Biography
Ole Bull (5 February 1810 - 17 August 1880) was a Norwegian composer and violinist, known for the uniqueness in the performance of his works. He was the eldest of ten children in a wealthy family, his mother played the violin, and Ole from the age of 5 began lessons with French musicians. At the age of nine he made his debut as a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra having decided to pursue a musical career. Under pressure from his father, he took the university exam but failed.He joined the Music Lyceum, a Bergen musical group of which he would become director in 1828. In the following years he would travel throughout Europe and the United States playing violin in the largest orchestras and gaining a reputation as a virtuoso. At the same time he will compose music for the violin which will be adapted to their unique way of playing. Bull amazed the audience of the time with his ability to play several tones at once and enjoyed great success in Europe and America. He used his influence to spread Norwegian culture and the arts, both in Norway and abroad. In 1849 he contributed to the establishment of the Norwegian Theater in Bergen. In 1852 he purchased a large tract of land in Pennsylvania which he named New Norway and attempted to establish a Norwegian immigrant colony. In 1859 he contributed to the creation of the Norwegian Society for the Promotion of the National Element of Art and Literature.
Bull married in 1836 and had 6 children of whom only 2 made it to adulthood. In 1872 he bought an island south of Bergen and built an imposing villa, but he did not get to enjoy it for long. He died in 1880 of cancer. At his funeral, fifteen steamers and several dozen boats of villagers followed the barge with his body, indicative of how popular and beloved he was.