Damrosch was born in
Posen (Poznań),
Kingdom of Prussia, the son of Heinrich Damrosch. His father was
Jewish and his mother was
Lutheran. Leopold Damrosch was baptized a Lutheran when marrying his wife, former opera singer Helene von Heimburg. Damrosch began his musical education at the age of nine, learning the violin against the wishes of his parents, who wanted him to become a doctor. Capitulating to the wishes of his parents he entered the
University of Berlin and completed his
PhD in
medicine but during his spare time he studied violin under
Ries, and
thoroughbass with
Dehn and Bohmer. After he completed his degree Damrosch decided to dedicate his life and energy to music. He gained fame as a violinist and began to play to large audiences in many major German cities including Berlin and
Hamburg. He went to Weimar, and was received by
Franz Liszt, who appointed him solo-violinist in the Ducal orchestra. It has been said mistakenly that Liszt dedicated his
Symphonic poem Tasso: lamento e trionfo) to Damrosch. However, Liszt did dedicate the similarly named
Le Triomphe funèbre du Tasse, the third part of
Trois odes funèbres, to Damrosch who conducted the first performance in New York on March 24, 1877. Damrosch first appeared as a conductor during the season of 1859 where he conducted the
Philharmonic concerts in
Breslau. He continued to conduct the Philharmonic for three years due to the success of this season. In 1862 Damrosch founded a symphonic society in
Breslau with an
orchestra of eighty performers, modelled after the
Gewandhaus concerts of
Leipzig. He participated in many concerts over this period and in 1873 he founded the
Oratorio Society of New York. The first concert of this society was later that year and consisted of a programme of works by
Johann Sebastian Bach,
George Frideric Handel,
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and others. In 1877 Damrosch, in connection with a number of persons interested in the cultivation of orchestral music, established the
Symphony society. This society became closely identified with the Oratorio Society and several joint performances were organized. The co-operation of these societies reached its climax in the great "musical festival" which was held in the armory of the 7th regiment in New York, from 3 till 7 May 1881. The chorus numbered 1,200, the main body being the Oratorio Society, which was augmented by various choral societies from neighboring towns. An additional chorus of 1,000 young ladies from the Normal College and 250 boys from the Church choirs took part in the afternoon concerts. The orchestra was composed of 250 pieces, and Dr. Damrosch selected a large number of artists for soloists. Among the choral works performed were Handel's
Dettingen Te Deum and
Messiah; Rubinstein's
Tower of Babel (first time); Berlioz's
Grande Messe des Mortes (first time); and Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony. The audience numbered from 8,000 to 10,000 at each concert, and the enthusiasm for the projector of this enterprise resulted in an ovation on the last night. The degree of Doctor of Music was conferred upon him by Columbia in 1880. In 1883, Damrosch traveled extensively through the west with his orchestra. In September 1884, he began a remarkable series of operatic performances as General Manager and chief conductor of the
Metropolitan Opera in New York. The company had experienced great financial losses during its first season of Italian opera under director Henry Abbey. For its second season it turned to Damrosch to direct the company in German repertory. The company comprised some of the greatest artists of the German opera houses, and, in contrast with the hitherto prevailing mode, every part, even the smallest, was carefully presented. Twelve of the operas performed were comparative novelties, the most important of which were Wagner's
Tannhäuser,
Lohengrin, and
Die Walküre, and Beethoven's
Fidelio. This proved to be Damrosch's last effort. He conducted every performance except during the last week of his life, when he took a severe cold, from which he never recovered. He died in New York City in 1885. His funeral was held at the
Metropolitan Opera House. Damrosch was buried in
Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. == Family ==