Earlier in the year, I had the opportunity to visit Ole Bull's castle in central Pennsylvania.
"Who is Ole Bull?" you might be wondering. Well, he was one of the greatest violinist-jugglers and proponents of Norwegian music of the 1800s. He discovered Edward Grieg and sent him to music school. He had concert wars with the great Vieuxtemps. He performed with the New York Philharmonic before there was a dress-code, when musicians made $3 and conductors, $5. Ole Bull was one of the last successful self-taught fiddlers, and played concerts consisting mostly of his own variations and Norwegian folk-tunes. Only a few of his works survive today.
There's a wonderful biography on Ole Bull called "The Life of Ole Bull." Great reading!
Below, I've included some photographs of my trip. Ole Bull was famous for starting impossible endeavors (becoming one of the worlds greatest violinists was a start). One of his biggest debacles was the purchase of about 11,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, intended to be a Norwegian colony. Bull thought he had purchased about 10 times as much land, but was swindled. He also believed the land was fertile, and ready for farming, which was not the case at all! His castle resides in what is now Ole Bull State Park.
"Who is Ole Bull?" you might be wondering. Well, he was one of the greatest violinist-jugglers and proponents of Norwegian music of the 1800s. He discovered Edward Grieg and sent him to music school. He had concert wars with the great Vieuxtemps. He performed with the New York Philharmonic before there was a dress-code, when musicians made $3 and conductors, $5. Ole Bull was one of the last successful self-taught fiddlers, and played concerts consisting mostly of his own variations and Norwegian folk-tunes. Only a few of his works survive today.
There's a wonderful biography on Ole Bull called "The Life of Ole Bull." Great reading!
Below, I've included some photographs of my trip. Ole Bull was famous for starting impossible endeavors (becoming one of the worlds greatest violinists was a start). One of his biggest debacles was the purchase of about 11,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, intended to be a Norwegian colony. Bull thought he had purchased about 10 times as much land, but was swindled. He also believed the land was fertile, and ready for farming, which was not the case at all! His castle resides in what is now Ole Bull State Park.
This is a collection of shots of the "castle" and its surroundings. Click fast and you'll feel like you're there. I've been told there's a special name for moving pictures...