The British Library Homepage
homeHome  >   Online Gallery  >   Online exhibitions  >   Features  >   Black Europeans  >
 
print

Bridgetower’s early years

Enlarged image Enlarged image
A miniature of Bridgetower, attributed to Chinnery   Pencil and watercolour portrait of Bridgetower
A miniature of Bridgetower, attributed to Chinnery
British Library PP1931pcx (vol.182), p.296

Copyright © The British Library Board
  Pencil and watercolour portrait of Bridgetower
Copyright © The British Museum
1876-7-8-2379

George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (1780-1860) was probably born on 29 February 1780, although some authorities give 11 October 1778. His birthplace was Biala in Poland, and his mother was a native of that country. His father, who went by the name John Frederick or Friedrich de August Bridgetower, apparently worked in the household of Prince Nikolai Esterházy, where he gave several differtent stories about his origins (a favourite being that he was an African prince).The castle contained an opera house and a puppet theatre, and boasted the composer Haydn as Kappelmeister. If Bridgetower was a child prodigy, destiny clearly provided him with the best possible environment and training, and he made his performing début as a violinist, aged nine or 10, in Paris in April 1789. The journal Le Mercure de France raved about his performance, concluding that “his talent is one of the best replies one can give to philosophers who wish to deprive people of his nation and his colour of the opportunity to distinguish themselves in the arts”.

Guest-curated for the British Library by Mike Phillips

Arrival in England and debut in Bath Next - 'Arrival in England and debut in Bath'

Introduction Introduction
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Dumas Alexandre Dumas
George Polgreen Bridgetower
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
John Archer John Archer
 
 
 
Discover more:
Introduction
Introduction
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Pushkin
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas
George Polgreen Bridgetower
Background and early years
Arrival in England and GPB's debut in Bath
Arrival in England and debut in Bath
First successes in London
First successes in London
GPB, Brighton and the Prince of Wales
Bridgetower, Brighton and the Prince of Wales
Play it again Mr bridgetower - Beethoven and Vienna
Play it again Mr Bridgetower - Beethoven and Vienna
Life as a professional musician
Life as a professional musician
The final years
The final years
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
John Archer
John Archer
 
Accessibility  Terms of use   Site map
Copyright © The British Library Board