Background
Berwald appeared as an infant prodigy on violin as early as age six touring abroad together with his father Georg Johann Abraham Berwald, a bassoon player at the Kungliga Hovkapellet.
Berwald appeared as an infant prodigy on violin as early as age six touring abroad together with his father Georg Johann Abraham Berwald, a bassoon player at the Kungliga Hovkapellet.
During four years, starting in 1808, Johan Fredrik Berwald was a soloist at the Royal Chapel in Saint St. Petersburg. He became a violinist at the Kungliga Hovkapellet in Stockholm in 1814, and conductor of the Royal Orchestra 1823-1847. During this time he also led the concerts of the Harmonic Society.
He was regarded as an average conductor and out of date as composer, but his introduction of Weber"s and Meyerbeer"s operas, for instance, was successful, partly because of Jenny Lind"s participation.
A couple of divertissements were composed directly for Jenny Lind, for example "En majdag i Värend" (1843) in a kind of nationally and popularly adapted style bearing the stamp of the period. In addition to that he composed orchestral and chamber music together with some vocal music
None of these can be said to be on the concert repertoire of today. Berwald was elected as fellow no 228 to the Swedish Royal Academy of Music on 2 December 1818.