Charles Frederick Baumgarten (originally Karl Friedrich Baumgarten; 1739/1740 – 1824) was a German-born violinist, organist, composer and teacher, living in London.

Life

Baumgarten was born in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, and was a pupil of the organist . In 1757 he moved to England."Baumgarten, Karl Friedrich". ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800''. SIU Press 1973.
/ref> There are few details of his early career. By 1760 he was organist of the Lutheran chapel at the Savoy. In 1763 he was leader of the orchestra of the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in London; in 1764 he was at the

Smock Alley Theatre Since the 17th century, there have been numerous theatres in Dublin with the name Smock Alley. The current Smock Alley Theatre () is a 21st-century theatre in Dublin, converted from a 19th-century church building, incorporating structural mat ...

in Dublin. He was leader of the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British royal family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom w ...

's private band, whose other members included William Shield and

William Thomas Parke William Thomas Parke (15 February 1761 – 26 August 1847) was an English oboist and composer. He played in notable concerts of the day; in retirement he published ''Musical Memoirs''. Life Parke began his musical studies in 1770 under his elder ...

. From 1780 until 1794 he was leader of the orchestra of

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

in London.

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

met him in 1792; by this time he had almost forgotten his mother tongue. Haydn wrote in his diary that Baumgarten led "a sleepy orchestra". However he and

Adalbert Gyrowetz Vojtěch Matyáš Jírovec (Adalbert Gyrowetz) (20 February 1763 – 19 March 1850) was a Bohemian composer. He mainly wrote instrumental works, with a great production of string quartets and symphonies; his operas and singspiele numbered mo ...

, who was in London at the same time, acknowledged his theoretical knowledge. His many pupils included William Dance, Thomas Welsh and William Thomas Parke. Baumgarten died in London in 1824, aged 84.''Annual Register of the year 1824''. "Deaths". Page 214.
"Lately, at Bayswater, in his 85th year, Mr Charles Frederick Baumgarten, formerly leader of the band at Covent-garden theatre." Carl Ferdinand Pohl wrote "he does not seem to have possessed the art of making use of his advantages, and was quickly forgotten."

Compositions

Baumgarten's compositions include keyboard works, an oboe concerto, and six quartets for various instruments. He also wrote some material for the theatre, including the music for Carlo Antonio Delpini's ''Blue Beard'' (1791), the overture for ''Harlequin, Junior'' (Covent Garden 1784) and some of the music for ''Netley Abbey'' (Covent Garden 1794).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baumgarten, Charles Frederick 18th-century births 1824 deaths Musicians from Lübeck 18th-century German keyboardists 18th-century German violinists German emigrants to the Kingdom of Great Britain