List Events

** 1721 – Giovanni Perroni enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist and composer. His known works include eight oratorios, three operas, a song cycle, and an early cello concerto. His Cello Concerto in D minor was premiered in Vienna in 1712 and consists of three/four movements with a written sort of cadenza as an extra third movement before the finale. The work remains an occasional part of the cello concert repertoire

** 1767 – The ‘Mercure de France’ announces the publication in Paris of the String Quartets Op.1 by Luigi Boccherini

** 1784 – Contemporary reviews of the 1784 concerts at which James Cervetto performed the ‘new’ Haydn D Major Cello Concerto stress how Haydn’s score was ideally matched to James Cervetto’s expressive powers, opening up the possibility that Haydn specifically conceived the concerto with knowledge of Cervetto’s known strengths. On 1st April, 1784, the Morning Herald wrote: “‘Cervetto’s violoncello concerto brought with it (as we expected) the grace, the solemn strength, and the sublimity of music’ showing the clear possibility that the concerto was ‘conceived’ for him. Interestingly, a German reviewer used equivalent language (Magazin derMusik): ‘Ein Violoncell-Concert von Cervetto ward mit derWürde, feyerlichen Stärke und Hoheit derMusic vorgetragen, als man es von demselben gewohnt ist’.

** 1868 – on this day cellist Jacques Rensburg was officially given the posts of principal cello of the Orchestra of the Gürzenich Concerts and of cello professor in the Rhenish School of Music, Cologne, after having served both posts on a temporary basis.

** 1876 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Bianca Blume and Madame Patey (vocal) with Signor Piatti (cello) performing the first English performance of Raff – Cello Concerto No.1. The programme also included the first performance of Alfred Holmes – Concert Overture ‘Les Muses’

** 1888 – Bohemian cellist Ludwig Ebert retires from the position of cello professor at the ‘Conservatoire of the Rhenish Metropolis’, after simultaneously working as orchestra principal cello, but continued to teach from his home, which became Coblenz.

** 1897 – cellist May Mukle, still only 16 years old, she gave a concert in the Queen’s Hall under Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the director of the Royal Academy of Music, with the adagio and finale from Antonín Dvořák’s cello concerto.

** 1903 – birth of Frieda Litschauer-Krause (Vienna) d.1992
cellist, principal cello of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, chamber music player in string quartets, Professor at the Vienna Conservatory; also played viola da gamba. In 1966 she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art {mother of cellist Heidi Litschauer}

** 1924 – On 1st April 1924 former orchestral principal cellist Rudolf Krasselt became General Music Director at the Staatsoper Hannover and at the beginning of the new season 1924/1925 Opera Director and in 1934 Opera Director. At the instigation of the Nazi regime, he went into (early) retirement on 11th July 1943. In the final phase of the Second World War, Hitler accepted him into the Gottbegnadeten list of the most important conductors in August 1944, which saved Krasselt from a war mission, also on the Heimatfront.

** 1937 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Pizzetti – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1937 – on this day German cellist Ludwig Hoelscher became (cello) professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, still only in his 20s!

** 1947 – William Pleeth (cello) and Margaret Good (piano) performed in the London – Wigmore Hall in a programme including Rubbra – Cello Sonata, Op.60

** 1955 – composer Gordon Jacob finished his Concerto for cello and strings on this day, a work dedicated to Florence Hooton

** 1964 – Spanish cellist Santos Gandía Lahidalga became the holder of the Commandery of Alfonso (“Encomienda de Alfonso X el Sabio”)

** 1966 – on this day cellist Antonio Janigro made a live recording, with Yehudi Menuhi – violin, of Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, with the Zagreb Philharmonie, conducted by Milan Horvat

** 1980 – composer Gordon Jacob finished his ‘Cello Serenade’ for Solo Violoncello on this day, a work dedicated to Ross Pople

** 1764 – birth of Heinrich Gross (Germany)
cellist, member private band of Swedish Count de Geer, member of King’s Band in Berlin and composer

** 1805 – birth of August Christian Prell (Germany) d.1885
cellist, chamber musician of Meiningham, principal cello of Kofkapelle Hannover {son of cellist Johann Nikolaus Prell}

** 1843- birth of Jules de Swert {Deswert} (Louvain, Belgium) d.1891
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer & teacher

** 1909 – birth of Micki Ovitz (Rozavlea, Romania) d. 1972
cellist & accordionist {Nazi Holocaust victim}

** 1922 – on this day Paul Hindemith completes his Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.25 No.3, which he had been working on just a few days.

** 1947 – birth of Friedrich Dolezal (Vienna)
cellist, Principal cello Theater an der Wien, member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. In 1973, he became a member of the Association of the Vienna Philharmonic and in 1974 advanced to the position of section leader of the cello section. In the years 1976 and 1977 he was responsible for the Philharmonic Ball as well as being a member of the Philharmonic administrative committee between 2007 and 2014. Since 1995, he has been a member of the Vienna Hofmuskkapelle. Member of both the “Nicolai Quartet”, and the “Wiener Kammervirtuosen”, from whose ranks the “Vienna Octet” was later formed- Cellist of Vienna Schubert Trio and Vienna String Quartet. Membership in the “Ensemble Kontrapunkte” and the “Ensemble of the 20th Century”.  Fritz Dolezal was awarded the title of Professor and received the Gold Medal of Service to the Province of Salzburg, as well as the Honorary Silver Medal of the Republic of Austria. He retired from duties in 2014.

** 1965 – Mstislav Rostropovich performed Britten’s ‘Cello Symphony’ at the Royal Festival Hall, London, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky…as an encore Rostropovich repeated the last movement (Passacaglia), but with Benjamin Britten coming onto the podium to conduct it!

** 1979 – Erling Blöndal Bengtsson was cello soloist in Vagn Holmboe – Concerto for Cello, Op 120 {UK premiere}, with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Berglund {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1983 – Colin Carr was cello soloist in Benjamin Britten – Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68 {Proms premiere}, with Philharmonia Orchestra
conducted by Sir Simon Rattle {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1984 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Zoltán Kodály – Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, featuring the cellist Siegfried Palm, with Leland Chen, Violin
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1986 – cellist Lluis Claret, together with his twin brother and the famed flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal shared stage in the Torroella Festival (Catalonia)

** 1999 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Alexander Borodin – Three Songs with Cello Obbligato, featuring the cellist Marcy Rosen, with Stephanie Houtzeel, Mezzo-Soprano and Jonathan Biss, Piano
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1873 – on this date the premiere was heard of Joachim Raff’s Cello Sonata, Op.183, in Berlin (at the Singakademie). Written this same year, the music was also immediately published in Leipzig.

** 1884 – David Popper performed his favourite cello concerto, the Volkmann: Cello Concerto, Op.33, in Magbeburg, Germany. Few additional details are known.

** 1888 – 15-year-old English cellist Maud Fletcher performed in a quintet on this day; the London “Era” praised the good chamber music work of the Royal College of Music:
“Great praise may be given to the interpretation of this wonderful work [Mozart-Quintett g -Moll]. […] The youthful performers did their work so well that they might have been taken for mature artists rather than students”

** 1889 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Reinhard (Reinhold) Hummer was cello soloist in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major. Orchestral works of Nicodé, Handel, Goldmark and Mozart were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1892 – a London Symphony Concert was given at St. James Hall (London) featuring guest soloists Monsieur Gorski (violin), Carl Fuchs (cello), and Miss Evangeline Florence (vocal)

** 1894 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Marie Brema (vocal) and ‘Herr David Popper’ (cello). The programme also included Edward German – Suite from the Incidental music to the Haymarket drama, ‘The Tempter’ – conducted by the composer.
David Popper performed a “spurious” work; a Cello Concerto in C major by Joseph Haydn (but NOT the famous C Major Concerto performed so much in our times!).
The following anecdote is related by Stephen De’ak in his book on Popper:
“In the early eighteen-nineties, during the intermission of one of Popper’s Vienna recitals, Popper received an interesting windfall. A man who appeared at the artist’s room handed Popper a few sheets of wrinkled manuscript papers, saying that they were some sketches for a cello concerto, by Haydn, that perhaps Popper would find the material interesting, and that he was welcome to have it. Popper was slightly sceptical but thanked him, commented that he would see what he could do with it. The source of the papers and identity of the gentleman are complete mysteries. A few years later, during summer vacation, Popper took time to study the almost forgotten sketches and judged that the themes were genuinely by Haydn. Thereupon, he set out to work them into a concert form of three movements, for which an outline had already been provided. Popper wrote the piano accompaniment and orchestration. The result was the Haydn C major Cello Concerto, published in 1899 by Ries and Erler, in Berlin. According to inquiries, no one knows the whereabouts of the original sketches today.”

** 1914 – Sibelius finishes writing ‘Cantique and Devotion’, Op.77 for violin or cello and piano (or orchestra)

** 1917 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Adolf Busch & Paul Grümmer with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Max Fiedler

** 1921 – Pau Casals performed as cello soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Society. This concert also included the first public performance of Holst – Ballet Music from the Opera ‘The Perfect Fool’.

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (30th November and 7th December) and Arnhem (1st December), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1933 – A new adventure with “His Master’s Voice”. Gregor Piatigorsky entered on this date into a recording contract with “His Master’s Voice” in England and participated in a landmark recording of the Schumann Concerto: the first to be recorded as a continuous performance rather than broken into five-minute segments (the length of a single side of a 10-inch 78 rpm record). Although the finished product was still divided into five-minute segments, the recording process was streamlined through the use of two recording devices, synchronized to begin as the previous one was ending.

** 1933 – birth of James D. Wolfensohn (Sidney, Australia) d.2020
Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995–2005) – He led fund-raising efforts as chairman of Carnegie Hall and headed a revival of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. An accomplished cellist under the tutelage of the renowned Jacqueline du Pré, he performed several times at Carnegie Hall. On top, he was also an Olympic fencer (in Australia’s 1956 Olympic team).

** 1934 – “I’m very tired…”! In a letter to Serge Koussevitzky, Gregor Piatigorsky wrote:
“My dear ones! It’s hard to wander the world alone — I’m very tired. The past three weeks I have played almost every day in a different city. I myself am astonished at the miracle by which I am physically enduring such a life. I will spend Christmas completely alone in Portugal”.
(produced by Terry King, ‘Piatigorsky, The Life and Career of the Virtuoso Cellist’ (2010)

** 1938 – Austrian (Jewish) cellist Friedrich Buxbaum had fled Austria for Great Britain a few months previously, and had suffered mentally in not being able to find openings as a maturely-aged professional cellist, although still very much in command of his instrument. On this day received some good news at last, as related in a biographical portrait of Alma Rosé (his daughter):
„Buxb. hat gestern sein Permit für ständigen Aufenthalt + Erlaubnis zu unterrichten bekommen. Fein nicht?“13 [“Yesterday, Buxb. received a permanent residence permit and permission to teach. Nice, isn’t it?”]

** 1967 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Bernard Haitink

  ** 1983 – cellist Moray Welsh premiered the Lennox Berkeley, – Concerto for ‘Cello (written 1939), with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by James Loughran, in a concert at the Manchester Free Trade Hall

 ** 1990 – in Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts (today and tomorrow), cellist Franz Bartolomey was invited soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: André Previn / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1999 – live recording of Carmelo A. Alonso Bernaola – ‘Tiempos: Música para un centenario: Casals’, for Spanish National Radio, by José Mará Mañero/cello and Gerardo López Laguna/piano
Foundation ‘Juan March’, Madrid

** 1707 – birth of Frederick, Prince of Wales (Cliveden, Taplow, England) d.1751
Royalty – heir apparent to English throne, and keen amateur cellist

** 1712 – first performance of Giovanni Perroni (1688–1748) Cello Concerto No.1 in D minor with Strings, in the Frari Church in Venice to celebrate the accession to the throne of the new Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. With this cello concerto, Perroni is one of the very first composers EVER to write a concerto for cello!

** 1773 – birth of Johann Gottfried Arnold (Niedernhall, Wurtemburg, Germany) d.1806
cellist, theatre orchestra & cello teacher

** 1859 – birth of Victor (August) Herbert (Guernsey or Dublin) d.1924
cellist, conductor & composer

** 1869 – on this date August Christian Prell went into retirement from his position as principal cello in the orchestra of Hannover {Hannover Kofkapelle} – his fine Amati cello later passed into the hands of Grützmacher!

** 1869 – birth of Henryk Waghalter (Warsaw) d.1958
cellist & organist {Nazi Holocaust victim}

** 1880 – birth of Antonio Guarnieri (Venice, Italy) d.1952
conductor and cellist. Cellist of Martucci String Quartet. Conductor Vienna Court Opera (1912), and succeeded Toscani at La Scala in 1929, and cintued there almost to his death.

** 1898 – at a ‘Mr Halford’s Orchestral Concert’, given at the Town Hall, Birmingham (England) the cello soloist was Carl Fuchs.

** 1908 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Hugo Becker. Claude Debussy was the conductor, including ‘La Mer’ (first English performance) and ‘L’Après-Midi d’un Faune’ (therefore both conducted by the composer).

** 1926 – Belgian cellist Jeanne Kufferath performed in the Lyceum de Belgique in Brussels, a foundation of the “Union Patriotique des Femmes Belges”.

** 1928 – Pau (Pablo) Casals, alongside pianist Nicola Mednikoff, recorded the Serenata Napoletana (Op.24/2) of Sgambati, in the Victor Studios

** 1935 – first performances on this afternoon, and the previous night, of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Cello concerto at the Carnegie Hall (New York), with soloist – Gregor Piatigorsky, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini

** 1955 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Brussels (Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels) with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102.

** 1959 – The Oxford Orchestral Society ‘Popular Evening Concerts’ featured soloists Ralph Holmes (violin) and Rohan de Saram (cello).

** 1959 – Phyllis Kraeuter, cello, Karl and her violinist brother Karl gave a joint performance at the New York Carnegie Hall on this day. There was also a pianist, but their performance also featured a substantial string duo. Phyllis was tragically instantly killed in a traffic accident in New York in November, 1964, and her brother severely injured with a neck injury.

** 1963 – birth of John Moran (Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
American musician and musicologist. He specializes in historically informed performance of music from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries on the cello. A member of REBEL. He is artistic director of Modern Musick, in residence at Georgetown University. He is a longtime principal player with the Washington Bach Consort and co-creator of that group’s Wunderkind Projekt. He teaches viol, baroque cello, and musicology at the Peabody Conservatory. A contributor to the revised New Grove Dictionary of Music (2001). President of the Kindler Cello Society of Washington, D.C., and vice president of the Viola da Gamba Society of America.

** 1967 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier recorded in one day the Frank Martin – Cello Concerto, with the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Ernest Ansermet

** 1972 – birth of Taryn Fiebig (Perth, Australia) d.2021
An Australian soprano, a principal soprano of ‘Opera Australia’ who also performed internationally. She initially graduated as a cellist from the School of Music at the University of Western Australia, before commencing vocal training, occasionally marrying the two on stage, with her cello accompanying her own singing. The versatile singer also performed in Baroque opera, Italian repertoire, contemporary opera, operetta and musical theatre.

** 1983 – first performance of FeBland – Popular Miniature Suite for cello and piano
David Johnstone/cello and Mark Latimer/piano (Bulmershe College of Higher Education, Woodley, Berkshire, England)

** 1983 – Marçal Cervera/cello and Perfecto García Chornet/piano gave the premiere of Francisco Llacer Plá – ‘Huellas: cronofases sobre Miguel Hernández’, for cello and piano (1979)
Auditorio de la Caja de Ahorros, Valencia, Spain

** 1989 – first performance of Peter Maxwell Davies – Strathclyde Concerto No.2 for cello and orchestra
(Glasgow)

** 1994 – first performance of Sofia Gubaidulina – And: The Feast is in Full Progress, for cello and orchestra
(Las Palmas, Spain)

** 1996 – Amparo Lacruz /cello and Emili Brugalla/piano performed Roberto Gerhard – Sonata for cello and piano (1956) in the Auditorio del Centre de Cultura Contemporanea, Barcelona, recorded live by Spanish National Radio.

** 1719 – Franz Peter Schnautz enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist (later switching to violin in 1722)

** 1793 – birth of Johann Nepomuk Huttner (Czech) d.1839
cellist, theatre orchestra principal cello & chamber musician

 ** 1815 – birth of Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger (Germany)
cellist & pianist; composer, musical writer & critic (“Neue Zeitschrift fiir Musik,” edited by Schumann) {based in London}

** 1820 – birth of Arnaud Dancla (Bagneres-de- Bigorre, France)
cellist & composer

 ** 1826 – on this day cellist Louis Pierre Norblin officially became professor of cello at the Paris Conservatoire [another source gives year as 1823]

** 1846 – on this day cellist Auguste Franchomme succeeded Norblin as first professor of cello at the Paris Conservatoire, holding the position until his death in 1884.

** 1868 – on a New Year’s Day Löwenberg Orchestra Concert, David Popper was soloist in the Adagio of his own Cello Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.8, and also in Servais – Morceau de Concert, Op. 14.

** 1869 – birth of Alfons Juslegers (Bruges, Belgium)
cellist, teacher at the conservatoire of Douai

** 1873 – cellist Reinhold Hummer receives his first professional invitation, appointed a member of the Imperial Opera orchestra of Vienna

** 1879 – birth of Rudolf Krasselt (Baden-Baden, Germany) d.1954
cellist, orchestra principal cello, conductor & opera house artistic director.
He was principal cellist of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra (and the Vienna Philharmonic) under Gustav Mahler, principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic under Arthur Nikisch, and from 1903 to 1904 principal cellist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. From 1911 to 1913 he was 1st Kapellmeister of the opera house in Kiel, and in 1913 he took over the direction of the Deutsches Opernhaus in Berlin-Charlottenburg as 1st Kapellmeister. There he also led a Kapellmeister class as professor at the State Academy of Music.
Coming from orchestral practice, Krasselt combined conducting brilliance with accuracy, a sense of responsibility and authority in the best sense; things he also passed on to his students at the Berlin Musikhochschule.

 ** 1883 – Busoni finishes his Serenata in G minor, Op.34 for cello and piano

** 1884 – birth of Hugo Kreisler (Vienna) d.1929 {brother of Fritz}
Cellist

** 1888 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin. cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Tchaikovsky’s reminiscences included attending this performance, and he critically wrote:
“Despite the wonderful performance, this concerto did not make the least impression on me. Here it is apparently the wish of the composer, as in his D major violin concerto, not so much to flatter the aspirations of the concertizing virtuoso as to produce new evidence of his symphonic strengths; so the true symphonic construction and design throughout is for the most part admirable, while the thematic material in itself does not pull off any surprises, at the same time the high-quality classiness is never in question; it will take some time and longer study, i.e. require more frequent repetitions, before the work can hope for the prize of warmer support; for the comfortable virtue of “easy listening” is not characteristic of this novelty. Soloists who are only in it for themselves will want to avoid this work.”

** 1895 – The following anecdote about David Popper’s creative work comes from “The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular” Vol. 36, No. 623 published on 1st January, 1895 (pp. 23-24):
“The Concerto in C for violoncello and orchestra, introduced by Herr Popper at the Concert …. is attributed by that eminent virtuoso to Haydn. Unfortunately, the evidence adduced is inconclusive. The score was given to him by an old amateur in Vienna some twenty years ago, but it has not transpired whether the manuscript affords any clue to the identity of the author. As no traces of the accompaniment could be discovered at Esterhaz or elsewhere, Herr Popper has himself scored the work for an orchestra of the usual dimensions of Haydn’s Concertos, and acquitted himself of the task with conspicuous skill and discretion. The Concerto, which is in three movements […] is of a decidedly pleasing character, and, if not written by Haydn, is certainly thoroughly Haydnesque both in form and spirit.”

** 1899 – in the series of the Sunday Afternoon Orchestral Concerts given at the Queen’s Hall, Langham Place, London, featured soloist was cellist W.H. Squire – the concert also included the first English performance of Glazounov – Symphony No.6, Op.58.

 ** 1935 – Guilhermina Suggia was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb: 2, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Winter Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1937 – birth of Carlos Prieto (Mexico)
cellist, teacher and writer. Worthy activity in the premiere of new works.

** 1942 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Erich Rohn & Arthur Troester with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vittorio Gui

** 1942 – first performance of Ross Lee Finney – Cello Sonata No.1
(Pratt Memorial Music Hall, Mount Holyoke College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA)

** 1946 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) and Nina Musinian (Piano) record release date of ‘Melody’ by Vladimir A. Vlasov

** 1949 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) record release date of Concerto for Cello No.2 in A minor, Op.14 by Karl Davidoff, with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky

** 1954 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) and Nina Musinian (Piano) record release date of ‘Armenian Dance’ by Artemiy Ayvazian

** 1955 – first performance of Morton Feldman – Structure II for two cellos; Extensions 5 for two cellos & Three Pieces for Piano
(New York)

** 1956 – Ottomar Borwitzky had dropped out of high school before graduating because he had been given a contract as principal cellist with the Hamburg Radio Orchestra. He moved to the opera house in Hanover and finally as principal cello in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra today, to which he often quoted this co-incidence:
 “The date of my entry into service was January 1, 1956, the day on which Herbert von Karajan received his life contract.”

** 1958 – Miloš Sádlo was keenly interested in Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra, H. 304 by Boshuslav Martinu. Sádlo had aspired to deliver the premiere, as documented by his letters from September 1956 and February 1957, in which he tried to persuade Martinů to modify the piece and send it to him, since the Prague Spring festival organisers had already preliminarily included it in the programme of the 1957 edition. He again reminded Martinů of his pledge to revise the concerto in a letter dated 1st January 1958.
However, in spite of all this, the work was finally premiered by Saša Večtomov and the Prague Symphony Orchestra on 25th May 1965 in České Budějovice (Czech Republic).

** 1967 – release date by Universal International Music of Janos Starker’s recording of Corelli – Sonata in D minor, Op.5/7 with Stephen Swedish. The arrangement was made by the historical cellist August Lindner.

** 1970 – birth of Alexander Boyarsky (Kemerovo, Russia)
cellist & professor {based UK}

** 1980 – birth of Frances-Hoad (Essex, England)
Composer, cellist and pianist.
She began composing at the age of barely eight while studying cello and piano at the Yehudi Menuhin School. At 15 she won the BBC Young Composer of the Year Competition, with the Concertino for ‘Cello, Piano, Percussion and Orchestra, performed by solo cellist Peter Dixon and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
She has written two cello concertos. The first is from 2013, called “Katharsis”, is for cello and ensemble. The second is called “Earth, Sea, Air”, dating from 2022, and has been recorded by Laura van der Heijden.

** 1990 – Philip Norris, Scottish composer (b.1948), cellist and organist, wrote a Cello Cantata (Cantate), Op.14, for cello and nine instruments that he recorded with the Paragon Ensemble for Continuum, being released on 1st January, 1990.

** 1994 – birth of Andrei Ionut Ionita (Bucharest, Rumania)
soloist and chamber musician of the cello

** 1995 – solo cellist Hans Zentgraf released on this day his recording of the Max Reger solo cello suites, on the Mdg (CODAEX) label

 ** 1702 – Jos. Malagotti enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist

** 1880 – the appearance of a woman at the violoncello was still perceived as unusual and sometimes caused a sensation among music critics. The ‘Wiener Signals’ (July 1, 1880) reviewed Luise Wandersleb like this:
“One is accustomed to expressing a not inconsiderable distrust of women who play the violoncello, which, however, must have arisen from the nature of the instrument, perhaps also due to the experiences made on the cello. In fact, only very few of the cellists who have appeared so far have been able to soar to an artistically significant height. One of these musicians […] is the recently mentioned cellist Frau Wandersleb-Patzig”

** 1893 – in the special series of eleven concerts “Adelina Patti Concerts”, given at the Royal Albert Hall, London (all of which involved the famous vocalist Adelina Patti) the performance on this day included guests Madame Amy Sherwin, Madame Patey, Madame Alice Gomez and Mr Norman Salmond (vocal) with Miss Fanny Davies (piano), Master Jean Gerardy (cello) and the Meister Glee Singers. The orchestral overtures in this concert were replaced with organ solos by Edwin H. Lemare.

