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An anthology of cello works edited and arranged by Dr. Şölen Dikener
About the Composers
Here is some background information about our featured composers, whose primary instrument was the cello. We are truly thankful for their contributions to the advancement of the cello repertoire.
Jean BARRIÈRE (1705-47) was one of the few early French composers with idiomatic works for the cello. After completing his cello training in Italy, he returned to his homeland as one of the forerunners to develop cello playing in France, a country then known more so for the excellence of its viola da gamba playing.
Hugo BECKER (1863-1941) was born into a musical family. After working in the court orchestra in Mannheim, he was appointed as the solo cellist of the opera in Frankfurt, where he also taught at the Conservatory. He continued his teaching career at Berlin Musik Hochschule between 1909-29. He was a member of two piano trios with noticeable artists E. Ysaye - F. Busoni, and C. Flesch - A. Schnabel.
Luigi BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) was the most famous Italian cellist of his time. At the age of 14, he was invited to Vienna with his father (cellist, bassist) to work for the court orchestra. In 1766 he settled in Paris, where he was invited to perform at the Concert Spirituel and met with prominent cellists J.B. Janson and Duport brothers. In 1768 he relocated to Madrid and worked for Don Luis until 1785. Besides his cello works, he composed string quintets with two cellos, a unique combination. He was celebrated throughout Europe and worked under the patronage of Prince Wilhelm II, which led to his appointment as the court Chamber Composer in Berlin.
Jean Baptiste BRÉVAL (1753-1823) studied cello with M. Berteau and F. Cupis in Paris and made his debut at Concért Spirituel at the age of 25. He was known as a gifted composer, whose music was not only virtuoso but also pleasant and envisioned amateur performers. Between 1790-1800 he worked as a cellist for several important Parisian orchestras. He made part of his living as a teacher, possibly taking a position at the Paris Conservatoire.
James CERVETTO (1749-1837) was one of the most noticeable cellists in London during 1770-80. He took cello lessons from his father G.B. Cervetto and was recognized as a child prodigy, who performed his first public concert at the age of 11. After touring Europe between 1763-70, he joined Queen’s Chapel in 1771 and remained an active performer despite his substantial inheritance from his father. In 1783 he was fortunate to perform a concert with J. L. Duport and retired in the 1790s.
Giovanni Battista CIRRI (1724-1808) received his early music training in Forli and Bologna in Italy and became a member of the Academia Filarmonica. Following his brief visit to Paris in 1764, he chose to settle in London, where he was appointed as chamber musician to the Duke of York and became the music director to the Duke of Gloucester. For the next 15 years, he was a popular artist and became a favorite of the musical scenes prior to returning to his Italian hometown in 1780.
Karl DAVIDOFF (1838-1889) came from a family of scientists and began studying mathematics in St. Peterburg, where he also began learning the cello at age 12. Eventually, he wanted to learn composition and attended Leipzig Conservatory. However, when he was asked to fill in for cellist F. Grützmacher on short notice, he became convinced to continue his career as a cellist and at the age of 22, he was offered a teaching position at Leipzig Conservatory. In 1876 he became the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory; the runner-up was P. Tchaikovsky. He returned to Europe after 11 years to continue performing solo concerts.
Friedrich DOTZAUER (1783-1860) learned to play several instruments and decided to devote himself to cello learning in 1799, studying with J. J. Kriegck, a pupil of Duport. In 1806 he had the opportunity to study with B. Romberg for 6 months and possibly met with the Duport brothers. In 1811, he moved to Dresden and remained there as an orchestral cellist and teacher for the rest of his career. He published his first cello method in 1832 and was one of the first editors of Bach's cello suites.
Jean Pierre DUPORT (1741-1818) was a member of an artistic Parisian family. He made his debut at the age of 20 at Concert Spirituel and became a musician at the Prince de Conti’s court, where he eventually met Boccherini during his Paris visit. After 1769 he lived in London and Madrid before joining the Kapelle of Frederick the Great around 1774. There he performed in the opera and was eventually promoted to the position of superintendent of chamber music, premiering works by Stamitz, Mozart, Beethoven, and Boccherini. He remained in this position until 1806.
