Background
Carl Bergmann was born on April 11, 1821, at Ebersbach, Saxony, Germany. His parents later removed to Breslau.
Carl Bergmann was born on April 11, 1821, at Ebersbach, Saxony, Germany. His parents later removed to Breslau.
Carl studied with Adolph Zimmerman in Zittau, and later with organist-composer Adolph Hesse in Breslau.
Between 1842 and 1848 Carl was an orchestral leader in Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw, and Venice. Implicated in the Revolution of 1848, he was obliged to leave Germany and in the autumn of 1849 came to New York. There he joined the Germania Orchestra, originally made up of twenty-four German musicians, which had set a new high standard of orchestral playing in this country. Bergmann started in as violoncellist, but soon became conductor.
From 1852 to 1854 Bergmann conducted the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, but in the latter year he returned to New York as conductor of the Männergesangverein Arion.
In 1858 he became for a year conductor of the New York Philharmonic Society. In 1858-1859 he was again conductor, from 1859 to 1865 alternate conductor with Theodore Eisfeld, and from 1865 to 1876 sole conductor of the Society. In this period he introduced to this country many works by Wagner, Liszt, Rubinstein, Berlioz, Brahms, and other composers of the romantic school.
In the field of opera Bergmann conducted apparently the first complete performances in German in this country of Beethoven's Fidelio, and Wagner's Tannhäuser. He had previously performed the Tannhäuser overture, first with the Germania Orchestra on December 3, 1853, and with the Philharmonic Society in April 1855. The Lohengrin prelude and Rienzi overture had also appeared on Germania Orchestra programs prior to 1854, doubtless for the first time in this country.
In addition to his activity in conducting orchestral concerts and opera, Bergmann conducted the New York Harmonic Society (choral), and its successor the Mendelssohn Union. He was associated as cellist with William Mason, Theodore Thomas, and others in chamber music performances in 1855-1860.
After the death of his wife in 1875 mental depression made Bergmann so morose, moody, and at times childish, that he was finally in February 1876 obliged to resign his position with the Philharmonic Society, and a few months later he died.
Carl Bergmann was a well-known orchestral conductor of the 19th century. During his career he conducted the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the Männergesangverein Arion in New York, the New York Philharmonic Society. He also conducted the New York Harmonic Society (choral), and the Mendelssohn Union.
Quotes from others about the person
"Bergmann gave the impression that he never worked much, or cared to do so. He lacked most of the qualities of a first-rank conductor, but he had one great redeeming quality for those days which soon brought him into prominence. He possessed an artistic nature, and was in sympathy with the so-called Zukunftmusik. " -Theodore Thomas
