PROFESSOR OF MUSIC, CONDUCTOR AND MUSIC TEACHER
Situated in the Consecrated/West Section of Jesmond Old Cemetery.
Hildegard was born in Stockholm on the 1st March 1834 to Johan Petter Werner and Marie Sophia Schoerbing. Hildegard displayed an aptitude for music at an early age, becoming a student at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm where she was awarded a Gold Medal by the King of Sweden, who subsequently became a close friend of hers.
Not much else is known about Hildegard’s life until 1871, where she is known to have became Principal of a music school in Newcastle and also a Conductor. In 1873, she set up her own private teaching school in Oxford Street, Newcastle, later moving to premises in Northumberland Street.
The 1881 Census has Hildegard living at 1, St. Thomas Crescent, Newcastle and describes her as a ‘Gentlewoman’. Ten years late, Hildegard is now living at 147, Northumberland Street, Newcastle and is recorded as being a ‘Musician’. Finally, the 1911 Census has her living at 135, Northumberland Street, where she is now recorded as a ‘Professor of Music’. She also found the time to be a journalist for several British newspapers and a correspondent for some Swedish newspapers.
Hildegard was a regular contributor to the music life of Newcastle and played in some esteemed company, with the advertisement in The Newcastle Daily Journal, dated Monday November 6th, 1882, being a fine example, whereby ‘Miss Hildegard Werner will be the Conductor and Accompanist at a grand vocal and instrumental amateur concert, in aid of the Newcastle Flower Mission, will be held under the distinguished Patronage of her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland, in the Northumberland Hall, High Friar Street, on Wednesday evening next. His Lordship the Bishop of Newcastle will preside’.
Hildegard’s reputation as a music teacher was, clearly, something to be associated with; in the Northern Daily Mail and South Durham Herald, dated Saturday 24th August, 1895, a Miss Bella McLean, of 56, Milton Street, is advertising her ’resuming private lessons to young ladies’ and states quite proudly that she was a ‘pupil of Miss Hildegard Werner’ as well as being ‘a late member of the Ladies Mignon String Orchestra’.
Hildegard also contributed to the development of the famed Newcastle-born violinist, Marie Hall, with various newspaper reports in 1905 highlighting that she ‘claimed the little girl as a pupil and by the time she was nine, allowed her to make her public debut in Newcastle’.
One of Hildegard’s compositions, entitled ‘The Two Roses’ has been recorded by The King McHughs and can be heard on YouTube here. What a lovely tune.
Hildegard died on the 29th August 1911, aged 77. Probate was granted to Lauritz Gjemre, Shipowner and Merchant and Muriel Lindsay, Spinster, with effects totaling £340.