Auguste FRANCHOMME (1808-1884) began cello studies in Lille and later attended the cello class of L. Norblin at Paris Conservatoire, earning his first prize at age 17. He performed at several Parisian orchestras including Chapelle Royal, where he shared the first stand with his teacher Norblin. In 1828 he co-founded Conservatory Concert Series and in 1833 he left orchestral playing to become a chamber musician and soloist, befriending important musicians including Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Chopin, with whom he premiered his cello sonata. He taught cello for 36 years at the Paris Conservatoire.
Georg GOLTERMANN (1824-1898) received cello, and composition lessons, and also learned conducting in Munich. He gave his first European concert tour at age 28 and he was offered the music director position in Würzburg. The following year in 1853 he became the deputy music director of the City Theater in Frankfurt, where he was later promoted to the Kapellmeister position in 1874.
Carlo GRAZIANI (1710-1787) worked for the prestigious Parisian orchestra La Poupliniére and participated in the concert series Concert Spirituel. During this period between 1748-58, he was privileged to publish instrumental music including two sets of cello sonatas. He continued his career in London, where he once performed with young Mozart (8 years old) in 1764. Eventually, he was given the position of cello teacher and chamber musician at the court of Prince Wilhelm II in Berlin, a position that was later succeeded by J. P. Duport in 1773.
Pierre-Louis HUS-DESFORGES (1773-1838) studied cello with Janson at Paris Conservatoire for 6 months. In 1800 he accepted the directorship of the French opera in St. Petersburg. He had the opportunity to tour Russia and met with renowned artists such as German cellist B. Romberg. After he returned to Paris in 1817, he took various positions, including establishing a Conservatoire in Metz. In 1829 he published his cello method for elementary training, which earned praise. Despite being a successful artist, he did not find long-term employment and moved frequently.
Julius KLENGEL (1859-1933) was born in Leipzig, where his father was a close friend of Mendelssohn. At age 15 he joined the prestigious Gewandhaus Orchestra and toured entire Europe, ultimately performing solo several times. At age 22, he became principal cellist, a post he kept for four decades. In meantime, he composed many works including some for cello technique, and also taught cello at the Leipzig Conservatory. Among his students were G. Suggia, E. Feuermann, and G. Piatigorsky.
Anton KRAFT (1749-1820) began learning cello from Werner in Prague while studying law. Through his teacher’s connection, he found an orchestral position at the Imperial Kapelle in Vienna, where he met with Haydn. He helped Kraft to secure a place with Prince Esterhazy in 1779. He studied composition with Haydn, and frequently performed his own and his teacher’s works. In 1789 he performed with Mozart and the next year moved to Vienna to join the Kapelle of Prince Grassalkovics. In 1791 he joined the famous Schuppanzigh Quartet and worked closely with Beethoven, who composed his Triple Concerto for Kraft. In Vienna, he became a sought-after cellist along with his son Nicolaus, also a cellist.
Friedrich Auguste KUMMER (1797-1879) learned the oboe from his father and was a student of F. Dotzauer in Dresden after 1811. He was appointed by Weber to the cello section of the court orchestra. He was quickly recognized as a fine performer and composer, especially among amateur musicians. During the 1830s, he collaborated with violinist F. Schubert and toured as a duo. He was also a respected teacher and was appointed to the newly founded Dresden Conservatory in 1856. He published many pedagogical works including books of etudes, duets, orchestral study books, and a cello method.
Salvatore LANZETTI (1710-1780) studied in his native Naples and went to Lucca and Turin to work in several positions after 1727. After a decade he went to Paris and moved to London, where he lived until 1754. He returned to Italy in 1760 to join the Royal Chapel in Turin and spent the last part of his career
Sebastian LEE (1805-1887) was an active cellist and teacher in Germany and France. He gave his debut concert in Paris at Theatre Italien in 1832. Five years later he became the solo cellist at the Paris Opera and remained there until 1843. He also taught cello at Paris Conservatory until 1868 before relocating to Hamburg. His playing style was considered a combination of French and German schools. He published cello methods, studies, and duets.
Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880) was a French composer born in Germany. His father was a cantor at Cologne synagogue. He was accepted to Paris Conservatory as a cello student at age 14, however, after a short period he left school and earned his living as a cellist between 1835-55. However, his ambition was the composition. After failing attempts at administrators at the Parisian Opera Comique, he rented a small theater and presented his small-scale works, which quickly became popular. In 1858 he produced his first full operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, which remained one of the most popular works in the musical repertoire.
