The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The outfitted European slave ships of the slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage, and existed from the 16th to the 19th centuries.Now the reason why I added the slave trade was because sadly it was also during this part of history that the slave trade,which had started under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, became an even bigger part of how Britain made its money.It's hard for us to think about people being seen as objects, treated however their 'owners' wanted and then traded money, but that's what happened to Black people throughout this whole period.What I love about these incredible histories is you can see that people didn't let slavery or the prejudiced opinions of society stop them from following their dreams, spanking out or trying to make a difference.This is why their names need to remember.And one of them is George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower.
George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was born in Poland in 1778 and died in 1860 at Peckham. George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was a British musician, of African descent. He was a virtuoso violinist who lived in England for much of his life. His playing impressed Beethoven, who made Bridgetower the original dedicatee of his Kreutzer Sonata after they presented its premiere performance.The Bridgetower children had evident musical talent: George's brother Friedrich Joseph became a cellist in Dresden, Germany, while George took up the violin. By the age of ten he had begun to tour Europe as a violin prodigy. He was sometimes advertised as an 'African Prince'.
Eighteenth and nineteenth century classical violinist George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower is perhaps now best remembered for his association with Ludwig von Beethoven, who composed his Kreutzer Sonata for the young Afro-European musician, and personally performed the sonata for violin and piano with Bridgetower.This was the peak of the Classical period, and Bridgetower was a close contemporary of Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart.He contributed significantly to London musical life, and even had a hand in influencing Beethoven's 'Kreutzer' Sonata.George married Mary Leeke in 1816.
Top Five Facts About George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower
1.Beethoven composed a piece of music for him.
2.George's younger brother, Frederick, was a cellist.
3.He studied music at the University of Cambridge.
4.George was elected to the Royal Society of Musicians in 1807.
5.A letter that was sent from Beethoven to George was sold at auction for over three thousand dollars in the 1970s.
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Black In Time
Historical FictionHello there! My name is Rachelle and I am here to tell you about Black Britons who have made a significant impact on the history and culture of the United Kingdom. From ancient times to the present day, black individuals have contributed in various...
