BULL, OLE BORNEMANN

born Feb. 5, 1810, Bergen, Nor. died Aug. 17, 1880, Lysen, near Bergen Norwegian violinist, composer, and artistic nationalist. He began playing the violin at the age of five, influenced by members of the Bergen Harmonic Society as well as by Norwegian peasant fiddlers. His debut as a soloist came in 1819, and by 1828 he was made conductor of the Musical Lyceum. He travelled through Europe and the U.S. for the rest of his life, concertizing, composing, and establishing his virtuosic reputation among such notables as Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn. Bull used his influence to campaign for the encouragement and preservation of Norwegian culture and arts, both in Norway and abroad. In 1849 he was instrumental in the establishment of the Norwegian Theatre in Bergen. In 1852 he attempted to found an immigrant Norwegian colony, Oleana, in Pennsylvania, and in 1859 he helped create the Norwegian Society for the Advancement of the National Element in Art and Literature. He was a vital influence upon and patron of dramatists Henrik Ibsen and Bjrnstjerne Bjrnson and composer Edvard Grieg. In addition to accolades from musicians, Bull received tributes from writers such as George Sand, William Thackeray, and Mark Twain.