Born: June 30, 1823 - Coburg, Germany
Died: July 17, 1896 - Basel, Switzerland

The German composer and distinguished critic, Selmar Bagge, was the son of the rector of the Gymnasium at Coburg. He began his musical studies early, and in 1837 entered the Conservatorium in Prague under B. Weber. Later still he was a pupil of Sechter in Vienna.

In 1851 Selmar Bagge became professor of composition at the Conservatorium in Vienna, and in 1854 organist at Gumpendorf, near Vienna. In 1855 he resigned his professorship and took to writing in the Monatsschrift für Theater und Musik, and in 1860 in the Deutsche Musikzeitung, at which periodical he was founder and editor. In 1863 he transferred himself to Leipzig as editor of the A.M.Z., but this he relinquished in 1868 for the directorship of the music school in Basel.

Selmar Bagge was a strong conservative and an able writer. L.v. Beethoven and Schumann were his models in art, and he had no mercy on those who differed from him, especially on the New German school. He composed four symphonies, one piano concerto, two masses, chamber music and choral works, Lieder and piano pieces in the tradition L.v. Beethoven and Schumann. His music is correct and fluent, but poor in invention and melody. He published Lehrbuch der Tonkunst.

Source: Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1952 Edition; Author: Sir George Grove); German Wikipedia Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (July 2007)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2007)

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Selmar Bagge (Wikipedia) [German]

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