A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Bagge, Selmar

by George Grove

BAGGE, Selmar, musician and critic, born at Coburg June 30, 1823, son of the Rector of the Gymnasium there. His musical studies began early, and in 1837 he entered the Conservatorium at Prague under D. Weber. Later still he was a pupil of Sechter at Vienna, where in 1851 he became professor of composition at the Conservatorium, and in 1853 organist of one of the churches. In 1855 he resigned his professorship and took to writing in the 'Monatsschrift für Theater und Musik,' but he soon turned it into the 'Deutsche Musikzeitung,' of which periodical he was founder and editor. In 1863 he transferred himself to Leipsic as editor of the 'Deutschen Allgemeine Musikzeitung,' but this he relinquished in 1868 for the directorship of the music school at Basle. Bagge is a strong conservative and an able writer. Beethoven and Schumann are his models in art, and he has no mercy on those who differ from him, especially on the New German school. His music is correct and fluent, but poor in invention and melody.

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