Carl Bergmann (born
Ebersbach,
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...
, April 12, 1821; died
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, August 10, 1876) was a
German-American
German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...
and
conductor.
Biography
In 1827, he began studies with Adolph Zimmerman in
Zittau
Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, :de:Oberlausitzer Mundart, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic languages, Slavic "''rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto' ...
, and later he studied with organist-composer
Adolph Hesse in
Breslau. By 1842, he was conducting and playing the cello in
Breslau.
Eventually, Bergmann conducted orchestras in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Breslau,
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, and
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
.
Motivated by his implication in the
revolutions of 1848
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
in Vienna,
[Wittke (1952), p. 295.] Bergmann came to the United States in 1850 as first cellist in the
Germania Orchestra, a touring band of young German musicians, mostly refugees.
When the conductor of that orchestra resigned the same year, Bergmann took over. The Germania Orchestra subsequently based itself in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
before disbanding in 1854 after giving 800 concerts over its career.
During this period Bergmann directed the Germanians in performances with the
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving suc ...
of that city, including the Boston premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. After this Bergmann went to Chicago and was immediately invited to direct the
Chicago Philharmonic Society. However, he left after giving only two concerts because the Chicago musicians intrigued against him.
In 1854, he went to New York City to conduct the Männergesangverein Arion, a choral group of German-born men.
When
Theodore Eisfeld, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Society, became sick for the last concert of the 1854–1855 season, Bergmann replaced him, directing
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's ''
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...
'' overture. This concert was so successful that Bergmann became sole conductor for the 1855–1856 season.
[Thomas (1905), p. 36] In 1859 he conducted the American premiere of ''
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...
'' at the
Stadt Theater. It was the first performance of a
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
opera in America. He also played cello in a renowned piano quintet that included
Theodore Thomas on first violin and
William Mason William, Willie, or Willy Mason may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*William Mason (poet) (1724–1797), English poet, editor and gardener
*William Mason (architect) (1810–1897), New Zealand architect
*William Mason (composer) (1829–1908), Ame ...
on piano. In addition to the Philharmonic, he also conducted a choral group, the New York Harmonic Society which later became the Mendelssohn Union.
Bergmann organized and conducted a German music festival, held in the
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...
, in 1855, and in 1856 introduced German opera at
Niblo's Garden
Niblo's Garden was a theater on Broadway and Crosby Street, near Prince Street, in SoHo, Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1823 as "Columbia Garden" which in 1828 gained the name of the ''Sans Souci'' and was later the property of ...
. He conducted Italian as well as German opera in New York.
Eisfeld returned to conduct the Philharmonic Society for the 1856–1857 and 1857–1858 seasons, but Bergmann returned to the podium the next season, and shared the podium with Eisfeld between 1859 and 1865. In 1865 Eisfeld returned to Europe, and Bergmann continued as sole conductor of the Philharmonic Society until his death in 1876.
Bergmann's life and career declined after 1870. Bergmann suffered from
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
. Since 1864, there had been a rival orchestra conducted by Theodore Thomas to contend with. And the
panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...
exacerbated the Philharmonic's financial problems. In 1876, the Philharmonic board requested his resignation, and his wife, whose name has been lost to history, died.
In his autobiography, Theodore Thomas described Bergmann as "a talented musician and a fair 'cello player" but went on to criticize him as follows:
George Upton wrote:
Conductors of the New York Philharmonic Society, 1855–1876
* 1855–1856 Bergmann
* 1856–1858 Theodore Eisfeld
* 1858–1859 Bergmann
* 1859–1865 Bergmann and Eisfeld
* 1865–1876 Bergmann
[Thomas (1905), p. 149]
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergmann, Carl
1821 births
1876 deaths
People from Döbeln
People from the Kingdom of Saxony
American conductors (music)
American male conductors (music)
German-American Forty-Eighters
Music directors of the New York Philharmonic
19th-century conductors (music)
19th-century American musicians