** 1900 – birth of Marcus Adeney (London) d.1998
cellist, chamber musician, teacher & writer

** 1913 – David Popper brings his Amati cello to a bank safe (assisted by Istvan De’ak) and travels to Baden bei Wien, to stay at the Zellerhof for a convalescence holiday.

** 1919 – in the Wigmore Hall (London), a ‘Dramatic Recital’ was given by Erica Green with Mabel Manson (vocal) and Monsieur Doehaerd (cello)

** 1929 – cellist (later more famed as conductor) John Barbirolli with pianist Ethel Bartlett recorded J.S. Bach – Viola de Gamba Sonata No. 1, BWV 1027, for Columbia (in Petit France, London) – this was probably Barbirolli’s most substantial recording as a cellist.

** 1948 – birth of Maxine Neuman (New York)
cellist, orchestral musician, chamber music player & teacher. Co-founder of the Walden Trio, the Vermont Cello Quartet, the Crescent String Quartet, the Claremont Duo, and Duo Cellismo. Principal cello of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Professor at Bennington College in Vermont, and many other locations later on.

** 1957 – the first of 2 consecutive recitals in the York Festival (England) was given by Antonio Janigro, cello, and Veyron-Larcroix, harpsichord.

** 1960 – birth of Erik Friedlander (New York)
cellist & composer (especially jazz and post-bob music)

** 1972 – first performance of original 5-string “violino grande” Penderecki – Cello Concerto No.1
soloist – Bronislaw Eichenholz (violino grande) with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Henryk Czyz (Östersund, Sweden)

** 1976 – Gregor Piatigorsky, although already quite ill with lung cancer, accepted an offer to teach master classes in Zurich, delighted that his old friend Nathan Milstein would also be there. At the end of a concert during the course, Piatigorsky and Milstein entertained everybody by walking around the studio playing a Kreisler-ian waltz, Piatigorsky strumming the cello. Everyone laughed at the sight… yet, tinged with such sadness as it was the last time he played. Five weeks later Piatigorsky died at home in California.

** 1997 – from 1st July to 7th July 1997, St. Petersburg hosted the World Cello Congress II (directed by Dr. Breazeale)

** 1999 – solo cellist Luca Signorini released on this day his recording of the Max Reger solo cello suites, on the Nu label

** 1761 – on this day Franz Joseph Weigl was received as a cellist member of the Esterhazy Orchestra through a special recommendation of Joseph Haydn!

** 1776 – birth of George Schetky (Edinburgh) d.1831
cellist, teacher, composer and music publisher {based Scotland-USA}

** 1834 – birth of William Müller (Brunswick, Germany) d.1897
cellist, court solo cellist and professor {based Germany-USA} – played with The Müller Quartet, The Joachim Quartet.

** 1864 – David Popper performed in a chamber music concert on this day in Breslau, with Silberschmidt (piano) and Leopold Damrosch (violin). The concert consisted of Popper – Romanesca [an unpublished work], Schumann: Fantasy Pieces, Op.73, and Schumann – Piano Trio in D minor, Op.63

** 1866 – birth of Max Jähnig (Dresden, Germany)
cellist, principal cello in the Kur Orchestra at Carlsbad, principal cello in Tonshalle Orchestra in Zurich, musician in court chapel of Stuutgart, chamber music player and teacher

** 1884 – on this day the French cellist Olive-Charlier Vaslin published his “L’Art du Violoncelle” – he was by then ninety years old! Although little known, the work is understood to incorporate relatively modern aspects of cello playing, giving plenty of advice to young cellists, especially in the bow movement.

** 1884 – birth of Willem Dehé (Groningen, Holland) d.1942
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician {based Ukraine-USA}

** 1891 – birth of Roger Marie Bricoux (Cosne-sur-Loire, France) d.1912
a French cellist said to have had an extraordinary talent. He was on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage – he died in the disaster. He was the cellist of the trio, along with a violinist (George Krins) and the pianist (Theodore Brailey). His body was never found as the sea that night swallowed up a future reference for cellists

** 1907 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Mannheim by soloists Henri Marteau & Hugo Becker

** 1909 – birth of Antonia {Katharine Margaret} Butler (London) d.1997
cellist and professor

** 1937 – birth of Rainer Miedel (Regensburg, Germany) d.1983
German cellist and conductor (married to the cellist Cordelia Wikarski).
In 1965 he became a cellist in the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; the same year, he won the 1st prize in the Swedish Radio conducting competition. In 1967 he made his formal conducting debut with the Stockholm Philharmonic, and then became its assistant conductor (1969–76). He also was music director of the Gävleborgs Symphony Orchestra (1969–76), and asstistant conductor (1969–72) and associate conductor (1972–73) of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. From 1976 until his death, he was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra

** 1962 – Reflections on Russia after 41 years…
“The Russians and the Americans must learn to communicate”, said Gregor Piatigorsky on this date in an expanded newspaper article.  The world-famous cellist had returned recently from judging the International Moscow Competition in cello. It had been Piatigorsky’s first visit to Russia since he left it 41 years ago. He visited his father, then 87, and his three brothers, one of which he never even seen, since he was born after Gregor had left Russia.

** 1971 – first performance of Peter Racine Fricker – Sarabande for solo cello (in Memoriam Igor Stravinsky)
soloist – Geoffrey Rutkowski (Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, University of California, USA)

** 1975 – Jacqueline Du Pré had been hospitalized in New York City, already suffering from multiple sclerosis, when she wrote an affectionate note to Piatigorsky on this date. The previous year, Piatigorsky had visited her daily when in London contributing to the City of London Festival. Although she had stopped performing by then, Du Pré and Piatigorsky played duets together at home.

** 1976 – Gregor Piatigorsky’s last official concert:
Despite failing health, Piatigorsky agreed to open the new Robin Hood Dell series with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy, in the Brahms Double Concerto with Isaac Stern, and as soloist in Don Quixote by Richard Strauss, a work with which he had been associated throughout his career.

** 1984 – birth of Joseph Kuipers (Rochester, MN, USA)
cellist, composer, writer and teacher
Successful leader of “Texas Cellos”

** 1991 – birth of Vladimir Slovachevsky (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Cellist.

** 1996 – on the 30th, 31st of May, plus 1st June, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Massur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1764 – sometime in 1763, Carlo Graziani travelled to London to serve as principal cellist of the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, which was under the baton of fellow Italian Felice de Giardini at that time. It is known that Graziani performed in three benefit concerts during the following year, 1764. Scholar Valerie Walden notes that the first two concerts took place on 10th February and 1st March and the third on 22nd May. Also – around this time, Graziani seems to have married, for he is later documented in Frankfurt am Main giving concerts during September 1770 alongside his wife who was a singer!

** 1831 – Carl Leopold Boehm started this day an important position, upon his appointment for life in the chapel of the art-loving Prince Fürstenberg at Donaueschingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

** 1832 – birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Grützmacher (Dessau, Anhalt, Germany) d.1903
cellist, composer, arranger & teacher

** 1857 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Josef Hartinger was cello soloist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto (with Georg Hellmesberger – violin, and D. Pruckner – piano). Orchestral works of Mendelssohn and Schubert works were also heard.
Conductor: Carl Eckert / Hofburg Palace, Redoutensaal, Vienna, Austria

** 1875 – first performance of Monasterio – Romanza for cello (written 1874)
Víctor Mirecki Larramat/cello and ?/piano (Madrid)

** 1885 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Robert Hausmann was cello soloist in Molique – Cello Concerto. Orchestral works of Gade, Dvorak and Mozart were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1889 – birth of Ecuadorian cellist Teodelinda Terán Hicks (Quito) d.1959
woman cellist, later working in London and California

** 1894 – in a “Miss Adelina de Lara’s Pianoforte Recital” in London, special featured guests were Edward Howell (cello) and Mr Arthur Oswald (vocal)

** 1895 – Dvorak had made a version of Waldesruhe (Silent Woods), Op. 68, No. 5, for cello and piano that he and Hans Wihan performed on Dvorak’s farewell tour of Bohemia before the composer left for a stint as director of the National Conservatory in New York City (1892-5). Then, in 1894, Dvorak’s orchestration of the piano part was published, and Alwin Schroeder was perhaps the first cellist to perform this new version in the U.S.A. when he paired it with an orchestrated version of Julius Klengel‘s Capriccio, Op. 3, on 1st and 2nd March, 1895 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

** 1896 – cellist Johan C. Hock (Jnr.) performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in van Goens – Romance, Op.12/1. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1899 – birth of Marion Cumbo (New York) d.1990
cellist, chamber musician & teacher

** 1905 – cellist Alwin Schroeder gave many performances of the Locatelli – Cello Sonata in D Major (version Piatti) from coast to coast of the U.S.A. during the 1904-1907 period, and the reception of both the work and Schroeder’s playing was even warmer. This from the New York Times on 1st March, 1905:
“…[The Locatelli sonata] has some of the qualities of a virtuoso piece; but it has substantial musical value and insinuating grace and old world charm. Mr. Schroeder’s playing of it was the work of a great artist; as such he was greeted with an unwonted outburst of welcome, and as such he was acclaimed again and again at the close. In breath of style, repose, clarity of expression, and perfect command of all the subtleties of the technique of the instrument it was an extraordinary performance. Few masters of the violoncello can make passages of agility seem so unobtrusive, so natural to the instrument, even musical in significance, as he.”

** 1906 – Joseph Hollman, solo cellist, recorded his own Chanson d’amour (Song of love) on 1st March, 1906 in New York

** 1924 – birth of Sherley Trepel (Winnipeg, Canada)
cellist, orchestral principal. She made her New York debut in 1949. She became principal cello in the Houston Symphony Orchestra in 1963, and began teaching at Rice University (Houston) in 1975, continuing up to 1991.

** 1931 – Hans Kindler (cello) and Myra Hess (piano) gave a recital in Lycoming (England)

** 1932 – The Horowitz-Milstein-Piatigorsky Trio started their activity together on this date, thanks to an eccentric manager called Alexander Merovich, who brought Piatigorsky together with Vladimir Horowitz and Nathan Milstein to tour individually and as a trio.

** 1935 – Beatrice Harrison returned to the White House, offering works by Roger Quilter, Frederick Delius, Jean Baptiste Senaillé, Édouard Lalo, and Herbert Hughes

** 1942 – birth of Vladimir Pavlovich Perlin (Frunze, Kirghiz, Belarus)
cellist, conductor and pedagogue. Professor of Cello in the Belarusian State Academy of Music. A cello pedagogue in Musica Mundi School. Belgium.
Since 1988 Vladimir Perlin is the founder, artistic director and chief conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of young musicians in RMC, which he regularly leads on tours around the world. Perlin is also frequently invited to serve as a jury member of international cello competitions. In 2003 for his significant contribution to music education, Perlin was appointed an Officier de l’Odre des Palmes Académiques de la République Française. He was the first Belarusian to receive this title.

** 1950 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (1st and 2nd March), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1950 – first performance of Prokofiev – Cello Sonata in C Major, Op.119
Mstislav Rostropovich/cello and S. Richter/piano (Moscow, Small Hall of Moscow Conservatory)
In his memoirs Sviatoslav Richter wrote:
“We gave the first performance of Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata. Before playing it in concert, we had to perform it at the Composer’s Union, where these gentlemen decided the fate of all new works. During this period more than any other, they needed to work out whether Prokofiev had produced a new masterpiece or, conversely, a piece that was ‘hostile to the spirit of the people.’ Three months later, we had to play it again at a plenary session of all the composers who sat on the Radio Committee, and it wasn’t until the following year that we were able to perform it in public, in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on March 1, 1950.”

** 1952 – a concert recital took place (venue unsure) on today’s date, shared between Marie Dare (cello) – Arvon Davies (piano), and Maria Piccaver (soprano) – Mary Ryan (flute)

** 1962 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Four concerts, in Den Haag (24th February) and Amsterdam (28th February, and 1st and 3rd March), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1963 – in an obituary by the “Times” about the cellist May Mukle the following was stated:
“By the turn of the century she was fully recognized not only as an outstanding musician but as one of the most remarkable cellists this country had produced. Women cellists were very rare in those days and it was largely due to her success that the repertoire developed so quickly and the instrument became so popular with both sexes. Whether as soloists, or in one of the various ensembles she adorned, she travelled extensively in all five Continents, finding herself as much at home with native audiences in remote African towns as in large sophisticated music clubs in Australia and the United States “ (Times March 1, 1963).

** 1995 – release date of the grand recording project “12 Hommages à Paul Sacher pour Violoncelle” by cellists Thomas Demenga and Patrick Demenga (a double CD set) – understood to be the first complete recording ever of these 12 works dedicated to the Swiss counductor, contemporary music enthusiast and music organizer Paul Sacher on the occasion of his 70th birthday in 1976.

** 1999 – first performances of David Johnstone – Pilgrim’s Rest; Johnstone – Danxas de Galicia; Johnstone – Lament; and Johnstone – The Prisonner – all these for solo cello
soloist – David Johnstone (“O Camiño de Santiago; A Música do milenio”, Aula de Cultura de Caixa Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain)

** 1686 – Fred. Leopold Pückl enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist

** 1695 – birth of Pierre Saint-Sevin (Bordeaux, France) d.1768
cellist and composer

** 1764 – on this day a cellist named Gordon (his first name not known) performed in a concert given by Signora Frasi, being noted for his full and sweet tone

** 1772 – birth of Jacques-Michel Hurel de Lamare (Paris) d.1823
cellist, orchestral, professor and occasional composer
In 1794, Lamare became cellist at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris, where he developed a reputation as a soloist. He soon thereafter became a professor at the newly founded Conservatoire de Paris. From 1801 through 1809 he toured Germany and Russia, living mainly in Berlin, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. Lamare returned to France in 1809, travelling through Poland and Austria. His return concert at the Odéon in April 1809, however, was not very well received, and thereafter he restricted himself to playing for private audiences.

** 1831 – František Hegenbarth enters the Prague Conservatoire as a student on this day; in May 1865 he was to become a professor there himself, serving for more than twenty years!

** 1837 – cellist Max Bohrer played a duet for two violoncellos with fellow cellist Moritz Ganz at a Philharmonic Society concert in London

** 1902 – Hugo Becker (cello) was soloist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor with the Queen’s Hall Concert Orchestra, conducted by Herr Weingartner. Clara Butt was also soloist in a vocal aria.

** 1918 – in the Steinway Hall (London) a Recital of English Songs was given by Mrs Harry Bedford, assisted by Beatrice Harrison (cello), and accompanied by Mr F. Kiddle

** 1921 – Gregor Piatigorsky was known to embroider the story of his escape from Russia for comic effect, but these were serious and dangerous times for the great artist. Organized by smugglers, he travelled with his friend Mischa Mischakoff, but the smugglers then demanded all of their money, and following on they were arrested by Polish border guards. At their hearing, they were asked for immigration papers and documentation, but they had nothing but their identification cards as members of the Bolshoi Theatre.
The chief of police ordered them returned to Ukraine in a horse and cart. While travelling, Piatigorsky saw a train station. As they performed for the crowd at the station, they heard a train approach. They managed to jump aboard just before the train left the station. The guards did not try to stop them, but onboard they had to hide from the ticket collector since they had no money. They got off the train in Lwow, Poland, soon finding work playing in a cafe. Piatigorsky did not return to Russia until 1962.

** 1936 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Extraordinary Charity Concert’, Richard Krotschak performed as cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote. Music of Ravel and Dvorak was also heard. Conductor: Victor de Sabata / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1937 – on this day German cellist Ludwig Hoelscher became a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party – is generally recognized as having been an ardent Nazi, hence his enthusiastic cooperation

** 1943 – first performance of Bohuslav Martinu – Variations on a Theme of Rossini for cello and piano
cellist Gregor Piatigorsky(?) (New York)

** 1957 – in a Hallé Orchestra special Elgar concert, the invited soloist was André Navarra, performing the Elgar – Cello Concerto. The concert also include the ‘Introduction and Allegro’ and the composer’s Second Symphony, all conducted by John Barbirolli.

** 1962 – Gregor Piatigorsky and the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow – invited to be a judge at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the height of the Cold War, Piatigorsky was therefore able to make, on this day, his first visit to Russia in 41 years on this day!

** 1970 – Lorne Munroe gave a soloist performance of Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, in Toronto, Canada

** 1970 – such was Gregor Piatigorsky’s standing in the international music world, that Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir attended Piatigorsky’s concert with the Israel Philharmonic and greeted him backstage!

** 1978 – researcher/investigator/writer Walter Schenkman first published on this day his now famous essay “Cassado’s Frescobaldi – A Case of Mistaken Identity or Outright Hoax” – with the irrefutable proof that the ‘Toccata’ was not a work of Frescobaldi, but in fact a work written by Gaspar Cassadó himself in 1925!

** 1992 – on the 30th April, and 1st and 5th May, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Masur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1859 – in reviews on the young Hungarian cellist Rosa Suck, the press noted a “beautiful, powerful tone, and considerable, though not yet quite pure fluency” (Hanslick in the Presse 1st November 1859)

 ** 1871 – birth of Otto Ettelt (Klein-Corbetha, Merseburg, Germany)
cellist, member Gewandhaus Orchestra, principal cello Municipal Orchestra of Bremen, member string quartet of the Philharmonic Society of Bremen & teacher

** 1899 – birth of Santos Gandía Lahidalga (San Sebastian, Basque country) d.1975
cellist, orchestral principal Orquesta Nacional de España, chamber musician

** 1931 – a rare performance of the Cornelis Dopper Cello Concerto in G minor was given on this day, featuring the cellist Carel van Leeuwen Boomkamp, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Willem Mengelberg. It was previously performed in November 1923, and this already appears to be a revised version from the original, which was written in 1910.

** 1948 – on this date the premiere was heard of Hindemith’s Cello Sonata (E Major) as a radio broadcast in the U.S.A., with Zara Nelsova (cello), Wilfrid Parry (piano). However, it ‘might’ have been given a previous (private) performance in August of this year, with cellist Gregor Piatigorsky.

** 1972 – birth of Matthew Sharp (Lisbon)
cellist (classical & pioneer), singer and actor – production director for music, theatre and opera {based Britain – France}

** 1979 – Joan Dickson was cello soloist in a Reid Orchestral Concert – she performed Walton – Cello Concerto with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Leighton

 ** 1979 – the premiere took place in Freinsheim, Germany, of Hans Kunstovny’s Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra (written in 1989), featuring cello soloist Dietmar Schwalke with the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim conducted by Peter Lücker. This 27-minute work appears to have a base version of cello quintet which was orchestrated for solo cello and strings.

 ** 1992 – a record release on this day featured cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson performing Vagn Holmboe’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op.120, with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by János Ferencsik

** 1657 – the proof that the new ‘violoncello’ was gaining ground on the established ‘viola da gamba’ was shown in a letter dated “Lucca, 1st October 1657”, in which appeared this phrase:
“The instrumental music is much better than I expected. The organ and violin they are masters of, but the bass viol they have not at all in use, and to supply its place they have the bass violin with four strings, and use it as we do the bass viol”

** 1724 – birth of Giovanni Battista Cirri (Forli, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) d.1808
cellist, orchestral principal cello, organist, composer & director of music

** 1783 – the Crown Prince ‘Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia’ writes to Luigi Boccherini in Madrid thanking him for sending the six string quartets Op.33 (he encourages Boccherini to write more works for him and sends a gift)

** 1860 – birth of Paul Prill (Berlin) d.1930
cellist, orchestra principal cello (Bilse Orchestra) & conductor

** 1869 – Cello playing received a fresh impulse in Berlin, by the opening of The Royal High School for ‘executive’ music; Joachim was the director, and Jules de Swert was invited to become the first specialist cello professor there. Wilhem Müller succeeded de Swert in 1873, but it was from 1876 and the arrival of Robert Hausmann that very notable results were achieved.

** 1879 – on this day Karl Ebner was appointed violoncellist in the court chapel at Munich

** 1904 – Lucie Hulst was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1919 – birth of Kenneth Heath (England)
cellist, chamber musician, member London Symphony Orchestra, founder-member of the Academy of St. Maerin-in-the-Field. A noted ‘continuo’ player.

** 1924 – the name of cellist Philip Robert Abas {occasionally spelt Abbas} may not be widely known today but before, during and after World War I he was certainly well considered a ‘big’ name. The ‘The Escanaba Daily Press’ even referred to him in its issue of October 1, 1924 as “one of the three great cellists of the world”!

** 1929 – Arturo Bonucci was cello soloist in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op 33, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1930 – Felix Salmond gave a recital in the London Wigmore Hall

** 1931 – Thelma Reiss (formerly Reiss Smith) performs the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms (and again in 1936) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Henry Wood (Queen’s Hall, London)

** 1936 – Gregor Piatigorsky started out on this date to what could almost be described as a world tour. He began in Genoa, Italy, and then going on to Sumatra, Java, Celebes, Borneo, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Honolulu.

** 1946 – first performance of Usko Meriläinen – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
(Tampere, Finland)

** 1960 – Gregor Piatigorsky was reunited with old friends from the Budapest String Quartet for a series of concerts (starting on this date) at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Together they performed the sextets of Brahms and Tchaikovsky, the C Major Quintet of Schubert and several Boccherini quintets.

** 1962 – birth of Fred Lonberg-Holm (Delaware, USA)
cellist (jazz & free improvisation, rock, pop) & composer

** 1987 – In the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th of this month, cellist Antonio Meneses performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Sanderling), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1988 – on the 29th and 30th of September, plus the 1st and 5th October, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1866 – in Stuttgart, at a Hofkonzert Chamber Concert, the Suite for Two Cellos, Op.16, by David Popper was featured in the programme. However, there is some doubt here, as there is no indication of performers, and more importantly, other sources give the composition date as December 1876. It seems that in November 1879 an alternative fifth movement finale was newly composed for the work. So, the mystery remains….

** 1878 – Friedrich Monhaupt was engaged on this day as solo violoncellist at the court theatre at Cassels

** 1883 – birth of Louis Rosoor (Tourcoing, France) d.1969
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician, teacher & concert organizer

** 1889 – birth of Cornelius van Vliet (Rotterdam, Holland) d.1963
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician

** 1896 – cellist Anton Hekking (1856 -1935) is recorded as entering of the Stern Conservatory as a cello teacher (and notes show he was employed there until 1st September 1899)

** 1900 – birth of Kazimierz Wiłkomirski (Moscow) d.1995
cellist, chamber musician, composer & conductor

** 1904 – Dutch cellist Kato van der Hoeven began studying cello at the Stern Conservatory (she first learned the piano and violin as a child before switching to the cello)

** 1911 – cellist Joseph/Josef Werner (1837 – 1922) decided he had enough of his teaching obligations, and was relieved of his duties at his own request!

** 1911 – birth of Kômei Abe (Hiroshima, Japan) d.2006
composer, teacher, conductor, cellist and clarinetist. As a composer he specialized in string quartets (some 15 examples), and his opus also includes 2 symphonies, and a cello concerto which was premiered in 1942. Between 1948 and 1954 he was conductor of the Imperial Orchestra.

** 1917 – Kato van der Hoeven‘s membership in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra ended on September 1st, 1917. Incredibly, after that, the cellist’s trace is lost. “Zonder beroep” (no occupation) was even noted in The Hague’s death register.

** 1946 – a nice and amazing story today! Cellist Lazlo Varga was supposed to be joining the prominent Léner String Quartet in Switzerland on THIS very day in 1946 for rehearsals prior to a major concert tour that was to start in November. Unfortunately, he had great difficulty obtaining the necessary papers, such as a passport and Russian exit visas, finally obtaining the documents not on today’s date but only nine days before the first advertised concert in Switzerland! He eventually met up with the Quartet in Lausanne, and after seven days of really intense rehearsals, they played 27 concerts in Switzerland in 35 days – on top of that, they had to work up at least thirty different quartets because the cities were so close together that they couldn’t repeat the same programme in neighbouring cities!

