George Bridgetower

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George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (February 29, 1780–February 20, 1860) was a Polish born virtuoso violinist, who lived in England for much of his life.

[edit] Biography

Bridgetower was the son of a West Indian servant of the Hungarian Prince Esterházy (Joseph Haydn's patron) and of a Polish domestic servant. He exhibited considerable talent in his childhood; giving successful concerts in England in 1789. In 1791 the British Prince Regent (later George IV) took an interest in him, and oversaw his continuing musical education.

In 1803 Bridgetower went on a concert tour to Vienna, where he performed with Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was impressed, and dedicated his great Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major to Bridgetower, with the goodheartedly mocking dedication Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico. After the two had given the piece's first public performance Beethoven and Bridgetower quarrelled, Bridgetower having insulted a woman who turned out to be Beethoven's friend; Beethoven broke off all relations with Bridgetower and changed the dedication of the new violin sonata to the violin virtuoso Rudolphe Kreutzer, who never played it — the piece is now known as the Kreutzer Sonata.

Bridgetower stayed in Austria for a period, before returning to England. There he married and continued his musical career, teaching and performing. He performed with the Royal Philharmonic Society orchestra.

Bridgetower's 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.