A Colorful History

George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (ca. 1780-1860) was an Afro-Polish classical violinist and composer. He was a child prodigy and made his debut in Paris around age 9 and that same year would perform in 3 cities in England, one of which King George III attended and praised Bridgetower’s skills.  At age 11 the Prince of Wales placed him under his patronage and further educated Bridgetower; he would serve as the prince’s orchestra’s first violinist for 14 years and performed in many concert tours all around Europe. During an 1803 concert tour he would meet Beethoven, who was highly impressed by his playing and came to admire him greatly. Bridgetower and Beethoven would soon perform together, and Beethoven originally dedicated his Violin Sonata No. 9 to Bridgetower. In 1811, he graduated from Cambridge with a Bachelor of Music degree and would join several music societies including the Royal Philharmonic Society.