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A drawing of George by Henry Edridge in 1790

George Bridgetower was an Afro-Polish virtuoso violinist who was performing by the age of ten. By the end of his life he had played for kings, princes, famous composers, and presidents. Beethoven himself even dedicated a sonata to him. So how did this phenomenal violinist’s name become lost to history? One thoughtless insult to a woman was all it took for his name to be scratched from the history books (literally). 

George’s father was a West Indian servant to a Hungarian prince and his mother was a German maid for a member of the House of Thurn und Taxis. George was born in Poland on October 11, 1778. He moved with his family to London at a young age. By age ten, George was performing at Drury Lane, a West End theater still used today. By age 12, the child prodigy had played concerts in London, Bath, Bristol, and Paris. His extraordinary talent did not go unnoticed long. His performances attracted the attention of the British Royal Family and he soon played for King George III (Have you seen Hamilton? Yeah, it’s that King George) at Windsor Castle. The Prince of Wales (the future George IV) was particularly struck by the young musician and became his patron. George played in the orchestra at Brighton from 1791 to 1809. 

Drury Lane interior, circa 1808

In 1802, George returned to the continent to see his mother and brother, who were living in Dresden. While there, he continued to put on performances, once even playing with his brother, a noted cellist. In 1803, during a trip to Vienna, George was introduced to the 33 year old Ludwig van Beethoven, already a well known composer and pianist. The two were introduced by Prince Karl Lichnowsky. Beethoven asked George to perform with him and was so impressed by the violinist that he dedicated a sonata to him. They performed this piece, Sonata No. 9, together in May of 1803. During the performance, George added a slight change to his part. Beethoven was so enamored with this improvement that he apparently jumped up and exclaimed “Noch einmal, mein lieber bursch!” (Once more, my dear fellow!). After the performance, Beethoven gifted George his tuning fork. George had earned the respect and awe of one of the greatest minds in musical history. But, sadly, it was not to last.

Tuning fork said to have been given to George by Ludwig van Beethoven.

“Once more, my dear fellow!”

The new friends were dining together one evening when George made an insult about a woman across the room from them. Little did he know the woman he was speaking of was a longtime favorite of Beethoven’s (possibly the woman to whom he dedicated his famous Moonlight Sonata.) Beethoven was furious. All of George’s apologies were useless. After this falling out, Beethoven re-dedicated Sonata No. 9 to Rudolphe Kreutzer,  an up and coming French violinist. However, upon receiving the sheet music, Kreutzer declared the piece unplayable, remarking that Beethoven did not understand the violin at all. Kreutzer never performed the sonata, yet to this day it is known, not as the Bridgetower Sonata, but as the Kreutzer Sonata. Although George played the piece with such skill that he shocked Beethoven, he could never recover from his one, ill-placed remark.

Sonata No. 9 with Beethoven’s handwritten inscription at the top. It reads: “Sonata mulattica Composta per il Mulatto Brischdauer gran pazzo e compositore mulattico” which translates to “Mulatto Sonata Composed for the Mulatto Brischdauerthe great mulatto composer and lunatic”.

George Bridgetower, 1800

After this fall from grace, George returned to London and continued to perform.  He was elected to the Royal Society of Musicians in 1807 and received his Bachelor in Music in 1811 from Cambridge. He was married in 1819 and had one daughter. Eventually, he stopped performing and became a piano instructor. He even wrote some compositions of his own. Not much is known about his later life and what we do know has been pieced together from the letters of those he visited while travelling Europe. He travelled frequently to Italy, where his daughter lived. The young man whose name was once known throughout Europe now lived in relative anonymity. Sadly, his surviving will suggests he also lived his later life in relative poverty. George Bridgetower died on February 29, 1860, at the age of 81 in his home in South London and he is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. A portrait of George is displayed in the British Museum along with the tuning fork Beethoven gifted him, all that’s left to show of this brilliant musician’s life and work.

When George was born the odds were stacked against him. Not only was he born into the lower class, but he was half African at a time when slavery was still legal in most of the world. Yet, at the height of his career royalty, the musical elite, and commoners alike celebrated his unrivaled talent on the violin. George’s story is an inspiring tale of a mixed race prodigy and his rise to fame; however, it also serves as a good reminder that if you can’t say something nice, maybe don’t say anything at all.

Further Reading

Didn’t get enough Mixed History? Check out the lists below for more info on George Bridgetower.

Books & Films

  • Sonata Mulattica: A Life in Five Movements and a Short Play by Rita Dove was published in 2009. It’s a fictionalized account of Bridgetower’s life.
  • Immortal Beloved (1994) directed by Bernard Rose. A film about the life of Beethoven with Bridgetower’s character played by violinist Everton Nelson.
  • A Mulatto Song (1996) directed by Topher Campbell. A short biographical film, again starring Everton Nelson as Bridgetower.
  • Bridgetower (2001) directed by Jason Young. A short animated film about George’s life.
  • The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy. This short novel is unrelated to Bridgetower, but is gets it’s name from Sonata No. 9.

Media