961-73).

Work list
Quintett (1959)
for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello
Duration: 22' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Formules rythmiques et sonores (1960)
for 12 instruments
Duration: 15' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Analogien und Kontraste (1964)
for chamber orchestra
Duration: 20' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Interruption (1967)
for harpsichord and jazz percussion
Commissioned by Antoinette Vischer.
Duration: 8' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Zeichen I (1966-1967)
for 11 instruments
Duration: 12' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Zeichen II (1969)
for string orchestra, electronic organ and percussion
Duration: 20' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Zeichen III (1969)
for orchestra
Duration: 15' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Oszillogramm 1970 (1970)
for 26 solo stings
Duration: 13' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Dimension I (1971)
for concrete sounds and voices
Duration: 9' 40"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Nedea/tà (1973)
Graphic score
Duration: variabel
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Eva/Aktion 1 0 (Eva Lola Frigida Narva) (1973)
Musical theatre
for string trio, electric organ, noise tape, speaker and dancer
Duration: 15' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Entropien (1970-1974)
for orchestra
Duration: 20' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
...opinion of! (Condition in Middle Ages of) (1976)
for soprano, flute and piano
Texts: Virginia Woolf
Duration: 2' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Kerker, Palast und Widerhall (1976-1978)
for soprano and chamber orchestra
Texts: T.S.Eliot
Duration: 17' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Die Bewegungen der Zeit I (1979)
for flute, percussion and piano
Duration: 8' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Die Bewegungen der Zeit II (1980)
for piano and electronic
Duration: 14' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Die Bewegungen der Zeit III (1980)
for trumpet, 5 woodwind players and percussion
Duration: 18' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Impulse (1982)
for 2 pianos and percussion
Duration: 32' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Die Bewegungen der Zeit IV (1983)
for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, percussion and 2 pianos
Duration: 20' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Musik für eine utopische Szene (1983-1984)
for orchestra
Duration: 17' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Die Erschütterungen Rimbauds (1980-1989)
for soprano, flute, percussion, 2 violins, 2 violas, violoncello, double bass and piano
Texts: Arthur Rimbaud
Manuscript
Klavierkonzert (1991)
for piano and orchestra
Duration: 18' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Konzert (1993)
for clarinet, vibraphone and orchestra
Duration: 13' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Kommentar zur "unendlichen Melodie" (1995)
for orchestra
Duration: 15' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Konzert (1997)
for violin and orchestra
Duration: 18' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Kammerkonzert I (Kleines Kammerkonzert) (1998)
for clarinet, flute, oboe, bass clarinet, percussion, violin, viola and violoncello
Duration: 14' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Interruptions I (2002)
for harpsichord
In memoriam Antoinette Vischer.
Duration: 8' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Interruptions II (2002)
for harpsichord
In memoriam Antoinette Vischer.
Duration: 5' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Kammerkonzert II (2002)
for flute, violin, viola, violoncello, harpshichord
Duration: 10' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Kammerkonzert III (2003)
for flute, bass clarinet, trumpet, percussion, violin, viola and violoncello
Duration: 16' 00"
Paul Sacher Stiftung
Auf Burg, Münsterplatz 4
CH-4051 Basel
Schweiz
Bibliography
Grimm, Jim: Der Mensch, der auf dem Kosmos kam, Helmut Kossodo, Hamburg 1969
Grimm, Jim: Texte, Artikel, Analysen und Diagramme, Band I, 1961-73 1973
Agazzi, Dario: Nedea/tà: excursus in una semiografia inedita, Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel 2012
Agazzi, Dario: Stück per flauto e altro Stück per 2 violini di Jim Grimm: per un tentativo di descrizione sommaria, Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel 2011
Piencikowski, Robert: Jim Grimm und die elektronische Musik, in: Musik aus dem Nichts: die Geschichte der elektroakustischen Musik in der Schweiz, Chronos, Zürich 2010, S. 103-05
Nekrolog Jim Grimm (Mitteilungen der Paul Sacher Stiftung (20.3.2007)), Basel 2007
Kirnbauer, Martin: "...tutti scritti per la mecenate". Antoinette Vischer e il suo cembalo moderno, in: "Entre Denges et Denezy..." - Documenti sulla storia della musica in Svizzera 1900-2000, Lucca 2001, S. 98
Schibli, Sigfried: Dall´eccezione alla regola. Il teatro musicale in Svizzera dopo il 1950, in: "Entre Denges et Denezy..." - Documenti sulla storia della musica in Svizzera 1900-2000, Lucca 2001, S. 325
Bachmann, Guido: "Die Bewegungen der Zeit", Interview mit Jim Grimm, in: Einspruch (1989)
Schmidt, Aurel: "Mehr hören...", in: Basler Magazin (21.11.1981) 47 (1981), S. 9