Georg Gerson (also ''George''; 14 October 1790 – 16 February 1825) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

. Most of his works are

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

Life

Gerson was the son of the Königsberg banker Heyman Gerson (1765–1839), who bore the title ''Chaijm Kenigsberg'' on his the letter of escort to Copenhagen in 1789, and Sprinzche Esperance Melchior (1771–1797). He was born into a soon-to-be-prosperous

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

family, who, like most Jewish residents in Copenhagen, spoke German. He had a sister, a half-brother, and a half-sister. Georg Gerson showed business talent as a teenager in his classes at the philanthropic . At the age of 15, he was sent to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

to apprentice at Fürst, Haller & Comp. He was also very talented musically. In 1807 his teacher introduced him to amateur musicians who performed

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

s on domestic

salon music Salon music was a popular music genre in Europe during the 19th century. It was usually written for solo piano in the romantic style, and often performed by the composer at events known as "Salons". Salon compositions are usually fairly short and ...

evenings. In this way, during his time in Hamburg, not least because he was a popular guest with the merchant families Fürst and Haller, he came into close contact with two virtuosos at that time, the violinist

Andreas Romberg Andreas Jakob Romberg (27 April 1767 – 10 November 1821) was a German violinist and composer. Romberg was born in Vechta, in the Duchy of Oldenburg. He learned the violin from his musician father Gerhard Heinrich Romberg and first performed ...

, who soon took over Gerson's training as a composer, and the cellist

Bernhard Romberg Bernhard Heinrich Romberg (November 13, 1767 – August 13, 1841) was a German cellist and composer. Life Romberg was born in Dinklage. His father, Anton Romberg, played the bassoon and cello and gave Bernhard his first cello lessons. He fi ...

(a cousin of Andreas). Andreas Romberg remained Gerson's compositional consultant for life. Gerson also studied music theory. When he returned to Copenhagen in 1812, he joined the banking company Hambro og Søn, becoming a co-owner in 1816. Gerson played in a quartet and was also an active member of some notable music associations in Copenhagen, such as ' around 1814 and the ''Selskabet for musikkens Udbredelse'' around 1820. Georg Gerson titelblad

He went on several business trips to London and wrote songs there in English, including two on poems by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

. After brokering a loan to the Danish Treasury from England, Gerson and his business partner Joseph Hambro were appointed "Hofråd" in 1821 by King

Frederik VI Frederick VI (Danish and no, Frederik; 28 January 17683 December 1839) was King of Denmark from 13 March 1808 to 3 December 1839 and King of Norway from 13 March 1808 to 7 February 1814, making him the last king of Denmark–Norway. From 1784 un ...

. On the way home from one of his trips to London, Gerson suffered a stroke in Hamburg that paralyzed his left hand, ending his activity as a musician. He died in 1825 of another stroke at the age of 34, just four months after marrying Adelaide Nathan-David (1796–1891), a niece of his stepmother Emilie Nathan David (1777–1855).

Works

* Concert Overture in D major (1813)Debut recording:

Concerto Copenhagen The Danish national baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen is one of the leading baroque orchestras in the world. History Danish National Baroque Orchestra Concerto Copenhagen played its first concerts in 1991 and has since developed into the lead ...

, Lars Ulrik Mortensen,

Classic Production Osnabrück A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

(cpo) 777 085-2 (2005)
jpc.de
/ref> * Symphony in E flat major (1817) * Concert Overture in E Flat Major (1818) * Violin concerto (1821) * 5 string quartets * 1 string quintet * 2 Italian scenes (for orchestra) * Paternoster for male choir * numerous vocal works

Notes

References

* '' Dansk biografisk leksikon''. 1980 * Carl Frederik Bricka (ed.). "Georg Gerson." In ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537–1814''. 1st ed., vol. 6: Gerson–H. Hansen. Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Kopenhagen 1892, p. 1–2.

External links

*
Entry
on klassika.info
Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerson, Georg Danish composers Danish male composers Danish bankers 1790 births 1825 deaths 19th-century male musicians