Baumgarten, Karl Friedrich

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Baumgarten, Karl Friedrich

Baumgarten, Karl Friedrich, German organist, violinist, teacher, and composer; b. Lübeck, c. 1740; d. London, 1824. He studied organ with J.P. Kunzen in Lübeck. About 1758 he settled in London, where he was active as an organist, violinist, and teacher. He served as concertmaster of the Covent Garden orch. (1780–94) and was a violinist in the Duke of Cumberland’s band. Among his works were the comic opera William and Nanny, or The Cottagers (Covent Garden, 1779), the pantomime Bluebeard, or The Flight of Harlequin (Covent Garden, 1791), chamber music, and organ pieces.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire