Oscar Beringer (14 July 1844 – 21 February 1922) was an English pianist and teacher of German descent. Beringer was born in

Furtwangen Furtwangen im Schwarzwald (; Low Alemannic: ''Furtwange im Schwarzwald'') is a small city located in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany. Together with Villingen-Schwenningen, Furtwangen is part of the district (German: Kreis) of Sch ...

in the Black Forest, but by 1849 he had moved to London when his father became a political refugee. Due to impoverished circumstances he was largely self taught (on a borrowed piano with lessons from his sister) until he was 19, but made several appearances as a piano soloist at the

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

Saturday Concerts in 1859-60. At the age of 19 Beringer began a course of systematic training as a pupil of

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano in the Co ...

in Leipzig, and

Carl Tausig Karl Tausig (sometimes "Carl"; born Karol Tausig; 4 November 184117 July 1871) was a Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer. He is generally regarded as Franz Liszt's most distinguished pupil and one of the greatest pianists of all time. ...

in Berlin. In 1869 he was appointed professor at Tausig's Schule des höheren Clavierspiels in Berlin, but he returned to London in 1871. By 1873 he had established the Oscar Beringer Academy for the Higher Development of Pianoforte Playing, initially from a small house in

Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street. Originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), the street was named ...

, then at 12 Hinde Street off Manchester Square, and later at 40

Wigmore Street Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east. It is named af ...

in London. It was organized on the model of Tausig's school.
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
', 7th edition (1984), p.232 From 1885 he was also 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 ...

. Although very successful, the Oscar Beringer Academy closed its doors in 1897. On 14 October 1882 Beringer was the soloist in Brahms's Second Piano Concerto for its first performance in England, and he was also the first to perform Dvorak's Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33 in England, at the Crystal Palace on 13 October 1883. As well as performing, teaching and examining, Beringer was also a composer, mostly of educational piano pieces. His ''Daily Technical Studies for Pianoforte'' were first published in 1889 and have remained in print. But there were also concert works, including an ''Andante and Allegro'' for piano and orchestra (performed in 1880) six piano sonatinas (published 1894) and some songs. Beringer's pupils included

Hubert Bath Hubert Charles Bath (6 November 188324 April 1945) was an English film composer, music director, and conductor. His credits include the music to the Oscar-winning documentary '' Wings Over Everest'' (1934), as well as to the films '' Tudor Rose ...

, Gordon Bryan,

Winifred Christie Winifred Christie (26 February 1882 – 8 February 1965) was a British pianist and composer best known as an advocate of the Moór-Duplex piano. Early career Christie was born in Stirling, Scotland. She came to London as a child and first per ...

Ambrose Coviello Ambrose Coviello (30 January 1887 - 31 January 1950) was an English pianist, teacher and examiner, of Italian extraction. Born in Brixton, South London, Coviello was the son of two music teachers: his father was born in Italy. He studied with Osca ...

Herbert Fryer George Herbert Fryer (21 May 1877 – 7 February 1957) was an English pianist, teacher and composer. Career Fryer was born in Hampstead, London in 1877, the only son of three children. His father George Henry Fryer was an insurance broker. He w ...

Katharine Goodson Katharine Goodson (18 June 1872 – 14 April 1958) was an English pianist. Born in Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest o ...

Violet Gordon-Woodhouse Violet Gordon-Woodhouse (23 April 18729 January 1948) was a British keyboard player. She specialised in the harpsichord and clavichord, and was influential in bringing both instruments back into fashion. She was the first person to record the h ...

Adolph Hallis Adolph Hallis (4 July 1896 – 1987) was a South African pianist, composer and teacher. Life Hallis was born in Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony and travelled to England in his twenties, where he studied at the Royal Academy of Music; his teachers th ...

Cécile Hartog Cécile Sarah Hartog (1857–1940) was an English composer and pianist, born in London. She was the daughter of French school teacher, author and editor Marion Moss Hartog, and her husband Alphonse Hartog, and her siblings were the artist ...

Lionel Wendt Lionel George Henricus Wendt (3 December 1900 – 19 December 1944) was a pianist, photographer, filmmaker and critic from Sri Lanka. He was the leader of ‘43 Group, a collective of Sri Lankan artists. The Lionel Wendt Art Centre is a major ...

and

Walter Wesché Walter Francis Frederick Wesché (1857 – 26 September 1910) was a British composer, pianist, and entomologist. Born in Colombo, Ceylon, Wesché came to England at a young age and studied the piano under Mr. Oscar Beringer, as well as compositio ...

. He wrote ''Fifty Years' Experience of Pianoforte Teaching and Playing'' in 1907. He was also Director 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 ...

. Beringer married the American-born playwright, theatrical manager, novelist, and commentator Aimée Daniell in 1873. She was billed professionally as Mrs. Oscar Beringer.John Parker
''Who's Who in the Theatre''
(Small, Maynard and Company 1925): 76. Among their five children were actresses

Esme Beringer Esme Beringer (5 September 1875 – 31 March 1972) was an English actress who was noted for her fencing skills. Early life Esme Beringer was born in London, the daughter of pianist Oscar Beringer and novelist and playwright Aimée Daniell Berin ...

and

Vera Beringer Vera Beringer (2 March 1878 – 29 January 1964) was a British actress and writer. As a child she became well known for playing Little Lord Fauntleroy on the London stage. Later she was a playwright, sometimes using the byline Henry Seton. Ear ...

, who both appeared in productions of their mother's plays. Their son Guy Beringer was a journalist. Aimée died in 1936."Mrs. Beringer Dies; Former Dramatist"
''New York Times'' (February 18, 1936): 24.

References

External links

Oscar Beringer at IMSLP
* J E Wollacott.
Mr Oscar Beringer
, in ''The Strand Magazine'', Volume 3 (1896), pp. 82-3 {{DEFAULTSORT:Beringer, Oscar 1844 births 1922 deaths People from Furtwangen im Schwarzwald 19th-century British classical pianists 20th-century English classical pianists English pianists