** 1952 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Elgar – Cello Concerto, Op.85. Concert in Edinburgh, conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1958 – Erling Blöndal Bengtsson was cello soloist in William Walton – Cello Concerto, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1962 – Master classes at USC:
Gregor Piatigorsky and Jascha Heifetz began today a long association with the University of Southern California, teaching master classes at a point when both were slowing down their performing careers. Piatigorsky enjoyed teaching and had a philosophy that encouraged individuality among his students. He had taught in the nineteen-twenties (at the Russian and Klindworth-Scharwenka conservatories in Berlin) and in the forties (at Curtis and Tanglewood).

** 1963 – Brahms Double at the Bowl:
The New York Philharmonic made a rare appearance at the Hollywood Bowl with Leonard Bernstein conducting an all-Brahms programme featuring Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky performing the Brahms Double Concerto in A minor.

** 1964 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Lucerne (Kunsthaus, Luzern), with cellist Pierre Fournier played as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

** 1983 – birth of Natalia Maria Przybysz {also known as N’Talia and Natu} (Warsaw)
singer and songwriter, cellist and bass-guitarist

** 1984 – first performance of Kalevi Aho – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
(Helsinki)

** 1707 – birth of Michel Corrette (Rouen, Normandy, France) d.1795
composer, organist, violinist, cellist & musical textbook author

** 1808 – birth of Auguste Joseph Franchomme (Lille, France) d.1884
cellist, composer and pedagogue
Auguste Joseph Franchomme was a renowned French cellist and composer who was a central figure in 19th-century Parisian music. He was a close friend and frequent performing partner of Frédéric Chopin, who dedicated his final composition, the Sonata for Piano and Cello, to him. As a performer, he advanced the “French” bowing technique, and as a composer, he wrote many cello works, including the well-known Twelve Caprices, Op. 7. 

** 1845 – in a letter from St. Petersburg to Moscow of April 10, 1845, Matwey Wialgohorsky recommended Alfredo Piatti to Alexander Verstovsky (a successful opera and vaudeville composer) and wrote about the purity and tenderness of the cellist’s enchanting playing. Piatti dedicated his Fantasia on an Original Theme to Matwey Wialgohorsky, as did other cellist-composers other pieces, including Romberg and Servais!

** 1864 – birth of Clara Lachmann (Copenhagen, Denmark) d.1920
a Danish-Swedish art patron and benefactor. She married Jacob Lachmann, who owned a sugar refinery in Ystad, Sweden. Clara Lachmann was interested in art and music, could play the cello herself, and helped make Ystad a music centre.

** 1890 – Belgium cellist Cornélis Liégeois was the cellist in the premiere on this day of the quartet of Cesar Franck

** 1910 – birth of Maurice Bialkin d.2004
Maurice Bialkin studied at Juilliard from 1933-36. Later studies were with Percy Such. He made his NY debut in Town Hall, 1938 as the winner of the 1937 Naumburg Cello Competition. He was the first cellist with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and also played in the Galimir Quartet, Phoenix Quartet and Tameo Quartet. In addition, he performed in Broadway shows, including “Pippin,” “Two by Two” and “They’re Playing Our Song,” among many others. Mr. Bialkin was also cellist on the “Show of Shows,” and the Ed Sullivan, Jack Parr and Johnny Carson shows.

** 1940 – on this day cellist Ennio Bolognini became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. . When America entered the Second World War the following year, he wanted to serve his adopted country as a fighter pilot, but at 48, he was too old. Undeterred, he performed and conducted for the United Services Organizations (USO) – and even wrote a few patriotic compositions. However, he also remained proud of his South American identity – it was said that he carried a small Argentinian flag in his pocket for the rest of his life!

** 1947 – birth of Jaap ter Linden Rotterdam, Holland)
cellist, viol player and conductor (specializes in performance of baroque and classical music on authentic instruments

** 1953 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (15th March), Iserlohn (9th April) and  Krefeld (10th April), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1960 – on this day, cellist Janos Starker made a live recording of Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in Cologne, with the Rundfunk.Sinfonie-Irchester conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1964 – on the 10th April, 1964, Pau {Pablo} Casals conducted his own oratorio ‘El Pessebre’ in Budapest, where he is reunited with his friend and composer Zoltán Kodály. At about this time he was appointed an honorary member of the Vienna Academy of Music.

** 1975 – cellist Zara Nelsova performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (10th and 12th February), and Den Haag (11th April), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1992 – Iannis Xenakis completes the work for cello and piano ‘Paille in the Wind’ on this day, first performed eight months later in Milan {see entries for 14 December}

** 1993 – birth of Stéphanie Tétreault (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
cellist. Chosen as the first ever Soloist-in-Residence of the Orchestre Métropolitai.

** 1999 – The English Northern Sinfonia performed at the Leeds Town Hall (England) with soloists Raphael Wallfisch (cello) and Howard Breakspear (viola) in Strauss – Don Quixote, conducted by Dietfried Bernet

** 1829 – birth of George Calkin (London)
cellist, member of the Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Italian Opera Orchestra; singing teacher, conductor, and composer of organ pieces

** 1876 – birth of Angelo Peracchio (Turin, Italy)
cellist, member Royal Theatre Orchestra of Turin, principal cello of Theatre Bellacourt at Lyons, professor of cello and chamber music at Conservatoire of St. Etienne (France); arranger of pieces for cello

** 1947 – first complete performance of Villa-Lobos – Bachianas Brasileiras no.5 for soprano and eight cellos
(Paris)

** 1949 – Paul Tortelier was cello soloist in Richard Strauss – Don Quixote, Op 35, with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1963 – Famed as a principal orchestral cellist, Samuel Mayes performed as invited soloist on this day alongside Joseph Silverstein in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Erich Leinsdoef. This live performance was recorded for posterity….

** 1998 – David Geringas was cello soloist in Sofia Gubaidulina – Und: Das Fest Ist In Vollem Gang {UK premiere}, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Tadaaki Otaka {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1786 – birth of Friedrich Müller (Orlamünde, Sachsen-Altenburg, Germany)
cellist, court orchestra member, conductor, clarinettist & composer

** 1876 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Jules de Swert was cello soloist in his own Cello Concerto (No.1). Orchestral works of Gade, Fuchs and Mendelssohn were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: ?

** 1890 – first performance of Arthur Foote – Romance and Scherzo for cello and piano, Op.22
(New York)

** 1901 – William Henry Squire finished writing his Bourree, Op.24, on this day, and dedicated it to Joseph Hollmann. It was personally important to him in that it marked Squire’s return to his ‘main’ publisher Augener after experiments with other editors (Boosey, Ascherberg and Bosworth)

** 1925 – cellist Alwin Schroeder performed J.S. Bach (music from the Solo Suites 1, 3, 5 and 6) at the Jordan Hall. With this recital Schroeder marked the 50th anniversary of his solo debut as a cellist (in Berlin, 1875).
It was reviewed:
“There followed a suite by Bach, made up by Mr Schroeder from three of Bach’s suites. It included the Prelude and Allemande from the suite in G major, the Sarabande and Bourree from the one in C major and a Gigue in D major. Seldom has music for cello alone sounded more convincing. Unlike some of his younger fellow cellists, Mr Schroeder does not conceive Bach as full of large sound. His quiet playing at once a relief and a joy and the eloquence of the Sarabande, the gentle exuberance of the Bourree, brought forth much applause.”

** 1925 – birth of Amaryllis Marie-Louise Fleming (Switzerland) d.1999
cellist & teacher

** 1934 – Pau Casals was cello soloist in Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129, in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, with The Reid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey. He also performed J.S. Bach – Solo Cello Suite No.5 in C minor in the same concert.

** 1936 – Gaspar Cassadó gave his New York debut on 10th December, 1936, performing Haydn’s Concerto in D Major with John Barbirolli and the New York Philharmonic. Two days later, he was to appear again with the same orchestra

** 1937 – cellist Gregor Piatigorsky had wonderful memories of Bela Bartok, playing with him on this day.
Many years later, when Piatigorsky was asked what his favourite recital was, his answer came without hesitation: “the one with Bartók” in Budapest.
“In the afternoon we went through the programme, which consisted of the E Minor Brahms Sonata, Beethoven’s Sonata in C Major, the D Major Cello Suite by Bach, the Sonata by Debussy, and the Rhapsody by Bartók. It was wonderful to play and to be with him”.
(reproduced from ‘Gregor Piatigorsky, Cellist’  – 1965)

** 1945 – in a concert at the National Gallery of London, Maurice Gendron (cello), Peter Pears (tenor) and Britten (piano) gave a joint recital, performing Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata and Faure’s Second Sonata. Gendron had made his London debut only eight days previously.

** 1950 – birth of Steven Doane (USA)
cellist, recitalist, chamber musician & professor

** 1958 – An orchestra of 32 violoncelli of the Violoncello Society of New York gave a concert at New York Town Hall, featuring, and conducted by, Heitor Villa-Lobos: his Bachianas Brasileiras numbers 1 and 5 (with soprano soloist Phyllis Curtin in No.5), Bach Preludes and Fugues transcribed by Villa-Lobos (American premieres in these versions), and the world premiere of his Fantasia Concertante for 32 cellos

** 1960 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129 and in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (7th, 8th and 10th December), conducted by George Szell

** 1970 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Frank Martin – Cello Concerto. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th December), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1981 – birth of Thomas Rann (Adelaide, Australia)
Cellist

** 1985 – birth of Grace Chatto (London)
British electronic-pop singer and cellist.

** 1993 – an orchestral concert was given by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London) titled ‘Peter and the Wolf Gala Concert’ featuring Steven Isserlis (cello), conducted by Mark Elder

** 1702 – birth of Jean-Pierre Guignon {Giovanni Pietro Ghignone} (Turin, Italy) d.1774 violinist, but previously a cellist!

** 1764 – sometime in 1763, Carlo Graziani travelled to London to serve as principal cellist of the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, which was under the baton of fellow Italian Felice de Giardini at that time. It is known that Graziani performed in three benefit concerts during the following year, 1764. Scholar Valerie Walden notes that the first two concerts took place on 10th February and 1st March and the third on 22nd May. Also – around this time, Graziani seems to have married, for he is later documented in Frankfurt am Main giving concerts during September 1770 alongside his wife who was a singer!

** 1792 – birth of Johann Hindle (Vienna)
cellist, but achieved more fame on the double bass

** 1866 – at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert David Popper performed the Andante from the Cello Concerto, Op. 45 of Molique and his own Maskenballscenen. Op.3. The main work on the programme was Volkmann: Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op.44.

** 1887 – birth of Yuri Bilstin (Odessa, Ukraine) d.1947
Cellist and composer. Author of virtuoso cello material, such as Variations Diaboliques in D minor (Etude de haute virtuosité sur un thème du XVI tm Siècle). These Variations are a supplement to the author’s “Méthode psycho-physiologique d’enseignement musical” and intended as study exercises to increase technical virtuosity.

** 1892 – at a Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra Concert conducted by Sándor Erkel, the Popper: Requiem for three cellos and orchestra, Op.66 was programmed featuring the three cello soloists David Popper, Sigmund Bürger and Friedrich Grützmacher (the younger). Volkmann’s Serenade for cello obligato and strings was also heard, but it is not known which of the cellists performed it!

** 1903 – Danish cellist Agga Fritsche travelled to Helsinki with her father, and on February 10, 1903, she played a cello concerto from Saint-Saëns in one of the popular concerts.

** 1907 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23 (and also two very small pieces). Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1912 – on this date the premiere was heard of Louis Vierne’s Cello Sonata in B minor, Op.27 by Fernand Pollain (cello) and Marguerite Long (piano) at the Salle Pleyel, Société Nationale de Musique, Paris. The music, written in 1910, was dedicated to Pau {Pablo} Casals, and first published in 1911.

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (7th and 10th February), conducted by Karl Muck

** 1925 – for his Boston farewell recital at Symphony Hall (he planned to spend the following seasons in Europe), Pau Casals may have played an abridged version of the fifth suite, because only four movements (Prelude, Sarabande, Bourree, and Gigue) are mentioned specifically.
This from the Boston Globe:
“’Cellist Stirs Crowd With Bach Suite … To hear Casals play Bach’s Suite in C minor without accompaniment was to have accorded one of the greatest pleasures of the present season. Here in a great work a great artist reached his apogee.”

** 1929 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Walter Pfeiffer, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Minor by Edouard Lalo, with soloist Willem Durieux, cello

** 1932 – birth of Illarion Cheishvili (Moscow) d. 2012
cellist and professor

** 1952 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (23rd and 24th January, and 10th February), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1956 – first performance of Peter Mennin – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
soloist Leonard Rose with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Jean Morel (New York)

** 1972 – cellist Zara Nelsova performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Walton – Cello Concerto. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th February), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1990 – Andres Bak (cello) and Aleksander Mikolajczyk (double bass), both principal players of the Basque National Orchestra, gave a joint recital in the Juan March Foundation in Madrid, featuring duos by Mozart, Boccherini and Rossini.

** 1998 – on the 5th, 6th, 7th and 10th of this month, cellist Carter Brey performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Previn), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1760 – birth of Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (Sachsenflur, Lauda-Königshofen, Germany) d.1802
cellist, court band musician, conductor & composer especially of cello music

** 1825 – birth of Wulf Christian Julius Fries (Duchy of Holstein)
cellist, orchestra principal cello {based Norway-USA}

** 1866 – on this day the Belgium cellist Elisa Detry made her debut at The Hague, and also afterwards in Paris, with great success on both occasions. However, after marriage she retired from public life…

** 1887 – Victor Herbert was soloist in his own Cello Concerto No.1 at a Theodore Thomas matinee concert for young people. However, that same evening – and at very short notice – he played the concerto again at the New York Philharmonic Society.

** 1889 – in the Concerthaus-Conventgarten, Hamburg (Germany), an orchestral subscription concert conducted by Hans von Bülow featured the soloists Joseph Joachim (violin) and Robert Hausmann (cello).

** 1894 – cellist Anton Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Lalo – Cello Concerto, Popper – Papillon and Schumann – Träumeri. Three concerts, in Arnhem (8th January), Den Haag (10th January) and Amsterdam (11th January) conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1902 – in January 1902 Belgian-born sisters Fernande and (cellist) Jeanne Kufferath went on a concert tour through the Netherlands – on today’s date they performed in Haarlem.
The programme included solo compositions for the violoncello by J.S. Bach, Svendsen and Popper; the sisters played works by Marcello, Handel and Boccherini together.

** 1908 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed on this day, and the following day, a programme that included the Cello Concerto in C Major, Op.20, by D’Albert – the featured soloist was May Mukle.

** 1909 – birth of Rudolf Kubín (Ostrava, Czech) d.1973
cellist, composer and conductor.

** 1919 – Pau Casals begins a three-week tour of Mexico. The first concert on this date he performed in Mexico City with its Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Josep Rocabruna.

** 1930 – in the Saal Bechstein (Berlin) a programme titled “Cello-Abend” was given by Maurice Maréchal.

** 1948 – birth of Mischa Maisky (Riga, Latvia)
cellist

** 1967 – first performance of Karen Surenovich Khachaturian – Cello Sonata
(Moscow)

1976 – cellist Valentin Potapov recorded Valentin Silvestrov’s Symphony for cello and chamber orchestra “Meditation” (written in 1972) with the Kiev Chamber Orchestra, with an important harpsichord part performed by Valeriy Matyukhin.
Valentin Silvestrov (b.1937) is a Ukrainian composer now based in Germany

** 1978 – first performance of Lejaren Hiller – Sonata for cello and piano
(Rome)

** 1978 – birth of Sagi Hartov (Haifa, Israel)
a British-Israeli cellist. Cellist of The London Mozart Trio. The founder of the Ernest Bloch Classical Music Competition. Executive dean and managing director at the London College of Contemporary Arts, and managing director of the Berlin School of Business and Innovation.

** 1981 – on the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 13th of this month, Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1982 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Evelyn Elsing, with Nelita True /piano

** 1986 – an extended version of the film ‘Fort Saganne’ was premiered on 10th January 1986 as a TV premiere a film about the French civilization in the desert (the original was released on 11th May, 1984). A French peasant serving the Foreign Legion in North Africa must confront his comrades in arms over their social differences, over a woman and his longing to be considered a hero. He catches the eye of Madeline, the daughter of the regional administrator. He leads a gallant defense against Sultan Omar, is awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and marries Madeline. Then the Great War puts at risk his success and happiness.
A beautiful screen music score begins with a heartbreaking cello solo, which gives life to a melody full of feeling and affliction, but also romanticism. The composer alternates, henceforth, martial court music with dramatic themes, especially a requiem of singular delicacy. The music was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring Xavier Gagnepain as cello soloist.

** 1989 – a Reid Chamber Concert took place on today’s date at Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh) featuring George Kennaway – cello and Alan Cuckston – piano. The imaginative programme consisted of Kurt Weill – Cello Sonata (1920) and Poulenc – Cello Sonata (1948).

** 1991 – on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Dutoit), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – a performance and live recording for Spanish National Radio of Salvador Brotons Soler – Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.19 (1978)
Lluis Claret /cello and Alberto Giménez Attenelle/piano (Auditorio Nacional de la Música, Madrid)

** 1993 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Nancy Green, with Frederick Moyer /piano

 ** 1997 – premiere of Agustí Charles i Soler’s Cello Concerto (written in 1995), with cello soloist Lluís Claret (also the dedicatee) and the Orquesta Nacional de de España (Spanish National Orchestra) conducted by Arturo Tamayo. The performance took place at the Auditorio Nacional, Madrid, and the work was commissioned by the orchestra.

** 1820 – birth of Louis Antoine Vidal (Rouen, France)
cellist & literary writer on the cello

** 1895 – birth of Carl Orff (Munich, Germany)
composer … and in his formative years (5+) he studied piano, organ and cello, and started composing (songs etc. while still at primary school!)

** 1902 – solo Belgium cellist Jean Gérardy started a new concert tour of Australia on this day. He gave 6 performances each in Melbourne and Sydney, one in Bendigo and three in Brisbane. A proposed tour of Tasmania did not finally come off. However, many of these concerts received rather poor entrances.

** 1927 – Pau Casals was given the title of ‘Adoptive Son’ (“hijo predilecto”) of El Vendrell (Tarragona, Catalonia) – he was given as a ceremony gift a special olive wood conductor baton!

** 1958 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals (cello) played in a live performance that was recorded of Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 and Beethoven: 7 Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen”, for Cello and Piano, WoO 46

** 1962- on this day cellist Janos Starker recorded (in London) Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati. He had already recorded the previous day Lalo – Cello Concerto in D minor and Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor!

** 1990 – birth of Javier Huerto Gimeno (Valencia, Spain)
cellist and conductor. He also studied piano, percussion and French horn. As cellist, he won first prize in Janáček Competition in Brno, and has been principal cellist in Weimar (Stellv. Solo-Cello en la Staatskapelle). As a conductor, he regularly collaborates with the Staatskapelle Weimar, Gödngen Symphonieorchester, Jenaer Philharmonie, Thüringen Philharmonie, AnhalSsche Philharmonie Dessau, Philharmonisches Orchester Landestheater Coburg, Philharmonie Hradec Králové and Landesjugendorchester Schleswig-Holstein, among others. Since 2023, he is the Principal Conductor of the Gödngen Musikfreunde Orchestra.

** 1796 – In the Madrid Gazette dated June 10th, 1796, there appeared an announcement to the “selling a cello concerto of Pablo Vidal”, which if it had reached us today it would have been the first cello concerto composed by a Spanish author; but of which unfortunately we do not have any copy.

** 1896 – the “Lady William Lennox’s Ladies’ Amateur Orchestra” gave a concert at 40 Prince’s Gate, London, with invited soloists ‘Senor Guetary’ and ‘Madame Alexa’ (vocal), ‘Senor Rubio’ (cello) and Miss Juxon-Jones (violin), conducted by Lady William Lennox

** 1904 – birth of Henri Honegger (Switerland) d.1992
cellist, Bach solo suites specialist, recital musician

** 1940 – a London National Gallery Concert featured Norina Semino (cello) with Winifred Smith (violin), Winifred Allan (viola), and Myra Hess (piano)

** 1941 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording (and probably all in one day!) of Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, in Paris, with the Lamoureux Orchestra conducted by Eugène Bigot

** 1976 – first performance of Valentin Silvestrov – Meditation for cello and chamber orchestra
(Kiev)

** 1794 – birth of Olive-Charlier Vaslin (Montreuil-Bellay, France) d.1889
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor

** 1817 – English cellist Robert Lindley took part in a concert of a piano quartet by Dussek with Cipriano Potter, Weichsel and Watts; then in a string trio by Romberg with the last two named.

** 1881 – an extensive chamber music programme was presented at the Cambridge University Musical Society – two string quartets (Beethoven, String Quartet in F major, Op.35 and Brahms, String Quartet in A minor, Op.51/2) were performed by the quartet of Messrs Joachim, Gompertz, Ludwig and Robert Hausmann. Joachim also performed Beethoven – Violin Sonata in G major, Op.26, and a solo by Brahms, whilst Hausmann interpreted Schumann – Märchenbilder for Cello and Piano, Op.113 (probably in the version of Grützmacher). Miss Arnold was the pianist.

** 1894 – after the premiere of Victor Herbert – Cello Concerto No.2, Op.30 the previous day the critic of the New York Times writing on this day certainly seemed very “anti-cello”!! Maybe this damning report even hindered the acceptance of the concerto in soloists’ repertoire during the following decades? His words included:
“The composition of concertos for the violoncello is not compulsory, nor will any man be assaulted with violent language if he declines to play them. But when a man is a composer by natural gifts, and a ‘cello player by choice, he will write concertos for his favorite instrument, and it is not possible to prevent him from doing so. But it does seem that the exercise of a little resolution and gentle force might prevent a man from playing them in public. The ‘cello itself protests loudly against being sawed to make a virtuoso’s holiday. But, unfortunately, arpeggios, chromatics, seventh positions, harmonics, and double-stopping are possible to the player of this instrument, and he has no mercy. It does not seem to concern him that in rapid passages the low strings bark and the high strings squeak, that chords are suggestive of explosions and chromatic descending scales in the upper strata of the first string of the wailing of wandering spirits by the River Styx. He will write a concerto or perish in the attempt; and he usually does both”

** 1903 – a nice review on today’s date for a recent Robert Hausmann recital, that appeared in the ‘Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser’:
“Beethoven’s sonata in A, for piano and ’cello, is one of the finest works extant for that particular combination, and both Mr. Mayer and Mr. Robert Hausmann, who is a professor of the ’cello at Berlin, gave to the performance a character which only mutual sympathy and understanding can supply. In tone and style, Mr. Hausmann’s playing resembles Mr. Fuchs’s, and he may well be content with the comparison. … The two performers again distinguished themselves [in Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style], the balance of tone being correctly maintained, while the precision with which the rapid passages were rendered stood out conspicuously. … In Brahms’s sonata in F, op. 99, the two executants had no easy task, but to players of their calibre this was not a matter of concern.”

** 1903 – at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (England) featured soloists were Miss Münchoff (vocal) and Mr Hausmann (cello).

** 1908 – at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (England) featured soloists were Miss Elena Gerhardt (vocal) and Senor Pablo Casals (cello).

** 1913 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (9th March) and Rotterdam (10th March), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1947 – birth of Frederick Zlotkin (Los Angeles, U.S.A.) d.2022
Cellist. He came from the talented Slatkin family – he was one of the sons of the violinist Felix Slatkin and the cellist Eleanor Aller. His brother is the conductor Leonard Slatkin (who adopted the original Russian form of the family name).
For virtually half a century (1972-2021) he was the principal cellist with the New York City Ballet. Among his recordings was a very individual set of the Bach Cello Suites, with interesting decorations in the repeated sections. Cellist of the Nova Trio. A respected pedagogue, Zlotkin taught in various institutions around New York, including at the Manhattan School of Music, Queens College, the Hoff-Barthelson Music School, and the Brooklyn College of Music. He served as president of the Violoncello Society (VCS) Inc. of New York during a couple of years.

