Poet’s Muse: A Footnote to Beethoven

[Peter]

Rita Dove, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former United States poet laureate, has now breathed life into the story of that virtuoso, George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower, in her new book, “Sonata Mulattica”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/books/03dove.html

[Megan]

Bridgetower

Thanks for bringing this fascinating story to light Peter,

I must admit that I haven't done any research on this sadly forgotten violin virtuoso. I never realized that Bridgetower died in poverty in London. How sad.

Did Beethoven slightly alter the Bridgetower Sonata before he re-dedicated it to Kreutzer?

[Preston]

Did Kreutzer ever perform the sonata publicly? I am aware that he deemed it unplayable, just wondering if he ever got it down?

[Hofrat]

Kreutzer never played it!!

[DavidO]

Kreutzer never played it!!

No, indeed. Kreutzer may not have thought much of it. Odd, because the two started out on solid footing -- Beethoven wrote to Simrock in October 1804 that Kreutzer was an "excellent fellow" whose meeting with B. gave the latter much pleasure. B. & Kreutzer allegedly also wrote to each other every year or so for several yrs.

It's a shame about the falling out B. had with Bridgetower, however.

[Preston]

Thanks for that Hofrat.

For NPR people, on Performance Today, today, they had the poet talk about her poems and then played The Kreutzer sonata!!!

Here is the link for today, http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/ .