Beethoven’s Best Friend. George Bridgetower. Beethoven dedicated his Violin Sonata Number 9 with this quote: Mulatto Sonata composed for the mulatto Bridgetower and big wild mulatto composer George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (11 October 1778–29 February 1860) was an Afro-Polish-born virtuoso violinist, who lived in England for much of his life.He visited Vienna later in 1803, where he performed with Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was impressed, and dedicated his great Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major (Op.47) to Bridgetower, with the dedication Sonata per un mulattico lunatico. Barely finished, the piece received its first public performance at the Augarten Theatre on 24 May 1803, with Beethoven on pianoforte and Bridgetower on violin. Bridgetower had to read the violin part of the second movement from Beethovens copy, over his shoulder. He made a slight amendment to his part, which Beethoven gratefully accepted, jumping up to say Noch einmal, mein lieber Bursch! (Once more, my dear fellow!). Beethoven also presented Bridgetower with his tuning fork, now held by the British Library The piece is now known as the Kreutzer Sonata. The Pulitzer-prize winning poet Rita Dove dramatized the relationship between Beethoven and Bridgetower in the book-length lyric narrative Sonata Mulattica. Sources suggest the work was originally titled Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer [Bridgetower], gran pazzo e compositore mulattico (Mulatto Sonata composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, and big wild mulatto composer), and in the composers 1803 sketchbook, as a Sonata per il Pianoforte ed uno violino obligato in uno stile molto concertante come d’un concerto. Bridgetower returned to England, where he married Mary Leech Leeke in 1816 and continued his musical career, teaching and performing. He was elected to the Royal Society of Musicians on 4 October 1807, and attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he earned the degree of Bachelor of Music in June 1811.He performed with the Royal Philharmonic Society orchestra. He later travelled abroad, particularly to Italy, where his daughter lived. He died in Peckham in south London, leaving his estate of £1,000 to his deceased wifes sister. The house was demolished in 1970. His remains are deposited in Kensal Green Cemetery. Bridgetowers own compositions include Diatonica armonica for piano, published in London in 1812 and Henry: A ballad, for medium voice and piano, also published in London. A list of his compositions may be found in Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 1990, in an article by Dominique-Rene de Lerma.#UIHistorian The relationship between Beethoven and Bridgetower is in my opinion further proof of Beethoven’s ethnicity. The fact that they had similar backgrounds in a hostile European Society brought them together. #UIHistorian
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 00:04:24 +0000
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