** 1951 – birth of Lluis Claret (Andorra la Vella, Andorra)
Solo cellist. At 13 he moved to Spain (Barcelona). He is a founding member of the Trio de Barcelona. Recital duos with the pianists Josep-Maria Colom and Benedicte Palko.
Cello Professor and Co-Chair of Strings at the New England Conservatory (Boston). Cello Faculty at the Liceu Conservatory (Barcelona). A regularly invited jury member for international competitions, such as the Rostropovitch Competition of Paris, the Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, Finland, the International Pablo Casals Competition in Kronberg, Germany, and the Adam Cello Competition in Auckland, New Zealand.

** 1953 – birth of Mary Ingersoll (Philadelphia, Pennsilvania, U.S.A.) d.2005
Actress ….and cellist!
She studied cello at Boston University, and graduated in Communications from Stanford University. She then stepped into television as a news reporter and anchor at KGGM and KOB in Albuquerque, New Mexico and KTTV in Los Angeles, California from 1981-1985 before turning to acting. She then pursued acting whilst not forgetting at all the cello whilst studying it generally on her own, and appeared in several TV, stage and movie productions, usually playing strong professional roles. Curiously, she was also an accomplished quilter!

** 1955 – cellist Antonio Janigro performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th March), and Dan Haag (12th March) conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1971 – birth of Igor Zubkovsky (born Russia)
cellist {based U.S.A.}. Gold medallist of the 1962 International Tchaikovsky Cello Competition in Moscow.

** 1974 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Michael Haran, with Alexander Fiorillo /piano

** 1979 – Lluis Claret, on his birthday, performed for the first time in his career the Lutoslawski Cello Concerto, with the composer conducting!

** 1983 – cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th March), and Rotterdam (12th March), conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas

** 1999 – in just two solid days of recordings (this day and the previous day) Ukrainian cellist Wladislaw Warenberg and pianist Sara Crombach were able to record an extraordinary amount of material; music of Saint-Saëns, Granados, Fauré, Gershwin, Bruch, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Francoeur, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Rimsky Korsakov, in two full CDs reorded in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. All these performances came together with the well-used title “The Romantic Cello”

** 1681 – records on this day show a certification of baptism for Giorgio Antoniotto (Giorgio Antoniotto d’Adurni), in the church of S. Matthia della Moneta, Italy. He was noted as being both a violinist and cellist, and who was the author of a musical treatise, ‘L’arte armonica’, and as an early composer of music for violoncello.
Being a Spanish sympathizer against the Austrians in the War of the Spanish Succession, he was forced to flee Italy and entered the Spanish service where he was engaged many times but happily never wounded. Leaving the Spanish service, he taught in the arts at Geneva, frequenting the courts of Europe at Vienna, Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon. At Paris, presumably as the result of yet another duel, he suffered an injury to his hand with a sword. As a consequence of this injury, he gave up the violin in favour of playing the violoncello.

** 1765 – on this day cellist Giovanni Battista Cirri played a solo at a benefit concert for “Miss and Master Mozart”. (probably in London?)

** 1793 – the ‘Mr Harrison’s Annual Benefit Concert’ given at the Willis’s Rooms (London), was a two-part concert of solo and ensemble vocal music by British composers, with orchestral overtures at the beginning of each half and a symphony by Haydn at the end of the performance. Also heard was a string quintet by Pleyel and solo concertos given by special the invited guests Franz Cramer (violin) and Robert Lindley (cello).

** 1818 – birth of František Hegenbarth (Kerhartice, Gersdorf, Czech) d.1887
cellist (orchestra), chamber musician & professor
A most important teacher; his students included Otakar Berger, Hanuš Wihan, Mořic Blodek, Josef Kompit, Heinrich Grünfeld and the cellist/composer Wilhelm Jeral (1861-1935).  In 1869 František Hegenbarth published 18 Exercises for the Violoncello. Hans Wihan succeeded his teacher as professor of cello at the Prague Conservatory in 1888.

** 1844 – birth of Rosa Suck (Pest, Budapest) d.1921
woman cellist of note

** 1857 – birth of François Arnouts (Antwerp, Belgium) d.1882
cellist, teacher in the Conservatoire of Port Louis, Isle of Mauritius

** 1904 – birth of Frieda Belinfante (Amsterdam, Holland) d.1995
cellist, conductor, human rights and active anti-Nazi resistance member

** 1905 – birth of Etienne Pasquier (France) d.1997
cellist, chamber musician
Imprisoned at Stalag VIII by the Nazis, he performed in the 1941 premiere of fellow prisoner Olivier Messaiaen’s ‘Quatuor pour la fin du temps’.

** 1919 – first performance of Villa-Lobos – Cello Concerto No.1
soloist – ?, composer conducting (Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro)

** 1931 – Adele Clement, French cellist, tried to include more contemporary cello works as her career progressed; up to such a point that on this day the publication “Comoedia” emphasized:
“Ms. Adèle Clément, she only wants contemporary names on her programme!” 

** 1941 – birth of Károly Garam (Eger, Hungary)
cellist

** 1950 – Guilhermina Suggia wrote a last letter to Pablo Casals, on May 10, 1950, reproduced here:
“Cher Ami, I write you with emotion, and I hope you won’t refuse me, but it concerns your Festival at Prades. I so want to hear you and see you again that I’ve arranged with a good friend to bring me to France […] I would not wish to die without hearing you, cher maitre, and seeing you again. I have been quite sick lately and although I feel somewhat better at the moment, I doubt that I will be able to continue my career for much longer. […] I remain your devoted admirer. Do you remember the little 11-year-old girl who went to Espinho to take lessons with you? Au revoir, j’espere.”
Casals response was so disappointing to say the very least – in fact, he couldn’t be bothered to reply, despite she having been her sentimental partner during seven years. It was left to Dr. René Puig, who ran the Prades festival office, to answer her letter apologizing for his friend, who – he assured her – was too busy to reply himself but very moved by her words.
This was definitely the last contact between the two; Guilhermina gave her last ever concert on the 30th of this month, and she passed away barely two months later.

** 1955 – Paul Gross (1898-1985) a German composer, completed a Cello Concerto in 1955, and the last movement was documented as being finished on 10th May.

** 1956 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) and Nina Musinian (Piano) record Andaluza (Danzas Españolas Op.37/5) by Enrique Granados

** 1968 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Hindemith Cello Concerto, with Jean Martinon, conductor (May 9th and 10th)

** 1968 – Pierre Penassov/cello and Carles Santos/piano gave the premiere of Josep María Mestres Quadreny – ‘Tres Peces per violoncel i piano’
Salón de Tinell, Barcelona

** 1973 – in the Kennedy Centre (Washington, U.S.A.), a solo recital (the second of two in spring of that year) of music of J.S. Bach was given by cello soloist Thomas Igloi, marking his American debuts.

** 1974 – cellist Mstislav Rostropovich gave his last concert on Russian soil before leaving the U.S.S.R.

** 1983 – Richard Talkowsky/cello and Ludovica Mosca/piano performed Jesús Rodríguez Picó – Fantasia for cello and piano (1982) [note: this ten minute work received the First Prize at “Concurso de Jóvenes Compositores de Juventudes Musicales de Barcelona, 1982”]
Galería Maeght, Barcelona, Catalonia

** 1984 – on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of May, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1989 – birth of Václav Petr (Prague, Czech Republic)
cellist, orchestral principal and chamber musician. Regular concerto soloist performances throughout the Czech Republic. A member of the Josef Suk Piano Quartet since 2009. In October 2013 he became concertmaster (= principal cello) of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at just 24 years of age, making him one of the youngest concertmasters in the history of the Czech Philharmonic.

** 1996 – release date of epic debut CD “Plays Metallica by Four Cellos” by the Finnish cello rockers ‘Apocalyptica’

** 1997 – on the 8th, 9th and 10th of this month, cellist Truls Mork performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Welser-Möst), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1998 – from the 8th till the 10th May, 1998, cellist Maria Kliegel was immersed in recordings of the music of Eduoard Lalo; his Cello Concerto in D minor (1887), the Sonata for Cello and Piano (1856) and the Chants Russes again for cello and piano, taking place between Budapest and Sandhausen.

** 1732 – birth of François Cupis de Renoussard (Brussels) d.1808
cellist, composer and music educator (‘Le Cadet’)

** 1834 – birth of Charles Lüstner (Breslau, Germany) d.1897
cellist, member of Kur-Orchestra at Wiesbaden, teacher of cello and piano, a contributor to Riemann’s Dictionary of Music {end of life based in New York}

** 1850 – birth of Anton Lang (Carlsbad, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello (“Kammer virtuoso”) of the grand ducal chapel at Schwerin, member Bayreuth Orchestra

** 1881 – at a Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra concert conducted by Carl Reinecke, David Popper performed his own ‘Im Walde’ Suite for Cello and Orchestra, Op.50; and an Adagio of Boccherini, and Popper – Elfentanz Op.39

** 1891 – on an English tour cellist David Popper performed part of his Cello Concerto in C Major at the Crystal Palace concerts (London)

** 1894 – cellist Josefine Donat (b.1867 Vienna) took part in the world premiere of Kitty von Escherich’s Romance for violoncello and piano in the Bösendorfer Hall in Vienna.

** 1898 – the premiere took place on this day in Leipzig of the Carl Reinecke String Serenade in G minor, Op.242, with the Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Arthur Nikisch. This nearly half-an-hour work is cast in six movements, but easily the amplest of them is a beautiful ‘Cavatine’ which almost continually features the orchestral principal cello!

** 1900 – on this date the premiere was heard of Joseph Jongen’s Cello Concerto in D Major, Op.18, in Darmstadt, Germany. The music was composed six months previously, and dedicated to Jean Gérardy, but not published for a further ten years when it underwent a revision before arriving in its final form.

** 1905 – Alwin Schroeder had a major impact in putting the Dvorak Cello Concerto (Op.104) ‘on the map’ in the United States; however, when later other Boston Symphony Orchestra principal cellists took up the work they had much lesser success. One such case was Heinrich Warnke, whose 1905 Carnegie Hall performance of the concerto provoked this comment from critic Henry E. Krehbiel in the New York Tribune, on 10th November, 1905:
“Slips of intonation…call for little comment. It is so difficult to play high up (or down) on the ‘cello’s fingerboard that an expression of Dr. Johnson’s pious wish, “Would to God, it were impossible!” always seems justified.” 

** 1917 – first performance of Fauré – Cello Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.109
Gérard Hekking/cello and Alfred Cortot/piano (Paris – Societé Nationale de Musique). The music was dedicated to Louis Hasselmans (1878–1957).

** 1920 – Felix Salmond gave a performance of the Elgar – Cello Concerto, with Elgar himself conducting the Birmingham Municipal Orchestra. It was an all-Elgar programmme; the Concerto was framed by Falstaff and the Second Symphony

** 1941 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed Bloch – Schelomo, with the National Orchestral Association, conducted by Leon Barzin

** 1943 – first performance of Bax – Legend-Sonata in F# minor for cello and piano
(Wigmore Hall, London)

** 1951 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (9th November) and Den Haag (10th November), conducted by Jean Fournet

** 1962 – at the Town Hall, Leeds (England) the Boyd Neel Orchestra (conducted by Lionel Bentley/Raymond Leppard) performed with Paul Tortelier as cello soloist.

** 1963 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Gordon Epperson, with Anne Koscielny /piano

** 1974 – in a concert at the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, Rohan de Saram (cello) and Michael Hill (piano) performed Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60….

** 1975 – First performance of Francis Routh – Sonata No.1 for Cello and Piano, Op.31, by Christopher Bunting (cello) and the composer on piano
(Wurzburg, Höchschule, Germany)

** 1976 – Lluis Claret /cello made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Gaspar Cassadó – Requiebros for Cello and Piano (pub.1931). On the same programme he performed Julio Garreta Arboix – Sonata for cello and piano in F Major (a work dedicated to Pau Casals)
Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Catalonia

** 1987 – on the 5th, 6th, 7th and 24th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1990 – Release date (premiere screened in London) of the film “Truly Madly Deeply”
directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman and Jenny Howe.
A woman dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost. The actor Alan Rickman ‘plays’ solo Bach on the cello in the opening credits (from 3.15). In the film Rickman plays the ghost of a dead musician alongside Juliet Stevenson’s grieving character.

** 1991 – on the 8th, 9th and 10th November, 1991, cellist Maria Kliegel recorded both Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor and Dvorak – Concerto in B minor, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, conducted by Michael Halász

** 1992 – Fred Sherry, cello and Charles Wuorinen, piano record Elliot Carter – Sonata for Cello and Piano (1948)

** 1845 – birth of Anton Jörgen Andersen (Kristiansand, Norway) d.1926
composer, cellist & teacher

** 1850 – on this day in 1850 Robert Schumann started work on his Cello Concerto in A Minor (to become Opus 129) shortly after Schumann became the music director at Düsseldorf. The initial lay-out was completed in only two weeks

** 1882 – Alwin Schroeder performed Molique – Cello Concerto in D Major with the Gewandhaus Orchestra to amazing reviews (such as …“beautiful tone, brilliant technique and very tasteful playing”).

** 1891 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Patey (vocal) and David Popper (cello).

** 1910 – After graduating, Leopold Rostropovich (father of Mstislav) – still just 18 – gave several successful performances, including one in Moscow on October 10, 1910, and another in Warsaw on November 20, where he played works like Boëllmann’s Symphonic Variations. Critics highlighted his “full, noble tone”, “passionate temperament” and “outstanding technical skill.” These performances solidified his reputation as a rising star in the cello world.

** 1922 – birth of Reine Flachot (Santa Fé, Argentina) d.1998
cellist & pedagogue {based France}

** 1948 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (25th September^^), Breda (27th October) and Rotterdam (27th October), conducted by Heins Jordan (^^) and Eduard van Beinum

** 1962 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Sinfonia Concertante. Three concerts, in Rotterdam (9th October) and Amsterdam (10th and 11th October), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1964 – Florence Hooton/cello and Wolfred Parry/piano performed Roberto Gerhard – Sonata for cello and piano (1956) in a BBC radio broadcast.

** 1965 – Mstislav Rostropovich performed in Manchester for the first time in his career, choosing the Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kondrashin.

** 1965 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Sinfonia Concertante. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Anton Kersjes

** 1966 – Danish cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson made a live performance recording of György LIGETI’s Cello Concerto (1966) on this day, for Danish Radio Studio 1.

** 1971 – Peter Racine Fricker completes his ‘A Bourree’ for solo cello (F137A)
(for Sir Arthur Bliss on his eightieth birthday)

** 1971 – First performance of Francis Routh – Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.21, by Christopher Bunting (recording for BBC Radio 3)

** 1971 – birth of Ewen Thomson (Fair Island, Shetlands, Scotland)
luthier specializing in violins, violas and cellos, the youngest ever student to be accepted onto the Newark School of Violin Making (Great Britain).

** 1972 – birth of Ben {Benedict} Rogerson (Chichester, England) {grandson of famed cellist Haydn Rogerson}
cellist, orchestral player, guest principal cello, chamber musician, a national youth orchestral cello tutor (Ireland) and professor

** 1978 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording Boellmann -Symphonic Variations, Op.23, and Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in the London Abbey Road Studios, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier (the other recording day was the previous day)

** 1983 – Danish cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson made a live performance recording of Luciano Berio “Ritorno degli snovidenia” for cello and thirty instruments (1976-1977), on Danish Radio Studio 1

** 1776 – birth of Nicola Tacchinardi (Livorno, Italy)
cellist, member of the chapel of the Duke of Tuscany, singer, teacher…and painter

** 1825 – birth of Heinrich Mollenhauer (Erfurt, Germany)
cellist (originally violinist), member Royal Band of Stockholm, recitalist, founder of music school {based in U.S.A.}

** 1842 – birth of Carl Wilhelm Oskar (Oscar) Eberle (Crossen an der Oder, Holland) d.1901 {father of cellist Oscar Eberle}
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & teacher

** 1855 – birth of Jules Ciriadès (Namur, Belgium)
cellist & violinist, professor at Charleroi Conservatoire, and Namur Conservatoire

** 1867 – David Popper participated in a chamber music concert in Löwenberg. Apart from the main chamber work, the Mendelssohn Piano Trio No.1 in D minor (mvts. 1 and 2), Op. 49 (with the trio of Auer, Popper, Willmer), the programme consisted of many shorter pieces for all three instrumentalists. It is known that Popper performed:
Popper – Andante [Sarabande] and Gavotte, Op. 10, Molique – Andante from the Cello Concerto, Op. 45, Popper: Warum and Papillon, Op. 3, and Schubert/Popper – Du bist die Ruch

** 1873 – birth of Vladimir Dubinsky (Harkoff, Russia) d.1938
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician {based USA}

** 1878 – birth of David Millar Craig (Scotland) d. 1965
the BBC’s first Controller for Scotland, a regular cello player in Edinburgh, writer of analytical notes for Scottish orchestral concerts in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He published translations of songs and choruses from German, some of these were for BBC performances; he also wrote libretti for ballet, as well as biographical sketches of concert celebrities.

** 1897 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Chansonette {Proms premiere} and David Popper – Tarantella, Op 33 {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}.
Chansonnette, Op. 22, from 1896, is of particular historical significance as an enigmatic tribute to Dvořák and his new Cello Concerto, Op. 104 soon after this Concerto was first performed with the Philharmonic Society and cellist Leo Stern on 19th March 1896. The miniature of W.H. Squire pays homage to Dvořak’s larger work in its use of two melody fragments taken from the second subject of the first movement. It is dedicated to ‘A.D.’, almost surely standing cryptically for Antonin Dvořak! W.H. Squire played Chansonnette three times in all at the Promenade Concerts, including for his second appearance there on this day in 1897.

** 1906 – birth of Bertus van Lier (Utrecht) d.1972
composer and cellist

** 1947 – Haydn Rogerson was cello soloist, along with Laurance Turner/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron. This was an amazingly long programme: Brahms – Serenade No.1, Brahms – Double Concerto, Brahms Symphony No.4 – interval – William Schuman – Piano Concerto (first performance in England, with soloist Iris Loveridge) and finishing with Weber – Der Freischütz Overture {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1949 – birth of Charles Medlam (England)
An English conductor and cellist. He co-founded London Baroque with Ingrid Seifert in 1978. As well as ensemble work, Medlam has begun to popularize and record the solo gamba music.

** 1956 – Miloš Sádlo first played the third version of Martinu’s first cello concerto on 6th March 1956 in Helsinki, accompanied by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Paavo Berglund conducting. He much later gave Martinů an account of this performance – in a letter dated 10th September 1956:
“As I have written to you, in March I played your concerto, the new version, in Helsinki. Unfortunately, the concert was given no publicity since there was a nationwide general strike! I think that the audience liked the concerto though, albeit performing your piece was rather a tough nut to crack for an orchestra who are not used to similar rhythmic problems. As you know, their national bard Sibelius doesn’t present such problems to them.”
Miloš Sádlo would subsequently perform Martinů’s first cello concerto many more times!

** 1968 – birth of Will Hayes (Manhattan, NY.)
cellist, orchestral musician and collaborator in pop-rock-folk projects, and teacher; a real all-rounder – he has been a certified public school music educator, guest clinician, math and language arts tutor, youth orchestra conductor, Suzuki teaching specialist and private lesson teacher

** 1977 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Concert in Sint-Niklass, Belgium, conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1984 – first performance of Colin Matthews – Concerto for Cello No.1
(London)

** 1984 – on the 10th September (in Singapore), cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in a tour of the orchestra.

** 1995 – Natalia Gutman performed the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms
with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Neemi Jarvi

** 1775 – birth of Charles François Dumoncheau (France) d.31st Dec or 1st Jan 1820/21
piano virtuoso, but also cellist. Composer

** 1786 – birth of Johann Friedrich Kelz (Berlin) d.1862
cellist, royal chamber musician in Berlin, prolific composer of at least 280 works for the cello (unfortunately none survive)

** 1831 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed, with second cellist Brooks and the double bassist Dragonetti, the 11th sonata of Corelli.

** 1836 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed, with second cellist Lucas and the double bassist Dragonetti, a sonata of Corelli.

** 1874 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Noriny, Herr Noriny and the Swedish Ladies’ Quartette with Madame Norman-Neruda (violin), ‘Signor Piatti’ (cello) and Charles Hallé (piano).

** 1885 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Hughes-Paltzer and Signor Marini (vocal) with Adolph Fischer (cello).

** 1891 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) a Violin and Cello Recital by Willy Hess and Hugo Becker took place, with contributions from Miss Marie Fillunger (vocal) and Mr Leonard Borwick (piano), accompanied by Theodor Frantzen.

** 1891 – the premiere took place in Prague of Dvorak’s “Dumky Trio” in E minor, Op.90 (B166), with Ferdinand Lachner, cellist Hanus Wihan, and Antonin Dvorak himself on piano. Its inclusion is certainly warranted here for the melodic importance of the cello part!

** 1896 – after the London world premiere of Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, the same soloist Leo Stern almost surely also gave the second performance of the work on this day in 1896, and later in the year repeating the work again in London

** 1899 – after a solo concert by cellist Flavie van den Hende, the ‘Elmira Daily Gazette and Free Press’ wrote:
“The ’cello on which Miss Van Den Hende played was the instrument of a master. It was a rare old ’cello and she obtained beautiful, full, strong tones – especially strong for a woman. Her bowing was excellent”
For those interested, she owned a cello made by Giovanni Paolo Maggini

** 1906 – birth of José Trotta Millán (Barcelona) d.1979
cellist, principal cellist of the Pau Casals Orchestra and ‘concertmaster’ of the Municipal Orchestra of his city (in which he succeeded Lluís Millet) and later of the City of Barcelona Orchestra

** 1959 – on this day cellist Antonio Janigro finished recording Strauss – Don Quixote, in Chicago, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner (with Milton Preves as viola soloist)

** 1964 – birth of Johann Sebastian Paetsch (Colorado Springs, USA)
cellist, orchestral principal, chamber music artist and cello arranger.  Since 1992 Paetsch has served as principal cello of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland. He also was a founder member of the piano trio ‘Trio Ceresio’.
He is a daring arranger, transcribing repertoire that no-one else has dared! – examples include the Franz Liszt – Piano Sonata in B minor (arranged in 2013) and of J.S. Bach the Toccata and Fugue BWV 565, the Chromatic Fantasia BWV 903 and the Chaconne from Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 (all in 2015).
His father, Günther Paetsch who was also a professional cellist.

** 1965 – premiere of Björn Johansson’s Cello Concerto (composed during 1962-1964), with cellist Guido Vecchi and the Symfonikerna, conducted by B. Leskovic, in Gotenburg, Sweden.

** 1975 – cellist Zara Nelsova performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (10th and 12th February), and Den Haag (11th April), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1978 – on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Jochum), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – cellist Antonio Meneses performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.2, Op.126. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (11th April), and Den Haag (12th April), conducted by Herbert Blomstedt

** Birthday greetings – Barbara Hedlund North-American cellist, orchestra principal cello, soloist and professor

** 1835 – birth of Alessandro Pezze (Milan, Italy) d.1914
cellist, orchestra and opera principal cello & professor {based Italy-England}

** 1872 – birth of Paul Ludwig (Bonn, Germany)
cellist, regular appearances at the Saturday and Monday Popular Concerts (St. James’s Hall, London), examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music.

** 1917 – birth of Samuel H. Mayes (St. Louis, Missouri, USA) d.1990
cellist, orchestra principal cello & professor

** 1977 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Salzburg Festival concert, cellist Leonard Rose was invited soloist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104. Conductor: Gerd Albrecht / Large Festival Hall, Salzburg, Austria

** 1982 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Salzburg Festival concert, cellist Yo-Yo Ma was invited soloist in Haydn – Cello Concerto in C major. Conductor: Seiji Ozawa / Large Festival Hall, Salzburg, Austria

** 1834 – back to the year 1824 and cellist Nicolaus Kraft had the misfortune to badly hurt the fore-finger of his right hand in tuning his instrument; in spite of many attempts during a long period to cure the injury he finally had to abandon his public career and retire on a pension on 11th December 1834.

** 1869 – Soloist David Popper gave another performance of Volkmann – Concerto for cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 33, this time with the Orchester der Wiener Singakademie in Vienna.

