Maine Sunday Telegram: 'Classical Beat: Black violinist's musical ties ran far and wide'

[George Bridgetower (Maine Sunday Telegram)]

Columnist Christopher Hyde has shown an interest in AfriClassical.com for many years. We appreciate his kind words for the website in the excerpts we quote from his article today. The website's page on George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was researched and written by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory:

Maine Sunday Telegram

http://www.pressherald.com

Posted: February 20

Updated: Today at 10:58 AM

By CHRISTOPHER HYDE

“The mercurial Beethoven had a way of tearing up dedications to people he once admired. If not for this habit, the Kreutzer Sonata would have been titled 'Sonata for a Mulatto' and Tolstoy would not have written his short story decrying the salacious effects of violin sonatas. (The final dedicatee disliked Beethoven's music and never played the work.) The noted black violinist, pianist and composer George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (1778-1860) was introduced to Beethoven in 1803. The pair premiered the sonata (Opus 47) at Vienna's Augarten Theater at 8 a.m. May 24 of the same year to a distinguished audience, without a rehearsal.

“There was not even time to make a full copy for the violinist who had inspired it, and Bridgetower played the second movement from the manuscript, looking over Beethoven's shoulder. Even more remarkable is that Bridgetower inserted an improvised decoration and Beethoven got up from the piano and said, 'Noch einmal, mein lieber Bursch' ('Once more, my dear fellow'), quite pleasantly. Later, he gave him his tuning fork. The sonata, which Kreutzer called 'unplayable,' was well received by the assembled aristocracy.

“Before the work could be published, however, Bridgetower apparently insulted a female friend of the composer in a bar. Maybe it was a good thing. The sonata was to have been titled 'Sonata mulattica composte per il mulatto Brishdauer, gran pazzo e compositore mulattico' ('Mullato Sonata composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, big wild mulatto composer'). Like Mahler a century later, Bridgetower connects many cultural strands. As a boy, his father was employed, along with Haydn, on Prince Esterhazy's estate, and he may have taken lessons from the master. At any rate, he played a concert with him. Thomas Jefferson saw him perform in Paris in 1789 as a child prodigy.

“Bridgetower was a member of the Prince of Wales' (later George IV) household. Before being granted leave to go to Europe alone (ostensibly to see his mother and brother in Dresden), he played in more than 50 concerts in Paris, London, Bath and Bristol. Upon his return to England, he was elected to the Royal Society of Musicians and was granted the degree of Bachelor of Music by Cambridge University in 1811. He was highly successful and able to travel extensively abroad. He was in demand as a teacher, not just of violin but also piano, and published a piano method, 'Diatonica armonica,' in 1811.

“A book about Bridgetower, 'Sonata Mulattica,' was published in 2009 by Rita Dove, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate.” “Classical music lovers who wish to celebrate Black History Month should visit William Zick's excellent website, chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com, for information on a long list of black classical composers and musicians.”

Prof. Jean Montès Helps Revive Music of Ludovic Lamothe, Haitian Composer Born May 12, 1882

[TOP: Prof. Jean Montès, Loyola University, New Orleans; BOTTOM: Fleurs d`Haiti, 10 Selections de Piano par Ludovic Lamothe Compositeur; Disques Victor]

As the birthday of Ludovic Lamothe on May 12, 1882 is observed, it is clear that his works for piano are being studied and performed by dedicated scholars and performers in a manner not seen in recent years, if ever. Ludovic Lamothe is profiled at AfriClassical.com. Voxitatis Blog posted an article by Paul Katula, “Honor Concert Preview: Looking at Haiti With Majesty, Joy, and Love.” It gave details of a student performance of a rarely-heard work, Danse Capoise by Ludovic Lamothe, under the direction of Prof. Jean Montès of Loyola University in New Orleans. He is known for bringing the Haitian Classical Music repertoire to life through his teaching and conducting at Loyola University, and he did the same at the IMEA All-State Conference:

“PEORIA (Jan. 29, 2010) — The levels of excitement and anticipation are high here at the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference.” “Among the works to be performed by the All-State Honors Orchestra at a 3 p.m. concert Saturday is the Danse Capoise by Ludovic Lamothe, orchestrated by John Jost.”

Joshua Russell performed music of Ludovic Lamothe at the Liszt-Garrison Festival in Baltimore on Oct. 17, 2009. Prof. Janet Anthony of Lawrence University Conservatory tells AfriClassical: “Joshua Russell, a newly minted DMA and professor of piano at Bradley University did his dissertation on the piano music of Ludovic Lamothe. His colleague, and former teacher, John Jost is a long time Haiti hand and knows an enormous amount about Haitian classical music.”

Christopher Hyde is Classical Music Critic at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and has written about AfriClassical.com on various occasions. On Jan. 24, 2010 he wrote: "For a small nation, which gained its independence from France in 1804 after a long and bloody slave revolt, Haiti has produced more than its share of classical composers." "Lamothe, the best known of the Haitian composers, incorporated both Vodou religious music and meringue in his work, hoping that the African ancestry of both would fuse into a national musical style. He was hindered in this effort by the disdain of the Haitian upper classes for 'peasant' music and religion, although he was able to combine the two under the flag of nationalism, as in 'Nibo, Meringue de Carnaval,' of 1934, which was widely played to celebrate the end of American occupation.

"Lamothe's works have been recorded in 'A Vision of Ludovic Lamothe' (IFA Music Records, 2001) by pianist Charles P. Phillips. An overview is provided by guitarist Jean E. Saint-Eloi in 'Music of the Haitian Masters' (IFA Music Records 256, 1999).”