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A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900
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1Bertrand, Jean-Gustave, b. Vaugirard, n. Paris, Dec. 24, 1834; d. l'aris, 1880. Writer and critic.—Works: "Histoire ecclésiastique de l'orgue" (1859); "Essai sur la musique dans l'antiquité"; "Les origines de l'harmonie" (1866); "De la réforme des études du chant au Conserv." (1871); "Les nationalités musicales etudiées dans le drame lyrique" (1872). Contributor to Pougîn's Supplement to Fétis.
3Berwald, Johann Friedrich, b. Stockholm, July 23, 1788; d. there Sept., 1861. Violinist, pupil of Abbé Vogler, and of remarkable precocity, playing in public at 5, and writing a symphony at 9; after concert-tours, he became (1816) chamber-musician to the King, and from 1819 was conductor of the royal orch. His compositions are mostly forgotten.
5Berwald, Franz, nephew of preceding, b. Stockholm, July 23, 1796; d. there Apr. 30, 1868, as Director of the Cons.—Works: 1 opera, Estrella di Soria (Stockholm, 1862); symphonies; chamber-music.
7Berwin, Adolf, b. Schwersenz, n. Posen, Mar. 30, 1847. Pupil of Lechner (pf.) and Fröhlich (vln.), also of Rust at Berlin (cpt.) and Dessoff at Vienna (comp.). In 1882, Director of the Royal Library and Cecilia Academy at Rome. Edited an Ital. transl. of Lebert and Stark's Piano School; is writing a "History of dram. mus. in Italy during the 18th century."
9Besard, Jean-Baptiste, b. Besançon, abt. 1576. Learned lutenist; he wrote "Thesaurus harmonicus" (Cologne, 1603, containing many contemporary comp.s, arr. f. lute); "Isagoge in artem testudinarium, das ist: Unterricht über das künstliche Saitenspiel der Lauten" (Augsburg, 1617; being a 2nd ed. of his "Traité du luth"); and "Novus Partus, etc." (1617, a coll. of 24 pcs. f. 1 or 2 lutes).
11Beschnitt', Johannes, b. Bockau, Silesia, Apr. 30, 1825; d. Stettin, July 14, 1880. From 1848, teacher and cantor at the Catholic School, Stettin; he also conducted a male choral society, for which he wrote many easy choruses.
13Besekir'sky, Vasil Vasilevitch, violinist in Moscow, where he was b. 1836; he has made highly successful tours to Brussels and Paris (1858), Madrid (1866), Prague (1869), and publ. much violin-music.
15Besler, Samuel, b. Brieg, Silesia, Dec. 15, 1574; d. Breslau, July 19, 1625, where he was rector of the Gymnasium zum Heiligen Geist from 1605. His church-comp.s are preserved in great part at the library of St. Bernhardinus, Breslau.
17Besler, Simon, cantor at St. Maria Magdalen, Breslau, from 1615-28. A few of his 4-p. songs, printed in score, are extant.
19Besoz'zi, Louis-Désiré, b. Versailles, Apr. 3, 1814; d. Paris, Nov. 11, 1879. Of a musical family, he entered the Cons. in 1825, and took the first Grand prix de Rome in 1837. He lived in Paris as a music-teacher, and composed pf.-pcs., etc.
21Bes'sems, Antoine, violinist; b. Antwerp, Apr. 6, 1809; d. there Oct. 19, 1868. Pupil of Baillot at l'aris Cons. (1826); member of the Ital. Opera orch.; then made long concert-tours, and from 1847-52 conducted the orch. of the "Société royale d'harmonie," Antwerp. Works: Masses, motets, psalms, graduals, etc.; a violin-concerto; Fantasias f. vln.; 12 grandes Études f. vln. w. pf.; 12 grands Duos de concert f. do. do.; other vln.-pcs.; duos, trios and quartets f. strings, etc.
23Besson, Gustave-Auguste, b. Paris, 1820, d. there 1875, is noted for his improvements in the valves of wind-instruments.
25Best, William Thomas, distinguished organ-virtuoso; b. Carlisle, England, Aug. 13, 1826; d. Liverpool, May 10, 1897. Taught by the cathedral organist Young; first appointment, organ of Pembroke chapel, Liverpool; 1847, at the Church of the Blind; 1848, of the Philh. Society. In 1852, organist of the Panopticon, London, and also at St. Martin's; 1854, of Lincoln's Inn chapel; 1855-94, of St. George's Hall, Liverpool, and also resumed (1872) the post of organist of the Philh. Society. In 1880 he was offered the option of knighthood or a Civil-List pension of £100 per annum; he accepted the latter, having a confirmed dislike to all titles. He retired in 1894. Best's extraordinary virtuosity made him much in request for very numerous public functions; in 1890 he went to Sydney, Australia, to inaugurate the organ in the new Town Hall. His recitals were a feature in Liverpool musical life; he played concertos at many successive Händel Festivals. His works, popular in type though classical in form, include church-services and anthems; sonatas, preludes and fugues, concert-fantasias, studies, etc., for organ; also 2 overtures and a march f. orchestra, and several pf.-pcs. His chief text-books are "The Art of Organ-playing" (London, 1870), in 4 parts, and "Modern School for the Organ" (London, 1855); he also publ. "Händel Album" (20 vol.s); "Arrangements from the Scores of the Great Masters" (5 vol.s); and a large variety of transcriptions; B. likewise edited many other of Händel's works. An excellent sketch of Best is to be found in "Musical Times," June 1, 1897, p. 382-3.
27Betz, Franz, distinguished dramatic baritone; b. Mayence, March 19, 1835; sang from
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