** 1899 – the three Vidal Puig sisters (Francesca on cello, Júlia on violin, and Mercè on piano) gave their first major performance as a trio in Barcelona, which took place at the Sala Estela on December 11th, 1899, in a concert organized by the Barcelona Philharmonic Society. They performed trios of Beethoven and Saint-Saens. Francesca and Mercè also presented the Grieg Sonata in A minor for cello and piano. ‘La Vanguardia’ newspaper of December 17th said:
“Las señoritas Mercedes, Júlia and Francisca Vidal, appeared before the public for the first time, to perform a whole concert. They came out of the difficult test not only well spared, but extraordinarily applauded.”

** 1899 – birth of Benar Heifetz (Mogilev, Russia) d.1974
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician {based USA}
After studying in Russia and Germany and an early professional career in Europe, he took the opportunity of playing as principal cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy in 1939. In 1943 he moved to the N.B.C. Symphony Orchestra under Toscanini.
However, the bulk of Heifetz’s career was that of a remarkable chamber musician, having premiered some of the most important works of the century. As a member of the Kolisch Quartet, he performed in the premieres of string quartets by Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Ernst Krenek, Béla Bartók, Darius Milhaud, Paul Amadeus Pisk, Karol Rathaus, Rudolf Réti, Bohuslav Martinů, Leo Weiner, Alexandre Tansman and played in 1936 / 1937 all four of Schoenberg string quartets in Los Angeles. He also performed in piano quartets and quintets, the world premiere of Anton Webern’s String Trio op.20 in 1928 (with Kolisch and Lehner), which the three musicians subsequently included in their repertoire, and also at a multitude of performances of Schönberg’s “Pierrot lunaire” from 1928 to 1930 in Vienna, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Cologne and London, etc.
A sought-after teacher, Heifetz taught at Temple University in Philadelphia, the Aspen Festival, Indiana University and the Manhattan School of Music.

** 1925 – Alwin Schroeder‘s later approach to programming solo Bach suites seems to have reverted back to earlier practices of bygone years: on his 50th anniversary recital in Jordan Hall, Boston, 1925, the Boston Globe wrote on this day that he performed:
“a suite by Bach, made up by Mr Schroeder from three of Bach’s suites. It included the Prelude and Allemande from the suite in G major, the Sarabande and Bourree from the one in C major and a Gigue in D major. Seldom has music for cello alone sounded more convincing.”
Indeed, other reviews confirm that Schroeder either did not play a courante, or that it was not included in the written programme

** 1955 – accompanied by Marta Montañez, Pau Casals visited Puerto Rico for the first time, his mother’s homeland

** 1955 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Analee Camp, with Lionel Nowak /piano

** 1959 – birth of Dominique de Williencourt (Lille, France)
A French composer, but a high-level cellist by training. He was appointed President of the Association “Pour que l’Esprit Vive” from 2006 to 2015,

** 1963 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Prokofiev – Sinfonia Concertante, Op.125. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (11th, 12th and 14th December), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1971 – Daniel Barenboim (piano) and Jacqueline du Pré (cello) finish recording Chopin – Cello Sonata & Franck – Sonata in A Major
(Abbey Road, London)

** 1976 – Anna Shuttleworth performed as soloist in Edmund Rubbra – Soliloquy, Op.57, with the Newbury String Players conducted by Christopher Finzi at Hungerford Parish Church (England).

** 1979 – on the 6th, 7th and 11th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Levine), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1980 – on the 11th, 12th and 13th and 16th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1993 – José María Mañero/cello and Gerardo López Laguna/piano performed Carlos Villasol – ‘Un no sé qué que se halla por ventura’ para cello and piano, in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid

** 1996 – François Moncierro/cello and Albert Nieto/piano performed Roberto Gerhard – Sonata for cello and piano (1956) in the Foundation ‘Juan March’, Madrid, recorded live by Spanish National Radio.

** 1839 – birth of Karl Lübbe (Halberstadt, Germany) d.1888
cellist, orchestra principal cello &composer

** 1850 – birth of Joseph Sulzer (Vienna) d.1926
cellist solo cellist at the Italian Opera and teacher at the conservatoire at Bucarest, principal cello Imperial Opera Orchestra Vienna, member Hellmesberger Quartet; composer & arranger of cello music

** 1880 – birth of Walter Ferner (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) d.1952
cellist, orchestra principal cello of San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & chamber musician (cellist in the Persinger Quartet)

** 1883 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Reinhard (Reinhold) Hummer was cello soloist in the Eckert – Cello Concerto. Orchestral works of Beethoven, Bruckner and Spohr were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1896 – in a concert at St. James’s Hall, London the “Mr Bispham’s Third Concert of the Winter Season” entitled ‘Modern Music of Various Schools’ special solo artists were Miss Fanny Davies (piano) and Signor Piatti (cello).

** 1904 – cellist Elsa Ruegger performed as soloist in THREE concertos in one sole concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

** 1905 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Hugo Becker

** 1947 – William Pleeth (cello) and Margaret Good (piano) performed in St. Peter’s Church, Belsize Park, London in a programme including Rubbra – Cello Sonata, Op.60

** 1951 – Leonard Rose made a marvellous live recording of the cello solo from Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 (featuring piano soloist Myra Hess, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter). With such a reputation Rose was shortly afterwards to leave the orchestra and devote himself to a solo and teaching career.

** 1954 – the Oxford Subscription Concerts presented the Oxford Orchestral Society with soloist Amaryllis Fleming (cello).

** 1959 – on this day cellist Henri Honegger finished recording all 6 Suites of J.S. Bach, in Copenhagen (probably completed in just two days!)

** 1964 – birth of Hans Huyssen (Pretoria, South Africa)
cellist and composer (including a cello and piano sonata)

** 1969 – on this day cellist Janos Starker recorded Peter Mennon – Cello Concerto, Op.135, with the Louisville Orchestra conducted by Jorge Mester

** 1976 – cellist Ulla Rönnborg gave the premiere of Erik Højsgaard’s Concerto for cello and orchestra (written in 1975, revised 1976-1978), in Aarhus Kongreshus, Denmark, during the Young Nordic Music Festival, with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jorma Panula.

** 1986 – on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th of this month, cellist Matt Haimovitz performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a solo recital was given by cellist Anner Bylsma

** 1755 – birth of Frederick Rousseau (France)
cellist, opera orchestra cello, composer and founder of music school

** 1894 – cellist Anton Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Lalo – Cello Concerto, Popper – Papillon and Schumann – Träumeri. Three concerts, in Arnhem (8th January), Den Haag (10th January^^) and Amsterdam (11th January) conducted by Willem Kes and Richard Hol (^^)

** 1896 – cellist/composer Stefano Giarda received lavish praise in the newspaper ‘La Nazione’ of Florence (Italy):
“The beautiful concerto began with the Beethoven Trio Op. 11 performed by Oswald, Pente and Giarda. All admirable. Then Davidoff’s Concerto in A minor for cello, full of enormous difficulties that Giarda managed to overcome with admirable serenity and sure intonation. In Popper’s brilliant Tarantella, Giarda showed the perfect school of bow that he possesses. Three works for Giarda’s string quartet were also performed: Romanza, Minueto and Allegro, in which the composer achieved spontaneity, inspiration and very good taste. A great success”

** 1900 – the success of the concert of cellist Francesca Vidal Puig and her sisters performing piano trios in Barcelona in December 1899 was such that they were almost immediately invited to play again, on January 11th, 1900 by the same concert society. On this new occasion they interpreted the Sonata in A Major for cello and piano by Beethoven, and trios by Schumann (D minor) and Mendelssohn.

** 1904 – The Grimson Quartet with special guest artists Mademoiselle Sandra Droucker (piano), Percy Such (cello) and Agnes Witting (mezzo-soprano) performed at the ‘Monday Popular Concerts’ (promoted by Johann Kruse). The programme included the first London performance of Glazunov – Variations in F sharp minor for solo piano.

** 1908 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed on this day, and the previous day, a programme that included the Cello Concerto in C Major, Op.20, by D’Albert – the featured soloist was May Mukle.

** 1919 – first performance of Delius – Cello Sonata
Beatrice Harrison/cello and  ?/piano (London)

** 1925 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, a recital was offered by Francesco von Mendelssohn (cello)

** 1927 – birth of Hans Erik Deckert (Hamburg, Germany) d.2022
German-Danish cellist, professor (teaching at various Scandinavian conservatories from 1960 to 1989), music score editor.  He was the founder and president of the Danish section of the European String Teachers Association (ESTA), initiator of the Cello Academy and member of the orchestra of the Royal Opera Copenhagen. Guest professor at the Music Therapy Institute in the Witten-Herdecke Univesity in Germany.

** 1928 – in the Queen’s Hall (London) an ‘Insurance Orchestral Society of London’ concert took place with soloists Flora Woodman and Thorpe Bates (vocal) and Harold Triggs (cello)

** 1932 – premiere of Hans Chemin-Petit’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (written 1931), at the Stadttheater, Magdeburg, Germany. Hans Chemin-Petit (1902-1981) was a German composer.

** 1937 – first British performance of Alan Bush – Concert Piece, Op.17
Norina Semino/cello and composer at piano (Mercury Theatre, London)

** 1941 – birth of Vladimír Bokes (Bratislava, Slovakia)
cellist, composer and teacher

** 1948 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Alexander Hilsberg, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIIb:2, by Franz Joseph Haydn, with soloist Samuel Mayes, cello

** 1981 – birth of Ciro Hernandez (La Orotava, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain)
cellist, chamber musician (member Tellelit Duo) & professor

** 1983 – first performance of Penderecki – Cello Concerto No.2
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich (Berlin)

** 1983 – on the 6th, 7th and 11th of this month, cellist Roman Jablonski performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Lutoslawski & Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Dutoit), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schnittke – Cello Concerto No.3. Concert in Amsterdam (conducted by the soloist?)

** 1999 – cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, then 47, who had performed with the world’s major orchestras, on this date released “Jackie’s Song” (Philips Music Group) – his personal tribute to Jacqueline du Pre. It was first performed in the same month (January 1999) at London’s Wigmore Hall. The piece was, in fact, a protest at what he perceived as bad treatment of Jacqueline du Pre’s memory in the film “Hillary and Jackie”

** 1763 – birth of Franz Theodor Florian Schubert (Neudorf, north Morovia, Czech Republic) d.1830
A well-respected schoolmaster, father of the famous composer Franz Schubert, and an amateur cello player – it was he who gave the young boy the basics of violin playing!

** 1841 – birth of Daniël de Lange (Rotterdam, Holland) d.1918
composer, choral conductor, pianist, organist, teacher, music critic ….and cellist!

** 1868 – birth of Fritz Philipp (Mayence, Germany)
cellist, principal cello in the Court Theatre Orchestra at Mannheim

** 1878 – this day featured the debut concert of Eduard Rosenblum in Vienna – he trained as a cellist at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna between 1876 and 1879, where he had Karl Udel and Reinhold Hummer as teachers and his brother Arnold also studied.

** 1889 – 16-year old English cellist Maud Fletcher performed in a sextet of Brahms on this day with students from the Royal College of Music, London; the specialist musical press were quite strict on the performance:
“The performance […]  was, considering its formidable difficulties, highly creditable, and in the case of the first two movements, wholly excellent. The Scherzo was taken much too slowly – it would indeed be wonderful had it been otherwise – and the final Rondo was somewhat lacking in smoothness and precision” (MusW 1889, p. 477).

** 1892 – birth of Giorgio Federico Ghedini  (Cuneo, Italy) d.1965
composer and cellist

** 1921 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 in Prague on this day. Orchestral works of Berlioz, Dvorak and R. Strauss were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

 ** 1943 – in 1924 former orchestral principal cellist Rudolf Krasselt had become General Music Director at the Staatsoper Hannover and at the beginning of the new season 1924/1925 Opera Director and in 1934 Opera Director. At the instigation of the Nazi regime, he went into (early) retirement on 11th July 1943. In the final phase of the Second World War, Hitler accepted him into the Gottbegnadeten list of the most important conductors in August 1944, which saved Krasselt from a war mission, also on the Heimatfront.

** 1958 – a recital at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod (Wales) was given by Paul Tortelier (cello), accompanied by Ivor Newton.

** 1965 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Zoltán Kodály – Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, featuring the cellist Leslie Parnas, with Jaime Laredo, Violin
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1973 – in a concert in the Concert Hall, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, Gretchen Miller was cellist in Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60

** 1986 – first complete Irish performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber – Variations
soloist – David Johnstone, with The Rubato Dance Company (Edmund Burke Hall, Dublin)

** 1768 – cellist Christoph Schetky (born in 1740 in Darmstadt, Germany) left his home town for good in 1768. He went to Hamburg, where he appeared six times on the concert platform; the first one on today’s date, 11th June I 768, and up to October of that year. Then in 1870, he moved on to London where he made the acquaintance, and obtained the patronage of, Johann Christian Bach.

** 1791 – the cellist Menel performed in a quartet by Haydn at Mme Mara’s benefit concert (London).

** 1854 – birth of Bernhard Thieme (Altenburg, Germany) d.1890
cellist, orchestra principal cello

** 1889 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) the last of a series of three chamber concerts took place featuring Josef Ludwig (violin) and W.E. Whitehouse (cello).

** 1890 – in the London Bechstein Hall there took place a ‘Miss Fanny Davies’s’ Grand Morning Concert, being a single-act performance of vocal and piano music by Robert and Clara Schumann … solo items were also performed, featuring the artists:
Herr Straus (violin), Signor Piatti (cello) and Fraulein Fillunger (vocal)

** 1892 – in the special series of eleven concerts “Adelina Patti Concerts”, given at the Royal Albert Hall, London (all of which involved the famous vocalist Adelina Patti) the performance on this day included guests Madame Amy Sherwin, Madame Patey, Mr Ben Davies, Mr Charles Chilley and Mr Santley (vocal) with Madame Marguerite de Pachmann (piano) and Master Jean Gerardy (cello), and the conducted by Signor Arditi.

** 1942 – birth of Krzysztof Sperski (Krakow, Poland)
cellist, chamber musician, professor, pedagogue, academic teacher

** 1953 – in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Vienna Festival Weeks’ on 11th and 14th June this month, cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky performed as prominent orchestral soloists in R. Strauss – ‘Die Frau ohne Schatten’, Op.65.  Conductor: Karl Böhm / Musikverein, Large Hall, Vienna

** 1961 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert in the ‘Vienna Festival Weeks’, Emanuel Brabec was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: Zubin Mehta / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1964 – birth of Matthias Lorenz (Bernsheim, Germany)
cellist, contemporary music specialist

** 1965 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, as cellist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto, Op.56. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Anton Kersjes

** 1976 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished the recordings in Paris of Lalo – Cello Concerto in D minor and the Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor, with the Orchestra National de l’Opera de Monte-Carlo, conducted by Josif Conta (probably all recorded in just two days, the other recording day being the previous day)

** 1987 – André Bak/cello and Rosalina Caballín/piano performed Patxi Larrañaga – Sonata for cello and piano, in a performance recorded by Spanish National Radio
Ciudadela Sala de Armas, Pamplona, Navarre, Spain

** 1753 – birth of Pierre-François Levasseur {‘the older’} (Abbeville, France) d. c1815-1820 {not related to Jean-Henri Levasseur}
cellist, theatre/opera orchestra

** 1822 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed with his son, and the double bassist Dragonetti on this day (in London)

** 1867 – first performance of the Verdi opera “Don Carlo” on this day, in Paris – there is an important principal cello solo in this work.

** 1881 – birth of Ladislav Zelenka (Modřany, Czech) d.1957
cellist, chamber musician & teacher

** 1900 – cello recital in London by Mr W.H. Squire (cello) and Herr Georg Liebling (piano)

** 1911- cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129 and Röntgen – Cello Concerto. Two concerts, in Den Haag (11th March) and Amsterdam (12th March) and conducted by Willem Mengelberg, with the composer conducting his own composition.

** 1911 – birth of Howard Mitchell (Lyons, Nebraska, U.S.A.) d.1988
An American cellist and conductor. Mitchell joined the National Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist in 1933. In addition to playing with the NSO, Mitchell made his conducting debut with the ensemble in 1941, becoming the orchestra’s music director in 1949, working with them continuously up to 1969. He had a reputation that so few conductors anywhere have equalled as regards to his extraordinary commitment to community outreach and education – he devised study guides, allowing teachers who were not themselves musicians to be able to incorporate music into their classroom settings.

** 1913 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Eugène Ysaye & Jean Gérardy with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stransky

** 1916 – a New Reid Concert took place on today’s date at the Freemasons’ Hall (Edinburgh). The names of the performers were Miss Helen Anderton – singer, Mr Horace Fellowes – violin, Miss Emily Buchanan – viola and Mrs Alexander Maitland – continuo. However, what specially interests the cello world is that the list was completed by Rodolphe Soiron – cello, and he was to give a performance of Debussy – Sonata for violoncello and pianoforte – surely one of the FIRST renditions in all history, and although there is no obvious proof this may well have been a British (or at a minimum Scottish!) premiere. The other composers on the programme were Donald Tovey, Brahms and 3 Scarlatti sonatas (these last probably for the first time too in public!)

** 1918 – the Royal Philharmonic Society at the Queen’s Hall (London) gave a performance featuring the soloist Beatrice Harrison (cello).

** 1920 – birth of Calo Scott (Camaguey, Cuba) d.1998
a Cuban-American jazz cellist, he was one of the earliest competent jazz cellists.

** 1929 – birth of Kermit Moore (Akron. Ohio, USA) d.2013
cellist, conductor, composer, teacher, and mentor

** 1930 – cellist Gregor Piatigorsky performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Den Haag (8th March), Amsterdam (9th March) and Haarlem (11th March) conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1931 – On 11th March 1931, Pau Casals’ mother, Pilar Defilló, dies in Sant Salvador.

** 1938 – Thirteen active musicians were expelled from the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic in 1938 (three additional musicians who were already in retirement also became victims of the holocaust).  The first large wave of expulsion of musicians from the State Opera started March 11-13th this year, and affected primarily prominent artists who, according to the National Socialistic racial doctrine, were considered Jewish, as was the case with the concertmaster and soloist Arnold Rosé and his colleague, principal cellist and soloist Siegfried Friedrich Buxbaum. For those who were not able to escape, things got much worse. Nine Philharmonic musicians were able to escape into exile in time. Arnold Rosé and Friedrich Buxbaum escaped to London, England. They were already advanced in years and despite having many advantageous contacts it was difficult for them to gain a foothold in the British musical scene.
Friedrich Buxbaum, who had held the exposed position of soloist and principal cellist, was expelled from the orchestral association immediately after Austria’s annexation to Nazi Germany, after THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS of service. The legitimacy of this decision was confirmed by State Opera director Erwin Kerber’s announcement of March 18th, 1938, informing the administration of the Bundestheater (Austrian Federal Theatres; BThV) that „nichtarischen Mitglieder des Solopersonals […] bis zum Einlangen höherer Weisungen im Spielplan nicht beschäftigt [werden]“3 [“until further orders are issued by higher authority, no non-Aryan soloist will be included in the repertoire”].

** 1955 – cellist Antonio Janigro performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th March), and Dan Haag (12th March) conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1958 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a broadcast performance of Boccherini – Cello Concerto in Bb Major (version Grützmacher) with the Symphonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks, conducted by Georg Solti

** 1962 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by the National Gallery Orchestra, with cellist Ana Drittelle as invited soloist, conducted by Richard Bales

** 1967 – birth of Jean-Guihen Queyras (Montreal, Quebec)
cellist

** 1979 – first performance of Malcolm Forsyth – Eight Duets for Young Cellists (1974)
cellists: Amanda Forsyth and Shauna Rolston (University of Alberta, Canada)

** 1979 – first performance of Jan Duchaň – Cello Concerto
soloist – Michaela Fukačová, with the Moravský komorní orchestr, conducted by Zbynek Mrkos (Besedni dum, Brno city, Czech Republic)

** 1988 – first performance of William Bolcom – Capriccio for cello and piano
(Library of Congress, Washington)

** 1998 – Suzana Stefanović performed the Richard Strauss – Romanze at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid – quite possibly a Spanish premiere of the work, for it was left for lost for many decades and only published as late as 1978. Originally conceived for cello and orchestra, she was accompanied on this occasion by the pianist Agustin Serrano

** 1821 – a two-part concert of predominantly eighteenth-century vocal music (in the style of the Concerts of Ancient Music), but with orchestral/instrumental items at the beginning of each part, was presented at the King’s Concert Rooms, Hanover Square, London. Franz Cramer and Robert Lindley performed the solo obbligato violin and cello parts.

** 1875 – birth of Paul Hahn (Reutlingen, Stuttgart, Germany) d. 1962
cellist & businessman {based Canada}

** 1898 – a ‘Grand Afternoon Concert’ was given at Stafford House’, London, on 11th May 1898, for the benefit of Charing Cross Hospital. This was a two-part orchestral concert of vocal and instrumental solos, with various recitations and musical sketches. Instrumental soloists included Johannes Wolff (violin), Master H. Vernon Warner (piano) and Mr W.H. Squire (cello).

** 1901 – solo Belgium cellist Jean Gérardy arrived in Sydney, Australia, on today’s date, aboard the RMS Ventura (he had journeyed from San Francisco). He took the train to Melbourne about a week later. Supposedly a holiday, Gérardy could not resist playing numerous concerts there – in fact, between 30th May and 18th July, he is documented as giving almost twenty performances set between Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney!

** 1912 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Lalo – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Cornelis Dopper

** 1945 – birth of Ross Pople (Auckland, New Zealand)
cellist, orchestra principal Bath/Menuhin Festival Orchestra (1969-75), principal cello BBC Symphony Orchestra (1976-86), conductor & artistic director London Festival Orchestra, artistic director of ‘The Warehouse’; professor

** 1958 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Hamburg (Musikhalle, Hamburg), with cellist Andre Navarra and violinist Christian Ferras featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102, in an all-Brahms programme. Conductor: Karl Böhm

** 1968 – Pedro Corostola/cello and Francisco Corostola/piano performed Rodolfo Halffter – Sonata for cello and piano, Op.26, recorded live by Spanish National Radio
Auditorio del Ministerio de Información y Turismo, Madrid

** 1969 – cellist Siegfried Palm performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Penderecki “Sonata”. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Edo de Waart

** 1970 – First performance of Francis Routh – Double Concerto for violin, violoncello and orchestra, Op.39, by Maria Lidka and Christopher Bunting (violin and cello soloists), with the London Mozart Players conducted by Andrzej Panufnik
South Bank, London

** 1977 – first performance of Rodrigo – Sonata a la Breve, for cello and piano, Xavier Monsalvatge – Microrapsòdia (A la memoria de Pau Casals): paráfrasis concertante (1976), and Joaquím Homs Oller – “In memoriam Pau Casals” for cello and piano, by Pedro Corostola/cello and Manuel Carra/piano, and the live concert recorded by Spanish National Radio.
(Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona) – pieces comissioned by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia through the Dirección General del Patrimonio Artístico y Cultural (Comisaría Nacional de la Música) to conmemorate the centenary of Pau Casals’ birth

** 1978 – birth of Perttu Päivö Kullervo Kivilaakso (Helsinki, Finland)
cellist (Apocalyptica)

** 1983 – Richard Talkowsky/cello and Ludovica Mosca/piano performed Jesús Rodríguez Picó – Fantasia for cello and piano (1982) [note: this ten-minute work received the First Prize at “Concurso de Jóvenes Compositores de Juventudes Musicales de Barcelona, 1982”]
Galería Maeght, Barcelona, Catalonia

** 1984 – on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of May, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1984 – release date (premiere), in France, of ‘Fort Saganne’ – a film about the French civilization in the desert. A French peasant serving the Foreign Legion in North Africa must confront his comrades in arms over their social differences, over a woman and his longing to be considered a hero. He catches the eye of Madeline, the daughter of the regional administrator. He leads a gallant defense against Sultan Omar, is awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and marries Madeline. Then the Great War puts at risk his success and happiness.
A beautiful screen music score begins with a heartbreaking cello solo, which gives life to a melody full of feeling and affliction, but also romanticism. The composer alternates, henceforth, martial court music with dramatic themes, especially a requiem of singular delicacy. The music was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring Xavier Gagnepain as cello soloist.
An extended version was premiered on 10th January 1986 as a TV premiere

** 1987 – André Bak/cello and Rosalina Caballín/piano performed Patxi Larrañaga – Sonata for cello and piano, in a performance recorded by Spanish National Radio
Escuela Superior de Canto, Madrid

** 1998 – Multi-cellos: New works for eight cellos are performed for the first time, in Beauvais:  Korót by Luciano Berio; Sonata à 8 by Betsy Jolas; and Neiges by Kaija Saariaho

** 1767 – birth of Bernhard Heinrich Romberg (Dinklafe, Germany) d.1841
cellist, composer and pedagogue

** 1830 – birth of Kanut Kündinger (Scandinavia)
cellist, member of The Royal Orchestra of Munich, cello professor

** 1888 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Reinhard (Reinhold) Hummer was cello soloist in Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Op.47. Orchestral works of Wagner, J.S. Bach and Beethoven also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1891 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) the first of three chamber music concerts featured Messrs Josef Ludwig (violin) and W. E. Whitehouse (cello).

