Bridgetower, George Augustus Polgreen, 1778-1860

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1778-10-11

Death 1860-02-29

Active 1815

Active 1993

Biographical notes:

George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (b. Oct. 11 1778, Biała, Galicia–d. Feb. 29, 1860, London, England) was a violinist. His father was probably a West Indian and his mother was German. Bridgewater moved to London at an early age and was performing at the Drury Lane Theatre by the age of ten. The future King George IV took interest in Bridgetower and he studied under François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, Ivan Jarnovic, and Thomas Attwood. He is well known for performing with Beethoven in Vienna in 1803. Bridgewater earned Bachelor of Music from Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1811 and was later elected to Royal Society of Musicians.