Henri Berger
Henry Berger Heinrich Berger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Henry Berger c. 1917 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Heinrich August Wilhelm Berger |
| Also known as | Henri Berger |
| Born | August 4, 1844 Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | October 14, 1929 (aged 85) Territory of Hawaii, US |
| Genres | Hawaiian, March |
| Occupation(s) | Bandmaster |
| Years active | 1872-1915 |
Henry or Henri Berger (August 4, 1844 – October 14, 1929) was a
Biography
Berger was born Heinrich August Wilhelm Berger in
Berger befriended the future Queen
He led the government band at thousands of public events. Among these were "steamer day," when a ship left the Honolulu docks. The band serenaded the departees with "Auld Lang Syne," or "The Girl I Left Behind Me."[4]
Later in his tenure as royal bandmaster, Berger took it upon himself to record traditional Hawaiian hymns, chants and other Hawaiian music in print to ensure their survival, a task never done before. Berger at the same time composed the classics: "The Hula March", "
Berger combined German, Austrian and Hawaiian traditions in his unique compositions and performed with the Royal Hawaiian Band thousands of times, making Hawaiian music known and popular in many countries. Berger started the RHB 'Aloha" welcome and farewell greetings at the harbors.
He died in Honolulu. His resting-place is the Kawaiahaʻo Church Cemetery.[6]
Robert Louis Stevenson mentioned Berger in his novel The Bottle Imp.[7]
Berger's legacy continues today, celebrated worldwide especially in Hawaii and Germany, as the father of the Royal Hawaiian Band, the oldest municipal band in the United States.
References
- City and County of Honolulu. March 28, 2008. Archived from the originalon May 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ "Half a Century of Life." Hawaiian Gazette, August 7, 1894. A major profile of Berger commemorating his fiftieth birthday.
- hdl:10524/186. Retrieved 2021-08-04. p. 104
- ^ "Half a Century of Life." Hawaiian Gazette, August 7, 1894.
- ISBN 978-1-57306-209-1.
- ^ Mission Houses Cemetery, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Grave memorial of Henri Berger
- ^ cf. The Bottle Imp: "Thither he went, because he feared to be alone; and there, among happy faces, walked to and fro, and heard the tunes go up and down, and saw Berger beat the measure, and all the while he heard the flames crackle, and saw the red fire burning in the bottomless pit."
Literature
- Patrick D. Hennessey: Henry Berger: From Prussian Army Musician to "Father of Hawaiian Music". The Life and Legacy of Hawai'i's Bandmaster, Tutzing: Schneider, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86296-056-9
External links
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