John Victor Bergquist

John Victor Bergquist (born May 18, 1877 in St. Peter , Minnesota , † February 26, 1935 ) was an American composer and organist .

The son of Swedish immigrants attended Gustavus Adolphus College in his hometown, where in 1895 he received a Bachelor of Music degree with honors and a gold medal in the organ. He then became organist at the Augustana Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, where he continued his training with Gustavus Johnson . In 1889 he became a teacher at his music school.

On a trip to Europe starting in 1900, he studied organ with Friedrich Grunicke , piano with Philipp Scharwenka and composition with Wilhelm Berger at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin . From 1902 he was a student of Alexandre Guilmant in Paris .

On his return in 1903, Bergquist became a piano teacher at Gustavus Adolphus College , organist at Augustana Lutheran Church and director of the male choir of the United Church Seminary . In 1906 the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and a choir with 200 singers performed his oratorio Golgotha .

In 1912 Berquist became director of the Conservatory and the Handel Oratorio Society founded by Olof Olsson at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. At annual concerts with the Handel Society, he performed works such as Joseph Haydn's The Creation , Willard Patton's Isaiah and Georg Friedrich Handel's The Messiah . For the 400th anniversary of the Reformation, he composed a Reformation Cantata , which was performed by a choir with 400 singers and a three-city symphony orchestra.

In 1918 Bergquist became a teacher of Ortgel, piano and composition at the MacPhail School in Minneapolis. At the same time he took over the composition lessons for the university students of the city and became dean of the American Guild of Organists for Minnesota. His students included the music teacher Winnifred Reichmuth , the pianist and composer Celius Dougherty and the composer Margaret Wigham .

In addition, he was organist at the Central Lutheran Church from 1922 to 1929 and directed its Odin Male Chorus . From 1927 to 1929 he was president of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association . In 1932 Gustavus Adolphus College awarded him an honorary doctorate.

In addition to the works mentioned, Bergquist composed a Christmas cantata and other choral works, hymns and hymns, piano and organ works. His book Theory of Self Expression in Music was published in 1925.

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• Robert Tallant Laudon: "J. Victor Bergquist - Finding Joy in Music" (PDF; 940 kB)
• Pupils of Félix-Alexandre Guilmant