Francis Berger
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My British-Italian Pianist-Composer Namesake

12/30/2022

3 Comments

 
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Francesco Berger (1834 - 1933) was a pianist, composer, teacher, professor, and Philharmonic Society member. Born in England to an Italian father - a naturalized British citizen - and a Bavarian mother, Berger had his first opera performed in Trieste, Italy when he was just seventeen. He was educated mostly in Central Europe, but spent the bulk of his life in London where formed a long-lasting friendship with Charles Dickens. 

I had never heard of this namesake until today. History claims that he was a prolific composer, but I found only a few audio recordings of his compositions online, suggesting that Berger's music was very likely "of its time" and has more or less remained locked in the Victorian Era. Of course, I could be wrong about that, but that's what the lack of online material seems to indicate.

Anyway, I did find this playful, charming little piece called Titania (A Dance Measure), played here by YouTube pianist Phillip Sear. 

Enjoy! 
3 Comments
Luke
12/31/2022 22:59:37

Well, you have a pretty cool namesake I must say.

Reply
bruce g charlton
1/3/2023 09:55:35

I suppose that picture of Titania on the YouTube video is meant to be the supernaturally-beautiful queen of the fairies?

Well, tastes in beauty change; but do they change *that* much?

Reply
Francis Berger
1/3/2023 10:28:32

@ Bruce - I suppose I could add an disclaimer. Something along the lines of, "Pictorial representations of beauty on YouTube channel are those of the YouTuber and do not reflect the blog author's (or blog readers') taste in beauty."

Otherwise, I can do little more than agree with your assessment -- that is one ugly Titania. Moreover, the contrast between her name and that sagging bosom is simply unbearable.

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