Alfredo PIATTI (1822-1901) began cello studies with G. Zanetti in Bergamo, and later at the Conservatory of Milan. At age 15 he gave his first concert and began touring the next year. Despite his great talent, his concerts were poorly attended. When F. Liszt invited him to play a solo as a guest performer, he admired his gift so much that he presented him with a fabulous instrument. He toured extensively in Europe and UK, premiering new works. In 1859, he became the cellist with the newly founded Popular Concerts chamber series. In 1894, he celebrated his 50th anniversary and retired from performing.
David POPPER (1843-1913) attended Prague Conservatory and studied cello with G. Goltermann. At age 20, he gave his first concert tour and earned praise that led to the position of Chamber Virtuoso in the court of Prince Hohenzollern. In 1864, he premiered Volkmann’s cello concert with Berlin Philharmonic. In 1867, he became the solo cellist of the Hof-Oper in Vienna. He was later recommended by Liszt as a cello teacher at Budapest Conservatory, where he also performed with Budapest Quartet. He was the cellist at the premiere of Brahms’s Third Piano Trio with the composer as pianist. He was a prolific composer of the cello.
Bernhard ROMBERG (1767-1841) came from a musical family and took his early training from his father and cellist J.C. Schlick. At the age of 9, he began touring with his violinist cousin Andreas. In 1785 they gave concerts in Paris, where he met with J. L. Duport. In 1790 he was employed at the Bonn Kapelle and became good friends with young Beethoven, who later gave the Viennese performance of his op.5 cello sonatas with Romberg in 1795. He was appointed as a cello teacher at Paris Conservatoire in 1800, working with astonishing string teachers. However, two years later he left for Germany to perform concerts and was invited to the Berlin Kapelle, where he played alongside J. L. Duport. In 1806 F. Dotzauer came to study with him for 6 months. He spent his retirement writing a cello method in 1839.
Friedrich SEITZ (1848-1918) was German violinist of the Romantic era. He was the music director in Sondershausen and became the concertmaster in Magdeburg. In 1884, he was promoted to the position of court orchestra conductor in Dessau. He composed many works for violin that incorporate essential techniques, which inspired editors to adapt his works to the cello.
Jean BARRIÈRE (1705-47) was one of the few early French composers with idiomatic works for the cello. After completing his cello training in Italy, he returned to his homeland as one of the forerunners to develop cello playing in France, a country then known more so for the excellence of its viola da gamba playing.
Friedrich SEITZ (1848-1918) was German violinist of the Romantic era. He was the music director in Sondershausen and became the concertmaster in Magdeburg. In 1884, he was promoted to the position of court orchestra conductor in Dessau. He composed many works for violin that incorporate essential techniques, which inspired editors to adapt his works to the cello.
François SERVAIS (1807-1866) played the violin and clarinet to earn his living before beginning to study cello at age 19 in Brussels. In 1833, he made his debut in Paris and his solo career folded quickly with invitations to prestigious venues, meeting Wagner and performing trios with Mendelssohn and F. David. In 1848 he began teaching at Brussel Conservatory. He was considered the Paganini of the cello by prominent names such as Berlioz and Rossini. He helped extend the technical possibilities of the cello by perfecting the left hand and smooth tone quality of his bow as well as his adaptation of the cello endpin, which was a new development of the time.
William Henry SQUIRE (1871-1963) studied cello with E. Howell at the Royal College of Music, where he later became a professor, and taught at Guildhall school. He also performed as the principal cellist of several London orchestras. He made his debut in 1891 and performed some of his own compositions at the Promenade Concerts. He attended important British festivals, performing chamber music with leading players of his time.
Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959) began playing the cello at age 6 and was inspired by the music of J. S. Bach. When his family traveled throughout Brazil, he became interested in the folk music of his native country. He studied the Afro-Brasilian music influences of the northeastern regions. In 1919, A. Rubinstein helped him to extend his reputation to the world. As an educator, he proposed s music study plan for public schools in 1930 and took charge two years later, ultimately establishing music conservatories and the Brazilian Academy of the music in 1945.
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