Van Hagen, Peter Albrecht, Sr
Van Hagen, Peter Albrecht, Sr
Van Hagen, Peter Albrecht, Sr., Dutch-American musician; b. in the Netherlands, 1755; d. Boston, Aug. 20,1803. After marrying Elizabeth Joanetta Catherine van Hagen (b. probably in Amsterdam, 1750; d. Suffolk County, Mass., c. 1809), he went with her to Charleston, S.C., in 1774. By 1789 they were in N.Y, where they were active as performers, teachers, and concert managers, and also promoted their own “Old City Concerts” series. They settled in Boston in 1796, taking the name Von Hagen. He was active as a music dealer and publisher, also directed a theater orch., and served as organist at King’s Chapel (1798-1803). His son, Peter Albrecht Von Hagen Jr. (b. probably in Charleston, S.C., c. 1779; d. Boston, Sept. 12, 1837), was a violinist, organist, violisi, and composer. In 1810 he was made organist at Trinity Church in Boston, and he later conducted bands in South Boston and in Fort Eustis, Va.; his later years were plagued by alcoholism. All the members of the family composed, and the authorship of many of the works of the father and son is in dispute. Their output includes overtures, marches for piano, and songs. Elizabeth composed two piano concertos, a Piano Sonata, and The Country Maid,a set of keyboard variations.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire