Fredrik (Friedrich) Wilhelm Hildebrand was born on 3 September 1785 in Rathenow near Brandenburg and died on 8 January 1830 in Stockholm. He studied violin with Louis Spohr, with whom he also appeared in public concerts. In 1816 he was hired as first violinist with the Royal Court Orchestra, a post he held until his death. He was also one of Sweden’s first guitar virtuosos, composing mainly for this instrument.
A German background
Wilhelm Hildebrand was born into humble circumstances in Rathenow and died young in Stockholm. Despite his passion for music, his father wanted him to study law. However, after a French attack, his father allowed him to study music under Louis Spohr in Gotha.
After two years of study, Hildebrand performed successful farewell and solo concerts in the fall of 1809. His virtuosity inspired Spohr to compose a Concertante for two violins in 1808, which both performed together in Berlin in 1810. Spohr also dedicated musical pieces to Hildebrand and praised him as the only student mentioned at length in his memoirs.
Royal Court Orchestra violinist and guitarist in Stockholm
From 1816 until his death in 1830, Wilhelm Hildebrand worked as a first violinist for the Royal Court Orchestra in Stockholm. Starting in 1820, he was also paid to play the cister (a type of cittern), performing solo concerts on both violin and guitar. Additionally, he played second violin in Johan Fredrik Berwald’s String Quartet Society from 1818 to 1824.
While unique as a guitar soloist, Hildebrand was not alone; colleagues like Jöns Boman and Carl von Gärtner also shaped the scene. Hildebrand even included one of Gärtner’s waltzes in his Journal för guitarre. Both musicians dedicated works to Dorotea von Engeström, a promising young guitarist who died at age 20 in 1823
Works
Wilhelm Hildebrand’s Verschiedene Tänze und ein Marsch (1818) was the first compilation of guitar works published in Sweden. Often styling his name as Guillaume Hildebrand, he also published three issues of the magazine Journal för guitarre (1823–1829). These magazines contained vocal pieces where Hildebrand replaced the original piano or orchestra parts with guitar arrangements, mostly featuring arias from popular operas he performed as a court violinist.
The magazine also included Hildebrand’s own compositions, such as a guitar solo, a duo, and songs with unique stage directions. His work coincided with a 1820s guitar boom among the Swedish bourgeoisie. Although rarely played today, three of his dances were recorded by guitarist Roland Bengtsson for Sveriges Radio in 1959.
