Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 180, 4 August 1894 — HEINRICH BERCER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HEINRICH BERCER.

To-day’s Jubilee of the Populai Bandmaster. There is not a man, womau or child iu Hawaii today wiio does ! cot wish Professor Berger “rnany happy returns of the day- The gifted mnsician today reaches tbe “crossing” line and he ean 1 with satisf.tction look bick ou the 50 years whieh be has passed and of whieh he has spent a fair sbnre in onr sunny isles. Berger is a Berliner, he eoukl notbeanytbiug else. Wberecould a man with his geniality, 6onhoaiie and easy goiug natnre be . found except in tbe citv \vhere 1 * r we ‘ kommen naeli Linden iuf.” The father uf the ban\ls iu Hawaii has experienced the eontroversies and favoritisra of darae fortuue before he saw the Paradise of the Pucific. He \vas selected under special eompelition for the olliee he now liolds. He has done honor to the men who selected him aud to the countrv frora whieh ho was chosen. We repriut from tbis morning's AdvertĪ8er the follow- j ing notes relating t> the life of the Jabilant: Since his arrival I here, he has served under six rulers and fulfilled his duties in a raost examplary raanner His jubilee coucert tonight should be attcnded by everybody. Politics aud eoeial distiuctions should be forgotten, and all good citizeus of Uawaii-nei who, formore than two decades bave enjoyed “Berger’s” baud should be present and yell out to the ever young wielder of the baton a hearty Gluck Acf:

Henry Berger was born iu Berlin, Germany, on the 4tb of Angnst, 1844, in Brudder street, where his fatber carried on a mercantile business iu linen goods. The Bergers were old citizens of Berlin. In 1848 eame the terrible revolution, iu whieh Berger's father took an active part. The home was broken np, and the house aud business eonfiscated. Belations took young Berger to a small city —Coswig— near Wittenberg, tho home of Luther. There he went to the pnblic school with his cousins. lu 1858, be was confirmed and left school, and was pnt in a maehine sbop, as be was to be an engineer; but, UBfortunately, his benefactor died, and it was tbought best by bis relations to prepare him for the array. He entered a mnsic sobooI, aud after examination. joined tbe armv as assistaftt mnsiciau in Octol>er, 1861, and commenced bis career in tbe Second Lifegnard lvegiment in Berlin. He bad to live three years at the Barracks in j Friedricbstreet with manv others. Berger bad always a liking for writing. fixing and compos:ng mnsic and bad now tbe opportu- > nity. He took prirate lessons on tbe piano and studied coonterpoint. He was present at the crowning of Emperor William, j tbe King of Prussia who socceeded .his brother, King Frederic i William tbe Fourtb. His regi- ; ment was mobilized in 1864 at | the beginning of tbe Schleswig- { HoIstein war. In 1865 tbe Life-1 gnard Band. of whieh bo was a j member, made a concert trip throogh Saxouy and Tburnngia with great socoess, nnder tbe j leadership of tbe celebrated : bandmaster, W. Wieprecbt. In j 1866 he went to tbe Ao$txian war i witb his regimeut. la 1867 bis ( band was sent to tbe InternaUoual Exposition al Paris, where ail the military bands of tbe diderent naiīoas took part. Tbe Twenty-ibird Lile Goard Band J .

* c*me oal rie(orioiu iod woo lbe firwit gr;ae orer fifteen other eompetitorK After this it took a three monthstripthroagh France. Belgiom, HoII«nd and the Rhice coanties witk eaonnoaa success aader the same Ie«der. In 1S67, Professor Berger entered the Conserr»tory of Mosic. stadying for the pos;tion of a bandmaster. In 1S70 he «eat with the arroy to the FraacoProssian war. and was present at Gratelotte, Sedan, and tbe siege of Paris. aad entered B?rlin with the victorioos anny in Jaly,1371. In 1S7”2 eame a eall at the ministry of war from the Hawaiian GoT«rnment. to senda competent array masīcian to instract tbe Hawaiian Gorermjent Band Protfessor Berger bad by this time passed.his exarair.ation as bandmaster. He and eleven otber aspirants were called for closer eiaminaiion and Professor Berger eame out victorioas. and wus sent to Honolala directly ar riving in June, 1872.