Beethoven, on June 4, 1827. His relations with Beethoven, who often tried him sorely, have been given in a former article. [See vol. i. 172 b, 183 b, 184 a, 189 b, 192 b, 199 b.] He was twice married, first to the daughter of Ritter von Vering, head of the Austrian military medical administration. She was a pupil of Schenk the composer, a fine pianist, and author of divers little compositions. Beethoven—who had often played duets with her—dedicated the interesting pianoforte arrangement of the Violin Concerto to her. She was born Nov. 26, 1791, and died, says the epitaph composed by her husband 'on the 21 March, 1809, in the eleventh month of happy wedded life, at the moment of the entrance of spring.' The second wife was Marie Constanze Ruschowitz, born Dec. 1, 1784, died Oct. 5, 1856, leaving one son and two daughters.
Lorenz (Lenz) studied medicine at Bonn and Vienna—whither he came in 1794 and renewed his musical studies with Beethoven. At parting the then young composer wrote in his album to this effect:—
Truth exists for the wise,
Beauty for the feeling heart!
They belong to each other.
- Dear Good Breuning!
Never shall I forget the time which in Bonn as well as here I have spent with thee. Retain thy friendship for me, so as thou wilt find me ever the same. Vienna 1797 on the 1st October.
- Thy true friend
- L. v. Beethoven.
- Thy true friend
Their separation was final; on the 10th of the next April young Breuning died.
Moritz Gerhard, son of Stephan and Constanze (Ruschowitz), was born at Vienna Aug. 28, 1813. He is 'k.k. Medicinalrath,' and for many years has been one of the most eminent physicians of the Austrian capital. He passed his childhood in the 'Rothehaus' very near that in which Beethoven died [see vol. iii. 425], and during the composer's last sickness was much with him. Besides numerous pamphlets and articles on subjects relating to his profession, he is known in musical literature by his extremely interesting and valuable little book, 'Das Schwarzspanier Haus,' a collection of reminiscences of Beethoven and the Breunings. [See vol. i. p. 208 a.] He has for many years been an active and influential member of the governing body of the great 'Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.' [See vol. i. 591.]
Letters from Beethoven to various Breunings—the widow, Christoph, Eleonore, Stephan, Lenz, and Gerhard—are given in Nohl's Briefe Beethovens' and in 'Neue Briefe Beethovens.'
Beethoven dedicated the following works to members of this family:—
To Fräulein Eleonore the variations on 'Se vuol ballare' for PF. and violin (July 1793), and the Easy Sonata for PF. solo in C major (1796). Nottebohm's Catalogue, p. 148.
To Stephan the Violin Concerto, op. 61 (March 1809); and to Frau v. B. the adaptation of the same for piano. (See Thayer's Beethoven (i. 162, etc.)
BREVE. P. 274 b, l. 7 from bottom, for 'All we like sheep' read 'And with His stripes.'
BREWER, Thomas. Add date of birth, 1611; that he was at Christ's Hospital till 1626; and that Elizabeth Rogers' Virginal Book (in the British Museum) contains two pieces by him.
BRIDGE, John Frederick, Mus. D., is the son of the late John Bridge, a lay clerk of Rochester Cathedral. He was born at Oldbury in Worcestershire on Dec. 5, 1844, and was a chorister at Rochester from 1850 to 1859, and an articled pupil of J. Hopkins until 1864. He subsequently studied under Sir John Goss, and from 1865 to 1869 was organist of Trinity Church, Windsor. In 1868 he took the degree of Mus. B. at Oxford, and in the following year succeeded Joseph John Harris as organist of Manchester Cathedral. In 1872 he was appointed Professor of Harmony at Owens College, and in 1874 he took his Doctor's degree, for which he composed as an exercise the oratorio 'Mount Moriah.' In 1875 he was appointed permanent deputy organist of Westminster Abbey, which post he held until the death of Mr. Turle in 1882, when he was appointed his successor. 1890, made Gresham Prof. 1896, succeeded Sir J. Barnby as Cond. R. Choral Soc. Knighted, Diam. Jubilee, 1897. For the Worcester Festival in 1884 Dr. Bridge wrote a choral setting of the Hymn of S. Francis, and for the Birmingham Festival of 1885 he composed a fine setting of Mr. Gladstone's Latin Translation of Toplady's hymn, 'Rock of Ages.' For the celebration of the Queen's Jubilee in Westminster Abbey (21 June, 1887) he arranged all the music and composed a special anthem, for which he received the thanks of Her Majesty, and the Silver Jubilee Medal. Dr. Bridge is Professor of Harmony and Counterpoint at the Royal College of Music, and Conductor of the Western Madrigal Society. In addition to the works already mentioned, his compositions include anthems, services, chants, part-songs, an overture 'The Morte d'Arthur,' and a cantata 'Boadicea,' produced in 1880, besides excellent primers on Counterpoint, Double Counterpoint and Canon, and Organ Accompaniment of the Choral Service. [App. p.819 "his cantata 'Callirhoë,' to words by W. Barclay Squire, was produced at the Birmingham Festival of 1888."]
BRIDGE, Joseph Cox, brother of the above, was born at Rochester on Aug. 16, 1853, and was a chorister, and subsequently assistant organist, of the cathedral from 1861 to 1867. He studied under his brother (to whom he acted as assistant at Manchester) and John Hopkins, and from 1871 to 1876 was organist of Exeter College, Oxford, where he took the degrees of B. A. in 1875, Mus. B. in 1876, M. A. in 1878, and Mus. D. in 1879. In 1877 Mr. Bridge was appointed organist of Chester Cathedral, where in 1879 he took a conspicuous part in resuscitating the Chester Triennial Musical Festival, which had been dormant for fifty years. For the opening performance he wrote an evening service with orchestral accompaniment, and at the Festival of 1885 produced an oratorio,
