Johan Fredrik Berwald (4 December 1787 – 26 August 1861) was a Swedish violinist, conductor and composer. He was a cousin of

Franz Berwald Franz Adolf Berwald (23 July 1796 – 3 April 1868) was a Swedish Romantic composer. He made his living as an orthopedist and later as the manager of a saw mill and glass factory, and became more appreciated as a composer after his death than he ...

and August Berwald.

Biography

Berwald appeared as an infant prodigy on violin as early as age six, touring abroad together with his father Georg Johann Abraham Berwald, a

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

player at the

Kungliga Hovkapellet Kungliga Hovkapellet (, "The Royal Court Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra, originally part of the Royal Court in Sweden's capital Stockholm. Its existence was first recorded in 1526. Since 1773 it is part of the Royal Swedish Opera's company. K ...

. During four years, starting in 1808, Johan Fredrik Berwald was a soloist at the Royal Chapel in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. He became a violinist at the Kungliga Hovkapellet in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

in 1814, and conductor of the Royal Orchestra 1823 to 1847. During this time he also led the concerts of the Harmonic Society. Unlike his cousin Franz Berwald, Johan Fredrik was successful as a musician during his lifetime. The cousins were sometimes rivals, and Johan Fredrik made, as far as is known, no efforts to help Franz have his scenic and symphonic works performed. He was regarded as an average conductor and out of date as a composer, but his introduction of

Weber Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'. Notable pe ...

's and

Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le di ...

's operas, for instance, was successful, partly because of

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

's participation. A couple of

divertissement ''Divertissement'' (from the French 'diversion' or 'amusement') is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings. During the 17th and ...

s were composed directly for Jenny Lind, for example "''En majdag i Värend''" (1843) in a kind of nationally and popularly adapted style bearing the stamp of the period. In addition to that he composed orchestral and chamber music together with some vocal music. None of these can be said to be in the concert repertoire of today. He was married to the royal concert singer Mathilda Cohn. Their daughter Julie Berwald (1822-1877), was for a short time opera singer at the

Kungliga Operan Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

in Stockholm where she made her debut in 1847, was employed in 1848, and left in 1852 when she married the baron Knut Åkerhjelm. Berwald was elected as fellow no 228 to the Swedish Royal Academy of Music on 2 December 1818.

Selected works

* ''L'héroine de l'amour filial'' Operetta - 1811 Saint Petersburg * ''Nya garnisonen'' Vaudeville 1 act - 8 April 1831 Stockholm, Kungliga Teatern * ''Felsheims hussar'' Vaudeville 3 acts - 10 February 1832 Stockholm, Kungliga Teatern * ''Ett national-Divertissement'' 1 act ''Böttiger'' - 6 February 1843 Stockholm, Kungliga. Teatern * ''En majdag i Wärend'' Sångspel 1 act ''Böttiger'' - 11 May 1843 Stockholm, Kungliga Teatern

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berwald, Johan Fredrik 1787 births 1861 deaths Swedish classical composers Swedish violinists Male violinists 19th-century male musicians 19th-century musicians