** 1896 – a notable historical concert on this day: the Joachim Quartet (Joachim, Kruse, Wirth, Robert Hausmann on cello), with Moser on 2nd viola, and Hugo Dechert on 2nd violoncello. The programme included the Mozart Quartet D Major, No.10, Brahms – Sextet in G Major, Op.36, and Beethoven – Quartet in E minor, Op.59 (Sing-Akademie, Berlin)

** 1902 – birth of Haydn Rogerson (Southport, Lancashire, England) d. 1971
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician, recording artist, professor

** 1918 – on this date Paul de Maleingreau finished his Sonata and Cello and Piano in C Major, Op.15. It was first published the following year, and dedicated to Georges Pitsch.

** 1930 – Antonia Butler (cello) and Dora Labbette (vocal) gave a performance at the Palace Hotel for the Paddington Music Club (London).

** 1931 – birth of Leslie Parnas (St. Louis, Missouri,U.S.A.) d.2022
American classical cellist. Professor at the Boston University School of Music.

** 1935 – the ‘Courtauld-Sargent’ Concerts, given at the Queen’s Hall (London), invited Pau Casals as cello soloist – the first of two consecutive performances.

** 1935 – Harvey Shapiro was named a winner in the Walter W. Naumburg Competition in 1935, making his New York cello debut in NY Town Hall on November 11th, 1935, under the auspices of Naumburg.

** 1937 – first {British} performance of Bloch – Voice in the Dessert, version cello and piano
Luigi Gasparini/cello and Dr. Chisholm/piano (Glasgow)

** 1942 – first performance of Martinu – Variations on a theme of Rossini for cello and piano
Gregor Piarigorsky/cello (USA, Texas, Austin, Hogg Auditorium)

** 1946 – In October 1946, Friedrich Buxbaum, as well as other fellow musicians who had been dismissed from the Orchestra in Nazi times for their condition of being Jewish, received a letter from the Philharmonic, officially inviting him “to come back and join the members of the Vienna Philharmonic, and then return to the seat you were unlawfully driven away from a few years ago”.
In Buxbaum’s response, dated on this day, there was not the slightest sign of criticism; on the contrary, he was openly delighted, very responsive and showed some constructive interest in the Philharmonic’s offer to return to Vienna and resume his position with the orchestra:
“Dear friends, you can probably imagine what a joy it was for me to read your friendly and honouring invitation. Moreover, it caused me to get a greater sense of home and belonging. Still, the joy I feel is overshadowed by the news of the situation our lovely city of Vienna is currently dealing with. To work with this orchestra as long as humanly possible is a tempting task indeed, although it would be easier for me to make a decision if I had knowledge of the factual conditions concerning my position. I would therefore ask the Committee to provide further details regarding general living conditions, remuneration, accommodation and subsistence. I would be grateful if you could also tell me when exactly you wish for me to arrive. Personally, I would prefer spring of all seasons. With kind regards, S. Friedrich Buxbaum”

** 1949 – in a concert at RBA Galleries, London (RBA Concert Society) Amaryllis Fleming (cello) was invited soloist performing Edmund Rubbra – Soliloquy, Op.57, with the Alexandra Orchestra conducted by Denys Darlow

** 1953 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (8th and 11th November), conducted by Josef Krips

** 1956 – birth of Vedran Smailović {the “Cellist of Sarajevo”} (Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina)
cellist, conductor and composer {based Northern Ireland}

** 1962 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier recorded Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in the London Maida Vale Studios, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati

** 1973 – birth of Laura Ritchie (U.S.A.)
cellist and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Music at the University of Chichester, where she leads the Music with Teaching (Instrumental / Vocal), MA Performance Programmes, and cello weekends. She has published two books: ‘Fostering Self-efficacy in Higher Education Students’ and ‘California Dreaming’.

** 1989 – One morning in November, 1989, so the story goes, Mstislav Rostropovich heard on the radio from his Paris apartment about the crowds of demonstrators gathering in Berlin. He immediately persuaded a friend who owned a private jet to fly him to what had been the scene of so much fear, oppression and bloodshed. Arriving at the ominous ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ just two days after the Berlin wall fell, Rostropovich borrowed a chair from one of the guards and played – alongside these wall ruins extracts from Bach’s Solo Suites – the Sarabande in C minor and Bourrée in C major – for the many people spontaneously gathered. This was an outpouring of emotion in music as the wall dividing East and West Germany came tumbling down.

** 1859 – birth of Max Eisenberg (Brunswick, Germany)
cellist, principal cello of Laube Orchestra at Hamburg, principal cello in Helsingfors Philharmonic Orchestra and the “Konzerthaus” in Berlin, principal cello of the Philharmonic and Fiedler concerts, and teacher at the Hamburg Conservatoire

** 1886 – in Budapest David Popper‘s son Leo was born

** 1890 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were ‘Madame Valleria’ (vocal) and Julius Klengel (cello).

** 1896 – cellist Johan C. Hock (Jnr.) performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Servais – Fantasy and Variations on “Le Désir”, Op.4. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1898 – a new mention is made by composer Max Reger in a letter about his Second Sonata for cello and piano – stated that it was already finished. Almost no more details were given, except that the substantial work was set in G minor. It was soon published by the firm of Joseph Aibl of Munich (Reger had Richard Strauss to thank for that connection!). However, the work remained unperformed for several years. Finally, his close friends, the famous organist Karl Straube and solo cellist Friedrich Grützmacher, first performed it in April of 1901.
Reger had, in fact, dedicated it to the well-known German cellist and teacher Hugo Becker. According to Reger, Becker was willing to take on the project but eventually refused to play it, claiming the cello part “never fits harmonically with the piano.” Reger retorted in a letter that the cello harmonically fits the piano at every moment. So, what happened? Well, probably simply that his musical language was advanced and contained so many abrupt changes of harmony and modulations, that making sense of it was difficult even for professional cellists. However, Reger himself admitted that the piece would probably not be understood by most, and perhaps even be considered “offensive.”

** 1922 – Charles A (lfred) Crabbe was cello soloist in Ernest Bloch – Schelomo (First performance in England), with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (18th and 20th March, and 9th October (^^)), in Den Haag (11th October (^^)) and Rotterdam (15th October (^^)), conducted by Karl Muck and Pierre Monteux (^^)

** 1952 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra RWR radio concert, Emanuel Brabec performed as cello soloist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto in C Major, Op.56 (with piano – Felicitas Karrer and violin – Willi Boskovsky). The second half consisted of the Reger – Hiller Variations, Op.100.  Conductor: Volkmar Andreae / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1953 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist David Soyer, with Marcia Soyer /piano

** 1955 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35, with Fritz Reiner, conductor (6th, 7th and 11th April)

** 1962 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Sinfonia Concertante. Three concerts, in Rotterdam (9th October) and Amsterdam (10th and 11th October), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1971 – birth of Tanya Haden (New York)
American artist, cellist, and singer. She is one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden – she has been member or producer in Haden Triplets, Let’s Go Sailing, Los Angeles, Imaginary Bear.

** 1977 – first performance of Bernstein – Three Meditations from ‘Mass’ in version cello and orchestra
(Kennedy Center, Washington)

** 1855 – birth of Célestin Cros-Saint-Ange (France) d. 1919
cellist, chamber music (quartet) player & professor {later based Canada}

** 1856 – birth of Eugene Sandow (Berlin)
cellist, chamber musician to royal band

** 1865 – birth of Adolf Thomas (Berlin)
cellist, principal cello in the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and of the “Oper des Westens” (opera of the West End), member of National Theatre Orchestra of Norway, chamber musician and teacher in Eosenbach; composer of a few cello pieces

** 1890 – birth of John Wesley Woodward (West Bromwich, England) d.1912
a British cellist on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage – he died in the disaster

** 1890 – birth of Miklos Zsámboki (Hungary) d. 1961
cellist & professor

** 1908 – Upon Alwin Schroeder‘s return to the U.S.A. in 1908 from Frankfurt (where he had succeeded Hugo Becker at the Hoch Conservatory), he opened his first US recital of this new period with the Grieg sonata; the press release appearing in the ‘Musical Courier’ on this day heralded Schroeder as “the most loved musician who has played in America during the past quarter of a century…”

** 1909 – May Mukle was cello soloist in Victor Herbert – Concerto for Cello No. 2 in E minor, Op 30 {First performance in England with orchestra}, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1913 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist in Erno Dohnanyi – Concertstück for Cello in D major, Op 12, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1956 – Janos Starker was cello soloist in Sergei Prokofiev – Cello Concerto in E minor {Proms premiere}, with London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1958 – Paul Tortelier performs the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms (also performed the work there in 1960)
with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Sargent

** 1982 – first performance of Alfred Schnittke – Concerto grosso No.2 for violin, cello and orchestra
(Berlin)

** 1984 – Yo-Yo Ma was cello soloist in Dmitry Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No 1 in E flat major, with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1766 – birth of Joachim Josef Fuetsch (Salzburg, Austria)
cellist, ‘court cellist’ & composer

** 1787 – on this day the ‘Journal de Paris’ reported on a performance of cellist Emmanuel Guerin (just 11 years old) and his 10-year-old violinist brother performing a Symphony Concertante of Breval for solo violin and cello speaking in terms of “their astounding talent created quite a sensation and would have earned the same applause for grown up artists.”

** 1821 – birth of Carl Bergmann (Ebersbach, Germany) d.1876
cellist & conductor {later settled in the U.S.A.}

** 1868 – on this date the premiere was heard of Friedrich Gernsheim’s Cello Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.12, with Erneste DeMunck (cello) and the composer on piano, in Paris. The music was published the same year. His second sonata was written almost forty years later!

** 1879 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Lemmens-Sherrington (vocal) with ‘Signor Piatti’ (cello). The programme also included the first English performances of Reinecke – Festival Overture in C Major, Op.148 and C. A. Krebs – Pastorale Religioso for Orchestra.

** 1920 – Juan Ruiz-Casaux was appointed, by unanimous decision, as head of the cello department of the Madrid Conservatoire, a post he maintained until he retired in 1960.

** 1947 – a recital at the Wigmore Hall (London) was given by Zara Nelsova, accompanied by Gerald Moore.

** 1958 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Düsseldorf (12th April) and Bad Godesberg (13th April), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1975 – cellist Zara Nelsova performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (10th and 12th February), and Den Haag (11th April), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1984 – on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Davis), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – cellist Antonio Meneses performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.2, Op.126. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (11th April), and Den Haag (12th April), conducted by Herbert Blomstedt

** 1999 – birth of Zlatomir Fung (U.S.A.)
cellist

** 1762 – birth of George IV, King of United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland d.1830
Royalty…and an amateur cellist!

** 1766 – birth of Joachim Joseph Fuetsch (Salzburg, Austria)
choirboy at Salzburg Cathedral, cellist, member of Court Orchestra Salzburg and composer

** 1879 – birth of Lucian Horwitz (Vienna) d.1944 (murdered in Auschwitz)
Cellist – with a vast orchestral experience. He played in the Berlin Philharmonic and in some Austrian orchestras.
Karl Muck, the principal conductor of Bayreuth in 1924, removed Horwitz from the list of musicians available for the Festival even at that ‘early’ stage of ‘Nazi-ism’. Horwitz continued to play in Austria until 1927. When the country was annexed by the Third Reich in 1938, he was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942. On October 28, 1944, he was deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz, where he was murdered.

** 1908 – cellist Jean Marcel made a successful debut at the Queen’s Hall ‘Proms Concerts’ on this day in 1908.

** 1923 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 on this day, in Buenos Aires (Teatro Colón).
Conductor: Richard Strauss

** 1949 – Estonian composer Juhan Aavik wrote a Cello Concerto Op.109 which appears to have been finally completed on this date. The premiere, however,  waited many decades more.

** 1956 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed in the Salzburg Festival with cellist Enrico Mainardi and violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102. Orchestral music of Mozart and Schubert was also heard. Conductor: Karl Böhm / Small Festival Hall, Salzburg

** 1959 – Andre Navarra performed the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Hollingsworth

** 1962 – on this day cellist Enrico Mainardi made a live recording, in Lucerne, with violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan, of Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Karl Böhm

** 1992 – Steven Isserlis was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto No 1 in C major, with Australian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1753 – birth of Prince Christian von Wittgenstein-Berleberg (Germany) d.1800
singer, clavier, patron of music orchestra, serious cello study in later years

** 1866 – as part of a Switzerland tour, David Popper performed Volkmann -Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33, in an orchestral concert in Basel. He also performed his own ‘Popper: Maskenball-Szenen’.

** 1875 – birth of Fritz Gaillard (The Hague, Holland) d.1939
cellist, orchestra principal cello {based Holland and USA}

** 1889 – in the Concerthaus-Conventgarten, Hamburg (Germany), an orchestral subscription concert conducted by Hans von Bülow featured the soloists Ernst Skalitzki (violin) and Wilhelm Kufferath (cello).

** 1896 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mademoiselle Jeanne Greta (vocal) and Mr Leo Stern (cello).

** 1905 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Dresden by soloists Alexander Sebald & Hugo Dechert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Steinbach

** 1919 – birth of Antonin Kohout (Czech Republic) d.2013
cellist & chamber music player

** 1923 – unusual programme in recital of John Barbirolli (cello) and Ildebrando Pizzetti (piano), including the Cello Sonata by Pizzetti and including his Cradle Song, Op.8 No.1 and Jesukin, Op.4 No.2
(Concert of the London Contemporary Music Centre, Queen Square Hall, London)

** 1930 – birth of Saša Večtomov (Czech Republic) d.1989 {son of cellist/composer Ivan Večtomov}
cellist & chamber music player

** 1936 – Gaspar Cassadó gave his second New York performance on 12th December, 1936 (just two days after his debut), this time performing his own transcription of Weber’s Clarinet Concerto, Op. 74, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra

** 1950 – first performance of Ross Lee Finney – Cello Sonata No.2 in C Major
(Anne Arbor, Michigan, USA)

** 1963 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Prokofiev – Sinfonia Concertante, Op.125. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (11th, 12th and 14th December), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1972 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940). Two concerts, in Delft (12th December) and Eindhoven (13th December), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1977 – first performance of Sofia Gubaidulina – Ten Etudes for cello
(Moscow)

** 1980 – on the 11th, 12th and 13th and 16th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1984 – Angel Luis Quintana/cello and Lourdes Gallego/piano made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Gaspar Cassadó – Requiebros for Cello and Piano (pub.1931)
Casa de la Radio, Madrid

** 1986 – first performance of Hans Werner Henze – Sieben Liebeslieder for cello and orchestra
Soloist: Heinrich Schiff (Cologne, Germany)

** 1752 – birth of Josef Reicha {Rejcha} (Chudenice, Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic) d.1795
cellist, composer & conductor

** 1807 – birth of Friedrich Kraft (Vienna)
cellist, chamber musician in the court orchestra at Stuttgart {son of Nicolaus Kraft}

** 1822 – Once in Vienna Beethoven met Romberg; he was indeed a friend of Bernhard  Romberg in the cellist’s youthful days. Beethoven’s letter to him, dated 12th February, 1822 – on the eve of a Romberg’s concert-is a vivid illustration of their friendship”
“My dear Romberg, this night I had terrible pains in my ears, as often happens at this time of the year. Even the sounds of your music would have caused me only suffering. That is why you will not see me today. In several days, it might be better and I will be able to bid you farewell. I have not visited you yet -excuse me. It is because my lodgings are too far away, and I have too much work. I have been ill for the entire year, you know, and a lot of new compositions were put aside. Well, why all these ceremonies between the two of us. I wish you financial recognition, to make the success of your brilliant art complete, which happens so rarely nowadays. If there is an opportunity, I hope to see you and your wife and the children, to whom I send my sincere regards. Good-bye, great artist. Truly yours, Beethoven.”

** 1864 – after the first performance of Volkmann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33 with soloist David Popper, conducted by Hans Von Bülow (Berlin), a belated review of the concert appeared in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik on today’s date in 1864:
“Herr Popper from Löwenberg, Kammervirtuoso of the Prince Hohenzollern-Hechingen, played Volkmann’s highly poetic and dramatically important concerto (Op. 33), and a concerto by Servais, for cello. We want to mention especially the excellent virtuosity of his splendid style, and the concerto’s spirited orchestration. In his performance of the difficult concertpiece, Herr Popper showed an extraordinary gift for his instrument. He not only played both concertos without music, but his rich, expressive, and beautifully produced tone in the characteristic violoncello range, his excellent, polished tcchnique in doublestop and trill passages in every position of this demanding instrument, won lively acclaim from the audience.”

** 1867 – first (public) performance of Brahms – Cello Sonata No.1 in E minor, Op.38 in a concert advertised: “Zweite Trio-Soirée” (Basel. Switzerland)
Maurice Kahnt/cello and Hans Von Bülow/piano

** 1880 – first performance of Hubert Parry – Sonata in A Major for cello and piano
(London)

** 1890 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) the first of two ‘Misses Geisler-Schubert and Fillunger’s Chamber Concerts’ featuring Herr Straus (violin) and Mr Whitehouse (cello).

** 1891 – official professional debut of William Henry Squire, participating in a chamber music concert organized and given by Isaac Albéniz
St. James’s Hall, London

** 1898 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Mr. W. H. Squire and Miss Louise Dale (vocal). This concert included the first London performances of cello solos by Faure and Godard.

** 1914 – Felix Salmond played on this day Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor at the London Queen’s Hall

** 1939 – the Italian Symphonic Society 1st Chamber Concert took place at the Hyde Park Hotel (London) with cello soloist Attilio Ranzato, conducted by Livio Mannucci

** 1967- on this day cellist Janos Starker finished recording (in the Lincoln Auditorium, U.S.A.) Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kritz (probably there were 2 recording days)

** 1983 – birth of Ana Rucner (Zagreb)
cellist (specializes in pop music)

** 1984 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Sidney Rothstein, programmed a concert on this day featuring the
Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op.129 by Robert Schumann, with Nathaniel Rosen, violoncellist

** 1991 – María Mircheva/cello and Perfecto García Chornet/piano performed Francisco Llacer Plá – ‘Huellas: cronofases sobre Miguel Hernández’, for cello and piano (1979) for a CD titled “Concert in honor of Miguel Hernández”
recorded at Palau de la Musica i Congressos de Valencia, Spain

** 1758 – birth of Joseph Antony (Rengersbrunnen, County Rheineck, Germany)
cellist, organist & church composer

** 1871 – on this date the premiere was heard of Woldemar Bargiel’s Adagio in G major, Op.38, with Oscar Eberle as cello soloist(?), in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The music was published the following year in Leipzig.

** 1871 – birth of Max Wünsche (Warnsdorf, Germany)
cellist, member Gewandhaus Orchestra & teacher at Royal Conservatoire (Leipzig?)

** 1882 – first performance of Arthur Foote – ‘Drei Stücke für Pianoforte und Violoncell’ Op.1
cellist ? / with the composer at piano – (Boston, USA)

** 1904 – official United Stated ‘soloist’ debut of Pau {Pablo} Casals
Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major, with American Symphony Orchestra, at New York’s New Lyceum Theatre

** 1916 – birth of William Pleeth (London) d.1999
cellist & professor

** 1929 – on this day cellist Philip Abas {Abbas} married the pianist and harpsichordist Vivian Trivette Parke. Together they performed, with collaborations from other musicians, as the ‘Philip Abas Ensemble’. In this context Abas played the viola da gamba in addition to the cello. By the way, their son Leonard Parke studied cello with his father in Detroit

** 1938 – cellist William Pleeth and (wife) pianist Margaret Good gave a ‘Sonata Recital’ at London’s Wigmore Hall

** 1941 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major and Malipiero – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1952 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Martinu – Cello Concerto No.1. Two concerts, in Den Haag (12th January) and Amsterdam (13th January), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1968 – Mstislav Rostropovich made his official conducting debut in Moscow, taking the helm for a production of Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin.

** 1991 – on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Dutoit), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1993 – on the 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Masur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – cellist Natalia Gutman performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.107. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (12th and 14th January), conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich

** 1675 – birth of Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco (Verona, Italy) d.1742
composer and cellist {based Italy-Germany-France}

** 1906 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring Camille Saint-Saëns piano and Joseph Hollmann cello

** 1921 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 in Reichenberg on this day. Orchestral works of Berlioz, Dvorak and R. Strauss were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1944 – birth of Jean Lucien Deplace (France) d.2015
French solo cellist with a reputation as a very fine teacher.

** 1948 – in a concert at William III Orangery, Hampton Court Palace, London, Harvey Phillips (cello) was invited soloist performing Edmund Rubbra – Soliloquy, Op.57, with the Jacques Orchestra conducted by Reginald Jacques

** 1958 – composer Gordon Jacob finished his Elegy for Cello and Piano on this day, a work dedicated to Florence Hooton

** 1984 – birth of Marçal Ayats (Vic, Catalunya)
cellist, pop & light music specialist, professor and musical arranger (especially cello ensembles!)

** 1989 – birth of Estelle Revaz (Martigny, Switzerland)
cellist and politician
Estelle Revaz made her political debut during the measures to combat Covid -19. Unable to work professionally in her artistic field, she became committed to extending compensation to artists – so, for her, it was logical to join the Socialist Party. She was then a candidate for the National Council in 2023 in the canton of Geneva, and was elected with nearly 20,000 votes. Her election was noteworthy, being one of the few artists to sit in the Federal Assembly.

** 1996 – first performance of William Bolcom – Solo Cello Suite No.1
(Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts, USA)

** 1932 – birth of John Sant’Ambrogio (Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA) {father of cellist Sara}
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & teacher

** 1951 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op.33. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1981 – a performance (premiere?) took place of Ketil Hvoslev’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (1976), featuring the cello soloist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev

** 1987 – Release date (premiere screened in U.S.A.) of the film “The Witches of Eastwick” (español – ‘Las Brujas de Eastwick’)
directed by George Miller, starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Witches of Eastwick is a 1987 American dark fantasy-comedy film.  Three single women in a picturesque village sit around and fantasize about and describe their idea of the ideal male. They have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives. One by one, they are seduced – then strange things begin to happen. Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicholson rehearse a portion of the Dvorak Cello Concerto.  The scene concludes with the cello bursting into flames. Also with music by Gershwin, John Williams, Carel Struycken & Puccini
Susan Sarandon, who played a cellist named Jane in “The Witches of Eastwick”, learned only AFTER being cast that she would have to quickly learn how to play cello, and was told that she would be sued if she left the production. Words of Susan Sarandon: “I had to learn to play the cello in two weeks for the role of Jane Spoffordod in the Witches of Eastwick. I learned a lot from that experience that I probably will never have to use again unless I am gunrunning or something.”

** 1988 – Guido Schiefen gave a solo cello recital at a Galerie Concert of Alfred Kren, playing works by Max Reger, Michael Gregor Scholl and Miyazumi Orso

** 1989 – birth of Yuki Ito (Tokyo, Japan)
cellist, Rachmaninov specialist, founder of the ‘In Tune Orchestra’ (ITO) in 2013 and has since been active also as a conductor.

