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Scan 405
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
22 lines. Read by computer on 5 September 2026. Printed page 347. See the scan on archive.org.
1to devote himself professionally to that art. His opera 'Billidet og Busten' (The Picture and the Bust), first performed Apr. 9, 1832, and other works on a large scale, such as music to dramas and a cantata by Öhlenschläger, are less valued than his songs, especially his National Songs in 11 vols., his songs for school use, 13 vols., and above all, his church music and his collection of Psalm Tunes, published in 1853, and since adopted in the churches throughout the country. His success in this direction may be owing to his position as organist to the church of the Trinity, Copenhagen, from 1838. He was a professor of singing at the Metropolitan School from 1843, and in the same year he established the first of those musical associations for the working classes now so popular in Denmark. He was appointed inspector of the public singing schools in 1859. Berggreen wrote occasional articles in the leading Danish papers, and for a short time edited a musical publication no longer existing. One of his most distinguished pupils in harmony and thorough-bass was Gade. For details of his early life and lists of his works, see Erslew's Almindeligt Forfatter Lexicon, Copenhagen, 1843, and its supplements.
3L. M. M.
5BERGMANN, CARL (b. Ebersbach, Saxony, 1821; d. Aug. 16, 1876), a German conductor who was largely instrumental in promoting orchestral music in the United States.
7He studied under Zimmermann in Zittau and Hesse in Breslau, and emigrated to America in 1850, joining the Germania Orchestra as violoncellist. The Germania Orchestra was an organisation of German musicians, many of them former members of Josef Gungl's band; it was giving concerts of high-class music in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other large cities in the Eastern States. A few months after Bergmann joined the orchestra he became its leader, and such he remained until its dissolution in 1854. He conducted the concerts of the Handel and Haydn Society of BOSTON (q.v.) from 1852–54, and then went to New York, where he became conductor of the Männergesangverein Arion. In 1855 he began conducting concerts for the Philharmonic Society of New York, alternating for ten years with associates. From 1866–76 he was sole conductor. Bergmann was the pioneer in America of the new school of conductors as distinguished from the old class of mere time-beaters. He was strongly individual and assertive in his interpretations, a radical, and an enthusiastic and devoted champion of Liszt and Wagner. Half the numbers in one of his concerts in 1853 were of Wagner's music (see THOMAS, Theodore).
9BERGONZI family, violin-makers.
11(1) CARLO (b. circa 1685; d. 1747), was possibly the son of Francesco Bergonzi or Baganzi. He worked as a violin-maker in Cremona, and was a native of that town. It has been stated that he was a pupil of Nicola Amati, but the dates make this impossible, and any label describing him as 'allieve di Nicola Amati' must be spurious. Hitherto it has generally been held that he was a pupil of Antonio Stradivari, but the most recent researches of Messrs. Hill give them good reason to question this. In the year 1742, on the death of Ombono Stradivari, Antonio's younger son, Bergonzi went to live in Stradivari's house in the Piazza San Domenico, but not by right of inheritance as sometimes stated. Bergonzi's earliest labels date from about 1716; his violins are now very scarce, but his best work approaches the high standard set by Stradivari and Guarnieri. In his early work he followed the Stradivari and Guarnieri models, but later he developed a greater individuality of style; this was especially the case with the sound-holes, which he placed lower down, and they were also more open in design than those of Stradivari. Messrs. Hill are of opinion that they have never seen any examples of violas, violoncellos or double-basses which they would attribute to Carlo Bergonzi.
13(2) MICHEL ANGELO, son of Carlo (b. 1722; d. circa 1770), made violins, but not of the same standard of excellence as his father. It has been stated that he made some good double-basses, but Messrs. Hill have never seen an example which they would attribute to him.
15(3) NICOLA, (4) ZOSIMO and (5) CARLO, sons of Michel Angelo, were also violin-makers in Cremona.
17E. H. F.
19BERINGER, OSCAR (b. Furtwangen, Baden, July 14, 1844; d. London, Feb. 21, 1922), a distinguished pianist.
21In 1849 his father was compelled to fly to England as a political refugee, where he lived in straitened circumstances. Owing to this reason the only musical education Oscar Beringer received, up to his 19th year, was from an elder sister. During the years 1859 and 1860 he gave several series of pianoforte recitals at the Crystal Palace, and in 1861 made his first appearance at the Saturday Concerts. Recognising the necessity of going through a course of systematic training, he studied at Leipzig under Moscheles, Richter, Reinecke, Plaidy, etc., from 1864–66, and continued his studies at Berlin under Tausig, Ehlert, Weitzmann, etc. In 1869 he was appointed a professor at Tausig's 'Schule des höheren Clavier-spiels' at Berlin, but in 1871 he returned to England, where he repeatedly played with great success at the Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts, Musical Union, etc. In Jan. 1872 he played at the Gewandhaus Concerts at Leipzig, and on his return to England in the following year he founded in London an 'Academy for the Higher Development of
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