Listemann, Bernhard

Listemann, Bernhard, German-American violinist, conductor, and teacher; b. Schlotheim, Aug. 28,1841; d. Chicago, Feb. 11,1917. He was a student of David in Leipzig, Joachim in Hannover, and Vieutemps in Brussels. After serving as court Kammervirtuos in Rudol-stadt (1859–67), he emigrated to the U.S. and made his debut at N.Y.’s Steinway Hall in Nov. 1867. In 1868 he made his first appearance in Boston as soloist in Joachim’s Hungarian Concerto at a Harvard Musical Assn. concert, and then was active in that city’s musical life until serving as concertmaster of Theodore Thomas’s orch. in N.Y. (1871–74). Returning to Boston, he was active as a soloist, chamber music player, and conductor. He was founder- director of the Boston Phil. Club and Orch., and then first concertmaster of the newly organized Boston Sym. Orch. (1881–85). He was also active with his own Listemann Club and Listemann String Quartet, and later with his own Bernard Listemann Co. (1885–93). In 1893 he settled in Chicago as a teacher at the Coll. of Music. He authored a Modern Method of Violin Playing (1869). His brother, Fritz Listemann (b. Schlotheim, March 25,1839; d. Boston, Dec. 28, 1909), was a violinist and composer. He also had two sons who were musicians, Paul Listemann (b. Boston, Oct. 24,1871; d. Chicago, Sept. 20,1950), a violinist, and Franz Listemann (b. N.Y, Dec. 17, 1873; d. Chicago, March 11, 1930).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire