From the Hans Christian Andersen biography "The Life of Hans Christian Andersen. Day By Day", written by DPhil Johan de Mylius:

1820

At the School of Singing and Dance

1820: At the School of Singing and Dance


May

HCA goes once more to Weyse. He writes to Colonel Høegh-Guldberg's brother, the poet and professor Fr. Høgh-Guldberg. The latter collects money for HCA from different friends, amongst others the composer Fr. Kuhlau. The money is distributed in monthly amounts of 10 rdl. Guldberg promises HCA he will give him lessons in reading and writing Danish correctly, as well as instruction in German. Høegh-Guldberg also sees to it that HCA receives some instruction in Latin.
At this time, HCA also contacts his acquaintance from the lessons of preparation for confirmation in Odense, Laura Tønder-Lund, who is now in domestic service with the director of the Royal Dockyard, Rear-Admiral J.C. Krieger, whose wife was sister to titular Privy Councillor Engelke Colbjørnsen. Through Laura Tønder-Lund, HCA is able to meet many of the prominent persons who help him on his way, e.g. Rural Dean Gutfeld at the Church of the Royal Dockyard (the navy).

June

Siboni terminates the agreement concerning singing lessons, as he does not believe HCA has any future as a singer in the theatre (HCA's voice is breaking at this time).

Visits the solo dancer C. Dahlén, who allows HCA to join the dance school of the Court Theatre, in order to learn ballet during the season of 1820/21.

In this year

In this year, B.S. Ingemann releases a collection: Eventyr og Fortællinger (Fairy-tales and Stories). Ingemann's numerous fairy-tales and fantastic stories are, along with a few of Oehlenschläger's and Madame Gyllembourg's, the only literary fairy-tales available in Denmark until those of HCA are published. It is only the tales by Ingemann which have any significance for HCA, especially regarding motif.

21 July

H.C. Ørsted discovers electromagnetism. The philosophy of nature and the view on science which is developed in the following years by Ørsted will, through the close relationship which later develops between Ørsted and HCA, be highly significant for HCA.

September

By chance, HCA has his first - unsuccessful - stage performance as walker-on (in a crowd scene).

October

HCA sends a petition containing a poem to N.F.S. Grundtvig. At approx. this time he also contacts B.S. Ingemann, hoping to gain support for his attempt to move up in the world. Just Mathias Thiele, the publisher of Danske Folkesagn (Danish Legends) (released 1819-23), is another of the persons HCA gets to know during this year.

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