Bach, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst b. May 27, 1759 d. December 25, 1845 Composer. He was the only grandson of Johann Sebastian Bach to achieve fame as a musician. His symphonies, cantatas and chamber music were firmly in the Classical style of Haydn and Mozart. Bach was born in Bueckeberg, Germany, where his father, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, was the longtime music director. He studied briefly in Hamburg with his uncle, C.P.E. Bach, and for three years in London with Johann Christian Bach, before receiving his first conducting appointment at Minden in...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Friedhof der Sophiengemeinde II, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Bechstein, Carl b. June 1, 1826 d. March 6, 1900 Entrepreneur. He founded the C. Bechstein Pianoforte Co., considered one of the world's finest piano manufacturers, in Berlin in 1853. The sonorous yet creamy sound of this company's instruments influenced composer Claude Debussy, who once enthused, "All piano music should be written for Bechsteins", and over the years they have been favored by such virtuosos as Edwin Fischer, Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus, Wilhelm Kempff, and Dinu Lipatti. Bechstein was born in Gotha, Germany. At...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Friedhof der Sophiengemeinde II, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Lortzing, Albert b. October 23, 1801 d. January 21, 1851 Composer, Conductor, Actor. He was the first important German creator of light opera. His biggest hit, "Zar Und Zimmerman" ("The Czar and the Carpenter", 1837), based on an episode in the life of Russia's Peter the Great, is still in the international repertory, while "Der Wildschutz" ("The Poacher", 1842) and the fairy tale opera "Undine" (1845) remain popular in Germany and Austria. Gustav Albert Lortzing was born in Berlin. His parents were touring actors and at age 19 he began...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards) Friedhof der Sophiengemeinde II, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
b. June 1, 1826 d. March 6, 1900