** 1997 – Gerhard Zank, cello and Donald Sulzen, piano, finish recording on this day both cello sonatas of George Enescu: Cello Sonatas (Op. 26, Nos. 1 and 2). They also recorded on the 8th and 11th June

** 1998 – cellist Alban Gerhardt gave the premiere in Augsburg, Germany, of Martin Herchenröder’s Cello Concerto ‘Weg…Stationen’ (written in 1995), with the Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Peter Gülke. This substantial 30-minute concerto was commissioned by the City of Augsburg.

** 1849 – birth of Nicasio Jiménez (Trinidad, Cuba) d.1891
cellist, orchestra musician, chamber musician & teacher & occasional violinist

** 1860 – cellist Rosa Suck often performed Hungarian pieces in the 1860s. Indeed, as a Hungarian woman, she developed a personal style of playing based on Hungarian folklore. The “Kronstädter Zeitung” stated on this day that Rosa Suck often appeared in Hungarian national costume or with a “national bow in her hair” (12th March 1860)

 ** 1862 – in an orchestral concert on Žofín Island given by the Estates Theatre orchestra and the Hlahol male voice (Prague) David Popper was an invited soloist playing the Adagio and Rondo from his own Cello Concerto No.2, Op. 24

** 1881 – Richard Strauss completed the first draft of the second movement to his Cello Sonata (to become his Opus 6) – the music was later revised.

** 1882 – on this date the premiere was heard of Charles-Marie Widor’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.41. The music was written in 1877, and dedicated to “Madame la Comtesse de Beaumont-Castries”.

** 1892 – first performance of Saint-Saëns – Chant Saphique, Op.91 for cello and piano
?/cello (Paris)

** 1900 – first performance of Jean Sibelius – Malinconia op.20 for cello and piano
(Helsinki)

** 1909 – cellist Heinrich Warnke performed as soloist in German composer Hermann Grädener’s Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.45 on 12th and 13th March, and on the 22nd and 23rd March (all of 1909), with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall of Boston. The conductor on all occasions was Max Fiedler. The concerto had been published a year previously, and Jacques van Lier appears to be the dedicatee.

** 1911- cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129 and Röntgen – Cello Concerto. Two concerts, in Den Haag (11th March) and Amsterdam (12th March) and conducted by Willem Mengelberg, with the composer conducting his own composition.

** 1917 – on this date the premiere was heard of Paul Hindemith’s ‘Drei Stücke für Violoncello und Klavier’ (Three Cello and Piano pieces), Op.8, composed earlier that same year. They were played by Maurits Frank (cello) and Willy Renner (piano), in the Kleiner Sallbau, Frankfurt (Germany).

** 1936 – mention was made in ‘El Sol’ (Madrid) of a recital in memory of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer in the ‘Residencia de Señoritas’ featuring the pianist Iniesta and the cellist Vivó, with poetry readings by Halma Angélico.

** 1964 – first performance of Britten – Symphony for Cello and Orchestra
soloist – Mstislav Rostropovich, with Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer (Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire – recorded by Soviet radio)

** 1967 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in C.P.E. Bach – Cello Concerto in A Major. Two concerts in Amsterdam (12th and 13th March), conducted by Eugen Jochum

** 1978 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Bert Phillips, with Toby Blumenthal /piano

** 1981 – Janos Starker recorded Bartok – Cello Concerto (a realization of the Viola Concerto for cello!), with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Von Dohnanyi.

** 1983 – cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (9th and 10th March), and Rotterdam (12th March), conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas

** 1986 – cello soloist Felix Schmidt performed as a live concert recording the Dutilleux – Cello Concerto “Tout un Monde Lointain…”, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier.

** 1987 – Luisa Vasconcelos/cello and Jorge Peixinho/piano performed Tomás Marco – ‘Maya’, for cello and piano (1968-69) in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Auditorio de la Universidad, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

** 1990 – the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, invited Mischa Maisky as cello soloist (? work ?)

** 1739 – birth of Johann Baptist Vanhal (Nové Mitrovice, Czech Rep) d.1813
composer, violinist, cellist, organist & choirmaster
His music was well respected by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. He was an instrumental performer as well. While being a proficient organist, he also played the violin and cello.
Wanhal was a prolific writer; attributed to him are 100 quartets, at least 73 symphonies, 95 sacred works, and a large number of instrumental and vocal works. The best of the symphonies, in particular, are comparable with many of Haydn’s. He also wrote three cello concertos.
Around 1780 Wanhal seems to have stopped writing large-scale instrumental music, and rather contented himself with writing piano music for the growing middle class, and church music. Maybe this was partly because such was his success, that within a few years of his symphonies being written, they were being performed around the world, and as far distant as the United States. In later life, however, he rarely moved from Vienna, where he was also an active teacher.

** 1782 – cellist Jean Tricklir performed with the violinist E. Schick, at Leipzig on 12th May 1782 – on the programme both are described as chamber virtuosos to the Elector of Mayence

** 1828 – cellist Max Bohrer (born in 1785 on Munich) played duets with his violinist brother at a Philharmonic concert in London

** 1882 – first performance of Claude Debussy – Nocturne et Scherzo for cello and piano, but in a version for violin and piano (with Maurice Thieberg – violin and Claude Debussy -piano) at the Salon Flaxland, Paris. The music was not published until 1995.

** 1894 – On 12th May 1894 Johan Snoer (professional Dutch-Austrian cellist and professional harpist, both as joint ‘first’ instrument!) married fellow harpist Antoinette Rutters in Amsterdam.

** 1900 – a young Bela Bartok (then just19 years old) meets David Popper for the first time at Popper’s home (he was to accompany the cellist at a forthcoming concert!)

** 1906 – a series of “Five Historical Violoncello Recitals” was presented by Boris Hambourg at the Aeolian Hall, London. The performances were given ‘to illustrate the development of the cello literature from its earliest beginning to the present day’. On this very day he played the concert: 1. Italian and other Masters of the 17th and 18th Centuries – 12 MAY

** 1910 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Lalo – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Cornelis Dopper

** 1921 – at a special Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert dedicated to the figure of Friedrich Buxbaum, he himself was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60. and Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104 – and on top of those, he also performed Reger’s Second Solo Cello Suite in D minor, Op.131!
Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1932 – a Recital by Keith Falkner (baritone), Antonia Butler (cello) and Michael Mulliner (piano), for the Oxford Subscription Concerts (England)

** 1942 – birth of Arto Noras (Turku, Finland)
Cellist
A member of the Helsinki Trio and a founding member of the Sibelius Academy Quartet. Founder and Artistic Director of the Naantali Music Festival and the International Paulo Cello Competition. As a result, he has been in considerable demand as a jurist for the world’s most important cello competitions.

** 1946 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Siegfried Borries & Tibor de Machula with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Celibidache

** 1984 – on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of May, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1986 – first modern performance of Richard Strauss – Romanze
(soloist – Jan Vogler with Orchestra of Dresden Semperoper, conducted by Günter Neuhold)

** 1991 – birth of Kelsy Lu (Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.)
A female American singer and cellist, based in Los Angeles, who is a specialist in ‘avant poop’ and ‘baroque pop’. Her birth name was Kelsey Elizabeth McJunkins.

** 1996 – the premiere took place (at Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin) of Ann Hoban’s Chamber Cello Concerto (written in 1994). This small concertante piece featured Solo Cello and a chamber ensemble (piccolo, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon); the musicians on this occasion were David James (cello), Deirdre Brady (piccolo), Ruby Ashley (oboe), Paul Roe (clarinet), and John Leonard (bassoon)

** 1996 – Mstislav Rostropovich, solo cellist, gave the world premiere of Lorin Maazal’s “Music – for Violoncello and Orchestra”, Op.10, (written 1993-1994), with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer. This 30-minute work had been a commission from Rostropovich himself.

** 1997 – first performance of Velislav Zaimov – Sexted, for six cellos
cellists: the cello class of Ani Atanasova (Bulgaria)

** 1826 – birth of Achille-Félix Montaubry (Niort, France) d.1898
tenor singer & cellist

** 1833 – a morning and evening performance given on 12th November 1833 in Stoke Church as part of the Stoke-upon-Trent Musical Festival (England). Described as ‘Grand Selections of Sacred Music … from the works of Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, King, etc’, both concerts were in two parts and included a large number of solo and chorus extracts from oratorio compositions, the majority by Handel. Mr Giles also appeared as an obligato cello player at both performances.

** 1833 – birth of Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (St. Petersburg, Russia) d.1887
composer, chemist…and cellist

** 1863 – David Popper performed his own “Fantasie über Themen aus den Hugenotten” in a Löwenberg Orchestra concert on this day.

** 1881 – the premiere performance of Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No.2 in G Major, Op.44 {the slow second movement is virtually a ‘triple’ concerto of solo violin, solo cello, solo piano and orchestra, using the orchestral principal cello}
soloist – Madeleine Schiller with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Theodore Thomas (New York)

** 1897 – the Orchester-Concerte der Meininger Hofkapelle (Berlin), directed by Fritz Steinbach gave a performance with soloists Joseph Joachim (violin) and Robert Hausmann (cello)

** 1899 – official Paris debut of Pau {Pablo} Casals
Lalo – Cello Concerto, with Lamoureux Orchestra, conducted by Charles Lamoureux at the Théatre de la République

** 1917 – on this date the premiere was heard of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Élégie, Op.87 (written 1915), in version with orchestral accompaniment, in Rio de Janeiro, Theatro Municipal Orchestra, with cello soloist Alfredo Comes, conducted by Soriano Robert.

** 1923 – Alexander Barjansky performed as invited cello soloist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, at the Vienna Konzerthaus

** 1924 – birth of Sam Jones (Jacksonville, FL, USA)
jazz bassist, cellist & composer

** 1926 – cellist (conductor) Alfred Wallenstein gave the United States premiere of Ibert – Cello Concerto with Wind Instruments, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Frederick Stock

** 1927 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Radio concert, Friedrich Buxbaum performed Two Pieces for cello and orchestra of Johann Strauss II.  Conductor: Rudolf Nilius

** 1929 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a cello recital was given by Guilhermina Suggia

** 1935 – the ‘Courtauld-Sargent’ Concerts, given at the Queen’s Hall (London), invited Pau Casals as cello soloist – the second of two consecutive performances.

** 1939 – On 12th November 1939 Pau {Pablo} Casals performed the Lalo and Saint-Saëns concertos with the Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his debut in the French capital.

** 1946 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) records the Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op.40 by Dmitri Shostakovich with the composer at the piano

** 1960 – Mstislav Rostropovich records Schumann – Cello Concerto with the Orchestre National de France, conducted by Leonard Bernstein

** 1985 – birth of István Várdai (Pécs, Hungary)
cellist, festival artistic director

** 1816 – birth of Søffren Degen (Copenhagen, Denmark) d.1885
Degen gave his first public performance as a 13-year-old student at the local conservatory. He considered the guitar as his primary study, but the conservatory did not accept the guitar as a serious instrument for the students, so Degen was trained as a cellist and a composer. Degen fought all his life for a serious attitude towards the guitar, so that the guitar could be accepted in the higher circles of music society and enter the concert stage as a serious concert instrument. He toured around Europe as a very successful guitar virtuoso, and he supplemented his income with engagements as a cellist and as an actor. Perhaps Degen’s greatest contribution to the guitar repertoire is to be found in his unusual compositions and transcriptions for duos of cello and guitar!

** 1896 – in a series of four orchestral concerts given by the Colonne Orchestra of Paris at the Queen’s Hall, London on 12, 14, 16 and 17 October 1896, the performance on 12th October featured the soloists ‘Mademoiselle Marcella Pregi’ (vocal) and ‘Monsieur Baretti’ (cello)

** 1897 – Elsa Ruegger was cello soloist in Max Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Op 47 {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1899 – William Henry Squire performed the ‘violoncello obligato’ part in Robert Volkmann – Serenade No. 3 in D minor, Op 69 for Strings {London premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1900 – J.T. Field was cello soloist in Popper – ‘Widmung’ (the first of 3 Pieces, Op.11, a Proms premiere) and Popper – the first piece ‘Harlequin’ from Scenes from a Masked Ball. Op.3 with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1906 – birth of Daniel Saidenberg (Winnipeg, Canada) d.1997
cellist, orchestra principal cello & conductor
Daniel Saidenberg was a cellist, conductor, art gallery owner, and supporter of an annual series of faculty recitals at The Juilliard School. He began his playing career, accompanied by his brother Theodore, a pianist, by playing in movie theatres and tea rooms. From 1919 to 1921 he studied cello with Andre Hekking at the Paris Conservatory and from 1925 – 1930 he attended the Juilliard School of Music. In 1926, he joined the cello section of the Philadelphia Orchestra for three years, joining the Chicago Symphony in 1930. During his time in Chicago, Saidenberg formed the Saidenberg Sinfonietta, which gave monthly concerts and toured the Midwest. From 1930 -1937 he served as head of the cello department at the Chicago Musical College.
Saidenberg was a guest conductor with the Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1940, he became conductor of the Alka Seltzer Radio Hour on NBC, and was the artistic director of the Town Hall Music Forum, where he led new music concerts. He also formed a chamber orchestra, the Saidenberg Little Symphony, the resident orchestra at the 92nd Street Y from 1948-1957. He was a founder of the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, and its music director from 1947 to 1953. In 1950, Mr. Saidenberg and his wife, Eleanore, founded the Saidenberg Gallery in Manhattan. The gallery displayed works by Picasso, Klee, Braque, Gris, Kandinsky, and Miro. Daniel-Henry Kahnweiller, Picasso’s dealer in Paris, appointed them Picasso’s representative in North America.

** 1910 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring
Maria Philippi contralto, Donald Francis Tovey piano, and Pablo Casals cello

** 1912 – Enrico Mainardi was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1915 – birth of José Bragato (Udine, Italy)
Italian-Argentinian cellist, tango expert, composer & conductor.

** 1943 – George Finckel gave a cello recital at Bennington College Music (USA) with pianist Gregory Tucker, featuring:
Variations on J.S. Bach’ s Choral-Preludes “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” – Otto Luening // Variations on a Mozart Theme – Beethoven // Sonata in A Major, Opus 69, No. 3 – Beethoven // Adagio – Bach // Sonata – Sergei Rachmaninov

** 1946 – birth of Daryl Runswick (Leicester, England)
a classically trained English composer, arranger, jazz musician, producer and educationalist – but was also a cellist (he often worked alongside Christopher Van Kampen!). From 1995 to 2005 he was Head of Composition Faculty at Trinity College of Music; as a composer he has written many film and TV scores.

** 1966 – birth of Amanda Forsyth (Cape Town, South Africa)
cellist {based Canada}

** 1975 – birth of Jorane “Jorane” Pelletier (Charlesbourg, Quebec, Canada)
cellist & singer (modern)

** 1980 – first performance of Peter Sculthorpe – Sonata for cello
(Sydney)

** 1987 – birth of Annie Oliv (Jönköping, Sweden)
cellist and Swedish model – elected ‘Miss Sweden’ of 1997!

** 1988 – birth of Gabriel Schwabe (Berlin)
cellist

** 1809 – birth of Johann Benjamin Gross (Elbing, Poland)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & composer

** 1850 – birth of Moritz Hetzel (Stuttgart, Germany)
cellist, principal cello Orchestra of Mannheim, occasional composer for cello

** 1887 – birth of George Georgescu (Sulina, Tulcea County, Romania)
conductor & cellist

** 1905 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1908 – Jean Marcel was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1909 – May Mukle gave the British premiere of Victor Herbert’s Concerto in E minor Op.30

** 1914 – Maud L. Arnold was cello soloist in Jules de Swert – Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1932 – first performance of part of Villa-Lobos – Bachiana Brasileira no.1 for 8(+) cellos
(Rio de Janeiro)

** 1934 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Isolde Menges & May Mukle at the London Proms

** 1935 – on this day Enescu completes the second movement to his second Cello Sonata in Bucharest (he probably initially started the work in June of that year)

** 1954 – premiere of Bernstein ‘Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium’ for solo violin and orchestra – (the work features a double cadenza for violin soloist and principal cello}
soloist -Isaac Stern with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer (La Fenice, Venice, Italy)

** 1957 – Florence Hooton was cello soloist in Kenneth Leighton – Cello Concerto {London premiere}, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1958 – first performance of Bernd Alois Zimmermann – Canto di speranza, Kantate für Violoncello und kleines Orchester (2nd versión of concerto for cello and small orchestra of 1953).
soloist – Siegfried Palm with Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, conducted by Otto Matzerath (Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Germany)

** 1962 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Yan Pascal Tortelier and Paul Tortelier at the London Proms

** 1991 – birth of Dobrawa Czocher (Tczew, Poland)
cellist

** 1713 – birth of Pierre Jélyotte (Lasseube, France) d.1797
tenor singer, guitarist, cellist, violinist & composer

** 1743 – birth of Thomas Jefferson (Virginia, USA) d.1826
American president…and amateur violinist, cellist & harpsichord player

** 1784 – birth of Elis Chiewitz (Stockholm, Sweden) d.1839
A Swedish musician and artist, playing cello. Also, a painter.

** 1868 – in a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert, David Popper contributed some solo items; he arranged the Mozart Adagio from the String Quintet, K.516 for cello, played the F. Kletzer: Ungarische Rhapsodie, Op.7, and his own Gavotte, Op.10.

** 1891 – birth of Cedric Sharpe (London) d.1978
cellist & composer

** 1897 – cellist Rosa Brackenhammer performed in an unusual trio concert, to good critical acclaim; this was reported on the press:
“A concert in Stuttgart, which took place on April 13th, presented a remarkable rarity: a trio for piano, violin and cello, which was played by three graceful ladies, from Mrs. Grossler-Heim, Mrs. [Paula] Ehrenbacher-Edenfeld  [singer, violinist] and Miss Rosa Brackenhammer was played charmingly. […] Miss R. Brackenhammer plays the cello, as demonstrated in two solo performances by D. Popper and L. Hegyesi, with outstanding technical skill” 

** 1904 – birth of Elsa Hilger (Trautenau, Austria – today in the Czech Republic) d.2005
Austrian-American cellist. At the age of 12, Hilger made her orchestral debut with the Vienna Philharmonic performing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme. The following year, Grümmer gave Hilger the Guarnerius cello that she used for most of her career. In 1920, following her studies in Vienna, Hilger’s family left Europe for America.  For much of the 1920s and early 1930s, the three sisters travelled together around the United States and South America as the Hilger Trio, performing solo and ensemble recitals.
She has an important claim to fame – she was the first woman other than a harpist to become a member of a major symphony orchestra! Stokowski auditioned Hilger privately. Although Stokowski was convinced of her talent, at the second audition she had to sight-read orchestral excerpts for two hours! Her skill won over the sceptics, and she secured a position in the orchestra in 1935. During her 35-year tenure with the Philadelphia Orchestra, much of which she sat on the first desk and occasionally as principal cello, she missed only one concert.
Cello teacher at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music Academy (now the University of the Arts). She was a cellist’s cellist! Pablo Casals referred to her as a “genius of the cello” and even Mstislav Rostropovich himself brought flowers to her backstage room!

** 1905 – first performance of Saint-Saëns – Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.123
Joseph Hollman/cellist – composer at piano (at the home of Alphonse Blondel, director of the Érard Piano Company, Paris)

** 1912 – birth of Miloš Sádlo (Prague, born as Miloš Zátvrzský) d.2003
cellist and teacher
In 1929 he started to gain recognition as a soloist, while also performing as a member of the Prague (Zika) Quartet and the Czech Trio. At the end of the 1950s, he was also a member of the Suk Trio. In 1950 he started teaching at the Faculty of Music of the Academy of Per form ing Arts in Prague, where three years later he was appointed Professor. He also taught at universities in the USA. He was an absolute Martinu expert!

** 1915 – cellist May Mukle recorded Alice Verne-Bredt – Lullaby for violoncello and piano, and Ethel Barns – Idyll for violoncello and piano with Mary Miller Mount (piano), in New York

** 1938 – birth of Keith Harvey (Liverpool, England) d.2017
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician

** 1951 – birth of Alexander “Sasha” Zhiroff (Ishim, USSR)
cellist (classical & cross-over)

** 1958 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Düsseldorf (12th April) and Bad Godesberg (13th April), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1980 – birth of Soo Bae (Seoul, South Korea)
Korean-Canadian cellist, chamber music interpreter and teacher in New York

** 1984 – on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Davis), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – premiere recording of Lyell Cresswell’s Cello Concerto (written 1984), featuring cello soloist Roman Jablonski, with the CSR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Bernas. The orchestra also recorded vocal soloist works on the recording dates, which started 8th April and finished the 13th April of 1991.

**1994 – birth of Héctor Pirir (San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala)
cellist, orchestral (became the youngest professional musician of the National Symphony Orchestra – OSN – of Guatemala at just 18 years old!)

** 1813 – birth of Carl (or Karl) Schlesinger (Germany) d.1871
cellist, orchestra principal cello, originally a violinist

** 1828 – On the conclusion of his studies, cellist Carl Leopold Boehm received a certificate from the committee of the National Conservatoire of Vienna on this day in 1828, stating that he had just claims to the name of an ‘excellent artist’.

** 1852 – birth of Robert Hausmann (Rottleberode, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) d.1909
cellist, chamber music artist, Brahms specialist, professor

** 1904 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in the first English performance of Van Goens – Cello Concerto No.2 in D minor, at a London Proms concert. The programme also featured Miss Edith Kirkwood and Mr John Harrison (vocal), and Mr Walter Reynolds (euphonium), and included the first English performance of S. Vasilenko [Wassilenko] – Poème Epique Op.4.

** 1915 – birth of Bernard Michelin (Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, Val-de-Marne, France) d.2003
Cellist, soloist, professor at the Conservatoire de Paris, founder of “International Competition Bernard Michelin” (Chile, 1965); Knight of the Legion of Honour (France, 1979)

** 1916 – first performance of Oswald – Sonata-Fantasia in Eb Major, Op.44
Alfredo Gomes/cello and Joaquim Antonio Barrozo Netto/piano (Rio de Janeiro, Salão do Jornal de Comércio)

** 1959 – Erling Blöndal Bengtsson was cello soloist in both Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 and Richard Strauss – Don Quixote, Op 35, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1890 – on this day a rather unusual review appeared about the very young cellist Jean Gérardy (just 13 years old!) which seemed to show Londoners were getting tired of pianists! The ‘Musical Standard 39’, No. 1376 wrote this article titled “Master Jean Gérardy”:
“The succession of young musical “prodigies” does not seem likely to end just yet. One after another they troop over to unmusical England, where they find more appreciation and earn more money than among the more richly-endowed and highly cultured musical intellects of the continent. The prodigy pianist, however, was beginning to pall upon the jaded appetites of London concert goers, and young Gérardy, the talented ’cellist, who has set the town talking, comes as “a boon and a blessing” to wonder-lovers who were getting just a little tired of listening to youthful and immature renderings of Bach’s “Fantasia Cromatica” and Beethoven’s Opus 57”
So it always had advantages in playing the cello!

** 1899 – after having first played the Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor in 1896, solo cellist Alwin Schroeder reprised the Dvorak concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the 1899-1900 season, first on tour in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New York (Carnegie Hall, 13th December, 1899), then at Boston Music Hall on 5th and 6th January, 1900).  Schroeder’s interpretation earned him renewed critical success in Boston, but the quality of his New York performance provoked some debate – was he well out-of-tune in the first movement? The New York Times critic wrote on 17th December, 1899:
“The musical editor of THE TIMES is also well acquainted with the Dvorak ’cello concerto. He is aware that Mr. Schroeder assisted Dr. Dvorak in writing it, actually writing some of the solo passages himself—a fact which seems to have escaped the correspondent. The difficulty of the work is conceded, and Mr. Schroeder’s high standing as a virtuoso has frequently been mentioned in this paper. If he were not so great an artist, the fact that he did not play in tune would have occasioned less surprise…”  

** 1907 – cellist Elsa Ruegger (1881-1924) played the first of two important Berlin recitals, the other took place four days later (in fact, she had already made her Berlin debut in 1895). Both concerts (with pianist Paul Goldschmidt were warmly endorsed by the critics: on the first concert’s programme of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, her performance of the 5th Bach Suite was described as “absolutely perfect.”

