Francesco Berger (10 June 1834 – 26 April 1933) was a pianist and composer. He was a piano teacher and a professor at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

. He is mostly remembered as the honorary secretary of the

Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a membe ...

for 27 years.

Life and career

Berger was born in London on 10 June 1834 to Italian parents, but received British nationality as his father was a naturalized Briton. In 1848 he travelled to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

from where his father had originated. He wrote an opera (''Il lazzarone, ossia La fortuna vien dormendo'') which was performed there when he was seventeen. He received much of his musical education in Germany, where he was taught by

Moscheles Moscheles is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Felix Moscheles (1833–1917), English painter, writer, and peace advocate * Gary Moscheles (born 1971), alias of English electronic musician Mike Paradinas * Ignaz Moscheles (1794 ...

in a strictly classical tradition, a style of play from which Chopin was later to be the first to break free of. He returned to England in 1855, and in 1864 he married one of the most renowned

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

s of the day, Annie Lascelles. Berger became a professor of music at the

and also taught at the Guildhall School. He composed many pieces of music over a long and industrious life. He became a great friend of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

and frequently visited him at his house,

Gads Hill Place 'Gad's Hill Place'' in Higham, Kent, sometimes spelt Gadshill Place and Gads Hill Place, was the country home of Charles Dickens. Today the building is the independent Gad's Hill School. The house was built in 1780 for a former Mayor of Ro ...

. He was commissioned to write music for two plays by

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1860), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for ''The Moonsto ...

which were produced by Dickens and performed at his private theatrical parties. He composed many works including masses, overtures, operas, chamber music, choral work, piano compositions, song cycles and vocal settings, many to works by

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to complet ...

. He wrote a piano primer, ''Musical Expressions in Four Languages'' and an autobiography, ''Reminiscences, Impressions, and Anecdotes''. In 1871 Berger became of a member and director of the

and he acted as its honorary secretary from 1884 until 1911, overseeing its move from

St James' Hall St. James's Hall was a concert hall in London that opened on 25 March 1858, designed by architect and artist Owen Jones, who had decorated the interior of the Crystal Palace. It was situated between the Quadrant in Regent Street and Piccadilly, ...

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

. At the start of that period,

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

was appointed conductor to be followed by various others including

Sir Alexander Mackenzie Sir Alexander Mackenzie ( – 12 March 1820) was a Scottish explorer and fur trader known for accomplishing the first crossing of North America north of Mexico by a European in 1793. The Mackenzie River and Mount Sir Alexander are named afte ...

from 1892 to 1899. Mackenzie wrote of Berger "During my tenure of office s conductorthe heat and burden of the day was borne by an honorary secretary (happily still living) of remarkable linguistic accomplishment, much musical experience, and an immense capacity for work — Mr. Francesco Berger". During his time as secretary, Berger oversaw the introduction of many new works and on several occasions brought

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

over to conduct his own works. Near the end of his tenure, the great violinist Kreisler took part in the first performance of

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

's Violin Concerto in B minor which had been commissioned by the Society. Berger died in Palmer's Green, London on 26 April 1933 at the age of ninety eight. His wife had predeceased him, dying in 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger English Romantic composers 1834 births 1933 deaths British people of Italian descent