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Auguste Van Biene

Auguste van Biene (16 May 1849 – 23 January 1913) was a Dutch composer, cellist and actor. He became best known for his composition The Broken Melody, performed by the composer as part of a musical play of the same name.

Van Biene grew up in Rotterdam and displayed a musical interest as a youth. After some private studies with Adrien Francois Servais at the Brussels Conservatory he moved to London to seek work as a performer. Van Biene was discovered by Sir Michael Costa, who hired him to play the cello in his Covent Garden orchestra in November 1867, eventually promoting him to principal cellist.

In 1878 van Biene was a touring musical director for Richard D'Oyly Carte's Comedy Opera Company, and in the 1880s he conducted successful light operas and Victorian burlesques. By the 1880s he had also become a theatrical manager as well as an actor and playwright. As a cellist he was invited to be an examiner at the Royal Academy of Music in 1884. In 1892 he commissioned, wrote the score for, and starred in a musical play, the highly successful The Broken Melody, in which he toured for many years. He died on 23 January 1913 while on stage at the Brighton Hippodrome.

Birth and Death Data: Born May 16, 1849 (Rotterdam), Died January 23, 1913 (Brighton)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1906 - 1926

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor C-3222 12-in. 3/28/1906 The broken melody Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-13175 10-in. 4/22/1913 The broken melody Rosario Bourdon Cello solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-16078 10-in. 6/8/1915 The broken melody Efrem Zimbalist Violin solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-16078 12-in. 6/9/1915 The broken melody Efrem Zimbalist Violin solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 19406 10-in. 6/14/1911 The broken melody Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 46154 10-in. 10/26/1915 The broken melody Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 80253 10-in. 3/20/1922 The broken melody Josef Bonime ; Eddy Brown Violin solo, with piano composer  
Columbia W142849 10-in. 10/20/1926 The broken melody Columbia Concert Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 6626 12-in. approximately 1915 The broken melody Hamilton Harty ; W. H. Squire Cello solo, with piano composer  
Edison 2097 10-in. 1/16/1913 The broken melody Leo Taussig Cello solo, with piano composer  
Edison 7431 10-in. 6/30/1920 The broken melody Dorothy Kennedy ; Lauri Kennedy Cello solo, with piano composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Van Biene, Auguste," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109124.

Van Biene, Auguste. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109124.

"Van Biene, Auguste." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109124

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