Auguste van Biene, *1849, †1913, was a was a Dutch composer, cellist and actor In this Dutch name, the surname is van Biene, not Biene He became best known for his composition The Broken Melody, first performed 1892 by the composer as part of a musical play of the same name. In 1892 van Biene commissioned and composed incidental music for a three-act play called The Broken Melody by Herbert Keen and James T. Tanner. It was produced at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in July, with van Biene taking the lead role of a musician and playing his cello as part of the play. The Times commented: "[T]he combination of music and acting, with, it must be added, plenty of sentiment, proved irresistible to the public." The show was a huge success, and the tune at the core of the work (also called The Broken Melody) was a particular hit; van Biene claimed to have performed the number in excess of 6,000 times over his career. Van Biene died on 23 January 1913 while on stage at the Brighton Hippodrome, playing the cello in the play The Master Musician, with his son conducting the orchestra. Van Biene was buried in Golders Green Jewish cemetery in London. (Wikipedia) Ada-Polka coming soon
|
