Articles on the rumored death of Ole Bull

     “The Montreal Gazette reports the death of Ole Bull, the celebrated violinist, at Quebec, on the 10th inst. This distinguished musical genius was born at Bergen, in Norway, Feburary 5, 1810. His early passion for music was repressed by his father, who placed him, at the age of eighteen, at the University of Christina. While there he developed strong symptoms of his musical powers. In 1829 he went to Cassell to study with Spohr, but meeting a chilling reception, soon began the study of the law at Göttingen. This was not found congenial, and he returned to music giving his first concert at Minden. Becoming involved in a duel he was forced to leave for Paris, where for some time he led a miserable existence, and even attempted suicide.

     By the patronage of a lady who took an interest in him, he was enabled to start anew and to make his appearance as a violinist; and during a very successful professional tour of seven years’ duration, through England and the Continent, accumulated a handsome fortune, and returned to his native place with a Parisian wife. After remaining there for five years he came to this country and was most enthusiastically received—returning in 1845. During the next seven years he gave concerts, built a theatre in Bergen, and endeavored to establish national art schools in Norway. His patriotism occasioned him much trouble and many prosecutions, involving ultimately the loss of a large portion of his fortune, to which was added that of his wife.

     With his remaining means he purchased one hundred and twenty thousand acres of wild land in Pennsylvania, on which he designed to settle a large colony. The colony project, however, proved a failure, and he was forced once more to return to concert giving. In 1854, just after the completion of the Academy of Music in this city, he leased the building, with the intention of undertaking the management of the Italian opera. This was also an unsuccessful enterprise, and attended with heavy losses. Since then he has given concerts in all portions of Europe and in this country, generally with success. His death at the early age of fifty-six is doubtless to some extent the result of a succession of misfortunes, any one of which might have crushed a man of ordinary energy and pluck, but which did not seem to make him the less resolute and confident of the future.”

     “Buffalo, April 17, 1866.

     A private dispatch to the agent of the Associated Press here says there is no truth in the report of the death of Ole Bull, the celebrated violinist, and that he has not been in Quebec for years.”