** 1914 – Pau Casals gives his first concert at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, where he plays Saint-Saëns’ Concerto and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under conductor Richard Hageman.

** 1920 – birth of Pavel Kohn d.1944
cellist & trumpet player – Auschwitz Holocaust victim

** 1924 – birth of Laszlo Varga (Hungary) d.2014
cellist & professor

** 1931 – first performance of Martinu – Cello Concerto No.1 (first version)
soloist Gaspar Cassadó (Berlin)

** 1938 – German cellist Ludwig Hoelscher played the Brahms Double concerto with the violinist Max Strub and the Vienna Symphony under Karl Böhm in Vienna

** 1970 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Luis Leguia, with Robert Freeman /piano

** 1972 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940). Two concerts, in Delft (12th December) and Eindhoven (13th December), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1974 – first performance of Walter Piston – Duo for cello and piano
(Washington, DC, USA)

** 1975 – first performance of Michael Braunfels – Symposion, for 12 Cellos, Op.59 N.1
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (WDR, Cologne, Germany)

** 1976 – Marçal Cervera/cello and Perfecto García Chornet/piano performed Tomás Marco – Maya, for cello and piano (1968-69), and Manuel Palau Boix – ‘Canción del Mar’ and ‘Coplas de mi tierra’ also for cello-piano, for Spanish National Radio
Casa de la Radio, Madrid

** 1979 – first performance of Ginastera – Cello Sonata, Op.49
(Alice Tully Hall, New York)

** 1980 – on the 11th, 12th and 13th and 16th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – birth of Jay “Bluejay” Greenberg (New Haven, Connecticut, USA)
composer and cellist

** 1813 – birth of Kasimir Prince Lubomirski (Czerniejow, Czech)
cellist, curator of a Latin college, composer of lighter music

** 1864 – birth of Hugo Becker (Strasbourg, Alsace) d.1941
cellist, musical writer and pedagogue

** 1866 – Alfredo Piatti was solo cellist in the first Annual Reid Concert, organized by the new Reid Professor, Herbert Stanley Oakeley in the Music Hall, Edinburgh. Piatti played movements of J.S. Bach and an own composition: Fantasia on Scotch Airs for violoncello. There were numerous other invited Italian soloists too, and the orchestra was described as “Orchestra carefully selected from Edinburgh, Glasgow, London etc.”

** 1868 – birth of Ráoul Preumont (Belgium)
cellist, professor in Mons School of Music

** 1877 – birth of Juro Tkalčić (Zagreb, Croatia) d.1957
cellist and composer. He lived outside of Croatia from 1895 to 1914, first studying and playing in various chamber and other orchestras on European tours, often with his brother, pianist Ivo Tkalčić (1875-1937). From 1900 he worked in Paris, mainly as a chamber cellist, but also as a concert one, and as a professor at the Conservatory of Versailles. From 1914 to 1927 he worked in Zagreb as a soloist, chamber musician and professor of cello at the Zagreb Conservatory and the Academy of Music, where he was the first rector (1922-1923). From 1927 to 1941 he acted as a chamber musician and teacher in Belgrade, then in Dubrovnik and again in Zagreb.
He composed a series of salon character works for cello and piano, ten solo songs, six string quartets, a piano trio and quartet, a string quintet and the first ever Croatian cello concerto (1922).

** 1891 – in a Frankfurt am Main Museums-Concert – Im grossen Concert-Saal – David Popper was invited cello soloist, performing the Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major (orchestrated and ‘re-arranged version’ by Gevaert). He also offered the public two of his own pieces: Popper – Berceuse and Popper – Spinnlied

** 1899 – cellist Leontine Gärtner performed as invited soloist with the New York Women’s String Orchestra under the direction of Carl Lachmund

** 1914 – on this date the premiere was heard of Guillermo Lekeu’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Major, in the Salle Erard, Paris.

** 1918 – An Aeolian Hall (London) programme on this day featured May Mukle (cello), Rebecca Clarke (viola) and Katherine Ruth Heyman (piano); cello works included a “Bach Sonata in G for Pianoforte and Violoncello”, an ‘Allemande’ of Lully, Florence Schmidt’s ‘Chant Elegiaque’ and the first performance of Eugéne Goossen – ‘Chinese Folk Tune’. There were also three viola solos, a viola-cello duo by Rebecca Clarke herself, and the evening finished with a viola-cello-piano version of the Brahms Trio in A minor, Op.114

** 1930 – first performance of G. Coleman Young – Cello Concerto
soloist – Lovio Mannucci with London Concert Orchestra, conducted by the composer (Aeolian Hall, London)

** 1957 – first European performance of Walton – Cello Concerto
soloist Gregor Piatigorsky with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent (London)

** 1970 – the premiere of Vivian Fine’s Fantasy for Cello and Piano (written 1961) took place at Carnegie Recital Hall, New York City, performed by John Thurman (cello), and Robert Guralnick (piano).  One of America’s foremost composers, she wrote about this music: “The idiom is a kind of musical abstract expressionism: dramatic contrasts grow out of materials stated at the outset, developed with lyrical freedom combined with a degree of composerly rigor.”
The work was later recorded by Maxine Neuman (cello) and Joan Stein (piano).

** 1979 – first performance of Wuorinen – Fast Fantasy, for cello and piano
(Finnish Radio, Helsinki)

** 1979 – first performance of Morton Subotnick – Axolotl for cello and electronics
(Washington, DC, USA)

** 1986 – Andrés Ruiz/cello and Sebastián Mariné/piano gave a performance including Zulema de la Cruz – Nova (1981) for cello and piano, in the Auditorio del Real Conservatorio Superior de Música, Madrid
(this piece was commissioned by the Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorro “CECA”)

** 1981 – birth of Janel Leppin (Vienna, Virginia, U.S.A.)
singer, jazz cellist and avant-garde pop, and multi-instrumentalist

** 1986 – on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1824 – birth of Ignacy Marceli Komorowski (Poland) d.1857
cellist, theatre orchestra & song composer

** 1872 – a wonderful review on today’s date in history for Auguste van Biene from the Dewsbury Reporter ( West Yorkshire, England) reporting on a recital in the ‘Mr. Walter Shaw’s Classical Chamber Concerts’; comments flowing like this:
“In this solo, the player roused the audience to a pitch of excitement seldom witnessed, and it was surprising to see how eagerly every note was caught up. Herr Van Biene has a perfect mastery over the mechanical difficulties of his instrument, coupled with considerable taste.”

** 1878 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Adolphe Fischer was cello soloist in Lalo – Cello Concerto in D minor. Orchestral works of Goldmark, Gluck, Reinecke and Beethoven were also heard. The Lalo performance would surely have been one of the first ever performances!
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: ?

** 1879 – birth of Giuseppe Pedrazzini (Pizzeghettone, near Cremona, Italy) d.1957
Italian violin and cello maker. He opened his own workshop in 1906. After winning a prize for his works of quartet at a stringed instrument competition in Cremona in 1937, Pedrazzini rose to even more fame and more orders were pouring in. One of his clients was Boosey & Hawkes, who made orders in bulk. However, works from this period are not as consistent as from the earlier period

** 1897 – cellist Joseph Salmon performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Richard Hol

** 1908 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (5th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th January, last concert in Den Haag), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1923 – birth of Daniil Shafran (St. Petersburg, Russia) d.1997
cellist

** 1946 – birth of Bogdan Trochanowski {also known as Dan Savicha} (Warsaw) d.2009
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer and artistic adviser at the Center for Contemporary Music {based Venezuela}

** 1952 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Martinu – Cello Concerto No.1. Two concerts, in Den Haag (12th January) and Amsterdam (13th January), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1963 – cellist Anner Bijlsma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (13th and 14th January) and Assen (27th April) and conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1973 – in a concert in Leeds, England: “A Supportive Concert for Leeds Youth Orchestra American Tour”, Gretchen Miller (cello) and Richard Kessler (piano) performed Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60

** 1979 – on this day Ennio Bolognini gave his last ever full recital, in Downey, California. This was a poignant event – these were the exact words uttered at the end of the performance:
“His life of 85 years exemplifies a determination to master whatever challenges arise and to express the beauty of life through music”.
He died peacefully in his sleep on 31st July 1979.

** 1981 – on the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 13th of this month, Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1985 – the premiere of Dietrich Erdmann’s “Essay on a theme by JS Bach” for cello and piano (written the previous year) took place in Bochum, Germany.

** 1993 – birth of Joy Lisney (England)
cellist, composer, conductor & academic research

** 1861 – birth of Adolph Kapp (Weida, Thuringia, Germany)
cellist, band of the Thirty-first Infantry regiment at Altona as solo violoncellist, principal cello in the Laube Orchestra, principal cello and chamber music player for the municipal orchestra at Baden-Baden

** 1887 – birth of Anna Saulowna Luboshutz (Odessa, Ukraine) d.1975
active as a woman cello soloist, and in the Luboshutz Trio. She was the first ‘soviet’ cellist to be awarded the title “Honoured Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic”.

** 1897 – birth of ElRay LaVar Christiansen (Mayfield, Utah, U.S.A.) d.1975
A general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death, and cellist. Christiansen was a cellist and played with the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

** 1909 – birth of Washington Castro (Buenos Aires, Argentina) d.2004
cellist, conductor, composer, and pedagogue

** 1917 – first performance of Bridge – Cello Sonata (written 1913-17), with Felix Salmond/cello and Harold Samuel/piano (Wigmore Hall, London)

** 1947 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Barton Frank, with Eileen Flisser /piano

** 1950 – in a concert at the Cheltenham Festival (England), Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata, Op.60 and Rubbra – Piano Trio No.1, Op.68 was performed by the Rubbra-Gruenberg-William Pleeth Trio

** 1952 – birth of Janet Horvath (Toronto, Canada)
cellist, orchestral front desk player, chamber musician, writer of articles on music and musicians, conference speaker and invited guest to seminars, an expert in the area of the medical problems of performing artists {daughter of cellist George (György) Horvath}

** 1956- on this day cellist Janos Starker finished recording (in London) Dohnanyi – Konzertstück in D Major and Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Walter Süsskind (probably there were 2 recording days)

** 1962 – a recital at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod (Wales) was given by Gaspar Cassado (cello) and Chieko Hara (piano).

** 1975 – birth of Konstantin Evtimov (Ruse, Bulgaria)
cellist. Principal cello with the Bulgarian national Radio Orchestra. Cellist of the Ardenza Trio. In 1998, Evtimov joined the Symphonic orchestra of Lausanne and was soon nominated for a solo cello position. Around this time, he was invited by Pierre Amoyal to serve as the principal cellist of Camerata de Lausanne, serving  for seven years and then the solo cellist of Sinfonietta de Lausanne from 1998 to 2008. In 2008, Evtimov returned to Bulgaria, ending his tenure with Sinfonietta de Lausanne to pursue a solo career there.

** 1985 – birth of Maja Kleszcz (Warsaw)
vocalist, cellist, music producer, author of theater and film music (former member of band Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa)

** 1991 – first performance of Alfred Schnittke – Madrigal, in memoriam Oleg Kagan for violin or for cello
(Kreuth, Germany)

** 1999 – first performance of John Casken – Darting the Skiff for cello and orchestra
(Cheltenham, England)

** 1775 – birth of Anton Heinrich Radziwell (Grand Duchy of Posen) d.1833
cellist, composer and Governor of the Grand Duchy of Posen. Politician.

** 1835 – on this date cellist Karl Dreschler played as soloist a Divertimento by Dotzauer at the “8th Elb Music Festival” (Germany). In a review which appeared in the “Allgemeine Musik Zeitung” about that performance, his tone and phrasing in the ‘cantabile’ are praised as being exceptionally fine, and also his great agility of the left hand, but it reported that the technique of the fingers was at the expense of his tone, although in the highest mastery they should both be equal as only then ‘bravoura’ could be looked upon as music (!)

** 1870 – birth of Thomas Jackson (Leeds, England)
cellist, member of “Leipziger Novitaten Quartett-Verein”, cellist of  “Süddeutsche Streich Quartett” (South German String Quartet); professor at Freiburg Conservatoire {based Germany}

** 1904 – The first all-English women’s string quartet (with Emily Shinner) was founded in 1886. It found its successor in the Nora Clench Quartet, in which, in addition to the Canadian namesake (who was a student of Adolph Brodsky in Leipzig), Lucy Stone, Cecilia Gates and cellist May Mukle participated. This ensemble made its debut on June 13, 1904 in the Æolian Hall, with string quartets by Mozart (C major) and Borodin (A major) to good critical acclaim:
“Both interpretations commended themselves by the admirable spirit with which they were performed and the considerable ensemble that the players have already attained” (The Violin Times).
England at the beginning of the 20th century was a great place to be based if you were a good lady musician – unbelievably, in 1900 there were 15 women’s orchestras in London alone!

** 1936 – birth of Luis García Renart (Barcelona) d.2020
Spanish-born Mexican cellist. Soloist. Cello Professor at Bard College Conservatory of Music, and also at Vassar College. Principal cellist in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic (U.S.A.). He was the Artistic Director of The Woodstock Chamber Orchestra (NY) from 1991 to 2002. He often performed with his sister, the pianist Marta García Renart. He was also a second-study guitarist.

** 1940 – When the German army entered Paris on 13th June, 1940, Pau Casals, together with Francesca (then a secret love!) and the Alavedra family, chose to leave France from Bordeaux, aboard the ship “Champlain” bound for North America. However, moments before boarding, the ship was bombarded by the German forces, for which reason they decided to return to Prades to settle in Villa Colette. He continued his aid to Spanish refugees and organised benefit concerts for the Red Cross and the French Legion in unoccupied France to help the victims of World War II (known concerts took place in Montauban, Toulouse, Montpellier, Grenoble, Béziers, and Bordeaux).

** 1942 – Hugo Löwenthal (Czech cellist) had been deported to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp a few months previously – despite having made great efforts to participate in musical activity in that place, he was on this day deported to the East of Poland, where it is supposed he was assassinated this same day.

** 1946 – birth of Paul Buckmaster (London) d.2017
cellist, arranger, conductor and composer. Collaborations with David Bowie, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, Carly Simon, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Lionel Ritchie, Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers, Guns N’ Roses, and many more!

** 1974 – birth of Ophelie Gaillard (Paris)
Cellist

** 1976 – at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth (England) the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Berglund, featured cello soloist Arto Noras.

** 1991 – birth of Alexey Stadler (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
cellist

** 1994 – Rostropovich returned to the US White House for a performance for the Emperor and Empress of Japan, an event that also celebrated his seventeen years as director of the National Symphony Orchestra.

** 1867 – birth of Emil Leichsenring (Klingenthal, Vogtland, Germany)
cellist, member of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, Bulow Orchestra at Hamburg and Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, member of the string quartet of the Meiningen court chapel; professor

** 1884 – first performance of slow movement to Stanford – Cello Concerto
soloist – Robert Hausmann (CUMS concert, UK)

​** 1899 – Alwin Schroeder performed J.S. Bach – Suite No.3 (all or most of?) in Boston. The Boston Journal reviewed:
“These suites have been edited most carefully by Mr. Schroeder, who was the player last night. He played in his modestly authoritative manner, and displayed in full the purity of tone, the rare musical intelligence, in a word the consummate artistry which distinguishes this master of chamber music.”

** 1902 – cellist/composer Paul Bazelaire completed the work ‘Impression de Russie’ for solo cello and orchestra on this day in Berlin.

** 1909 – cellist Heinrich Warnke performed as soloist in German composer Hermann Grädener’s Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.45 on 12th and 13th March, and on the 22nd and 23rd March (all of 1909), with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall of Boston. The conductor on all occasions was Max Fiedler. The concerto had been published a year previously, and Jacques van Lier appears to be the dedicatee.

** 1910 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg/Evert Cornelis (which? – two names are shown in orchestral records; it is unlikely that there were two performances the same day with different conductors)

** 1921 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Harry Fahrbach, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 2, Op. 30 by Victor Herbert, with soloist Hans Kronold, cello

** 1923 – in the Saal Bechstein (Berlin) a programme titled “Moderne Cello-Sonaten” was given by Sela Trau (cello) and Felix Petyrek (piano).

** 1923 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Prague, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 on this day. Orchestral music of Mahler was also heard.
Conductor: Richard Strauss

** 1930 – first performance of Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Sussex Folk Tunes
soloist Pablo Casals with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Barbirolli (London)

** 1931 – An Oxford Ladies’ Musical Society concert featured a recital with Alexander Fachiri (cello) and Professor Wührer (piano).

** 1947 – birth of Beat Richner (Zürich, Switzerland) d.2018
Swiss physician (founder of children’s hospitals in Cambodia) and cellist

** 1950 – The young Canadian-born ‘cellist, Sherley Trepel, made her second New York appearance at the Town Hall, featuring the first performance of an “Arioso” by Earl George, and sonatas by Strauss and Schubert.

** 1967 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in C.P.E. Bach – Cello Concerto in A Major. Two concerts in Amsterdam (12th and 13th March), conducted by Eugen Jochum

** 1969 – birth of Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki (Helsinki)
Orchestral conductor and cellist

** 1979 – birth of José María Cuadra (Antequera, Málaga, Spain)
cellist, orchestral musician, teacher of cello and double bass, composer….also plays/played guitar

** 1988 – the premiere of Vivian Fine’s Sonata for Violoncello and Piano
‘in homage to Claude Debussy’ (composed in 1986) took place in New York City, performed by Maxine Neuman (cello), and Joan Stein (piano).

** 1995 – first performance of Tan Dun – Yi1: Intercourse of Fire and Water, for Cello and Orchestra
soloist Anssi Karttunen, with Finnish Radio Orchestra, conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Helsinki)

** 1996 – birth of Stéphanie Huang (Montigny-le-Tilleul, Charleroi, Belgium)
principal Cello Orchestre de Paris, soloist and chamber musician
{she is the daughter of Myriam Bultinck, a Belgian cellist}

** 1842 – birth of Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (Lambeth, London) d.1900
English composer. He is best known for 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. His works include 24 operas, 11 major orchestral works, ten choral works and oratorios, two ballets, incidental music to several plays, and numerous church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. His hymns and songs include “Onward, Christian Soldiers” and “The Lost Chord”.
The cello seems to have been Sullivan’s favourite solo instrument and he himself owned a cello and his brother Frederic, with whom he was close, played the cello semi-professionally. Sullivan only wrote one concerto and that was for the cello. The other substantial recital piece he composed was also for the cello, his Duo Concertante, dating from 1868. Although it is in one movement, there are two sections. It begins with a bold Andante and is followed by an extended Allegro moderato. The work bursts with melody and boasts a marvellous interplay between the instruments which the title of the work suggests.

** 1852 – birth of Julius Leopold Loeb (Strasburg, Alsace, France)
cellist, principal cello in the Paris Opera Orchestra, cellist of Marsick String Quartet

** 1854 – birth of Paul Klengel (Leipzig) d.1935
violinist, violist, pianist, conductor, composer, editor and arranger {brother of cellist Julius Klengel}; a “house arranger” for Simrock, Brahms’ music publisher – he probably arranged Brahms’ G Major Violin Sonata Op. 78 for cello, transposed into D Major (often republished as arranged by Brahms).

** 1856 – on this day Clara Schumann played with Alfredo Piatti for the first time in duo together in public, at the ‘Musical Union’. After this concert Piatti came to play Robert Schumann’s compositions much more regularly, and was in due course entrusted to give the British premiere of his Cello Concerto in A minor in April 1866.

** 1884 – birth of Otto Urack (Berlin) d.1963
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer & conductor

** 1888 – birth of Theodore du Moulin (Chicago, USA) d.1978
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician

** 1896 – in the London Queen’s Hall there took place a ‘Miss Harding’s Concert’ – this was a vocal recital, given by Miss Harding, Mrs Emslie-Cran, Mr David Bispham, Mr Theodore Byard and Mr Jack Robertson, but also featured cello solos performed by Monsieur Hollman, the whole accompanied by Mr Henry Bird. The performance also included a recitation by Miss Fay Davis.

** 1922 – first performance of Fauré – Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.117
Gérard Hekking/cello and Alfred Cortot/piano (Paris, Société Nationale de Musique). The music was dedicated to Charles Martin Loeffler (1861–1935).

** 1933 – one of the most unusual cellist events in history on this day! Solo cellist Beatrice Harrison organized “A Nightingale Festival” in aid of The Royal Society for the Protection of Wild Birds, and with the assistance of the Gramophone Company (His Master’s Voice). It is understood that the event, starting at 4.00pm that Saturday lasted all night until Sunday dawn, during which time the cellist tried to enter conversation by her cello once again with the singing of the nightingales (and other birds)

** 1953 – Mstislav Rostropovich/cello and Sviatoslav Richter/piano play all five Beethoven cello sonatas in a single concert performance
(St. Petersburg)

** 1967 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished the recording in Lucerne of Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major, with the Lucerne Festival Strings, conducted by Rudolf Baumgarther with the Lucerne Festival conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner (he started the recording the previous day)

** 1979 – cellist Nathaniel Rosen performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Marriner), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – last British performance of Daniel Shafran (with pianist Anton Ginsburg, Wigmore Hall, London)
cello sonatas by Brahms, Schnittke, Britten and others.

** 1859 – teenage Hungarian cellist Rosa Suck, accompanied by her parents, accepted an invitation from the Viennese Euterpe Association to perform in a charity concert on 30th October 1859. It seems probable that she remained away from home during a period; she also gave concerts there on 13th, 21st and 28th November 2859, in the Hall of the Friends of Music.

** 1902 – Auguste van Biene’s most famous theatre work – ‘The Broken Melody’ – had already received 1000 performances in 1895 and in a most pertinent “Chat with Mr. Van Biene” (appearing in the Hull Daily Mail (England) on this date in 1902, Van Biene related about the work:
“Of course, London was too superior to look at it. The critics said I ought to keep to the concert platform. They cut the piece up frightfully. But like Disraeli, I said, ‘No matter— the time will come when you shall hear me,’ and when we celebrated the thousandth performance in London they did hear me, and nothing could be said that was too fine or enthusiastic.”
As a lovely anecdote, to commemorate that mentioned 1000th occasion, he gave everyone at the Grand Theatre in Islington a copy of the sheet music as a souvenir present!

** 1903 – birth of Luigi Silva (Milan, Italy) d.1961
cellist & professor

** 1915 – first performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos – Berceuse [Lullaby] for cello and piano, Op.50 {at the first concert dedicated solely to his works}
(Rio de Janeiro)

** 1930 – Antoni Sala performed as cello soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Society, conducted by Julian Clifford, at the Queen’s Hall (London).

** 1938 – first complete performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos – Bachiana Brasileira no.1 for 8(+) cellos
(Casa d’Italia, Rio de Janeiro)

**1941 – cellist Juan Ruiz-Casaux was soloist in both Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor and Strauss – Don Quixote, with the Orquesta Municipal de Barcelona conducted by Enric Casals

** 1954 – birth of Ernst Reijseger (Bussum, Holland)
cellist (jazz, improvisation & contemporary classical) and composer

** 1961 – Pau {Pablo} Casals is invited to perform in the White House invited by US President John Kennedy – called ‘the most dramatic that the White House has ever seen’. The Washington Post wrote an article titled “White House Bows to Immortal Casals”. Casals, 84 years old, said he played to “symbolize my deep feelings for the American people and the faith and confidence we all have in you {President John F. Kennedy} as leader of the Free World.”

** 1966 – first performance of Leslie Bassett – Cello Duets (five pieces)
cellists: Norman Fischer and Harold Cruthirds (Interlochen, Michigan, USA)

** 1972 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Mario Rossi

** 1979 – birth of Aleksandr Khramouchin (Minsk, Belarus) d.2023
cellist, orchestral principal cello, chamber musician and soloist.
He became the principal cellist of the Luxembourg Philharmonic aged just 19, spending twenty years in the post. He was a member of the Aviv Quartet from 2010 to 2015. He made several distinguished recordings on Timpani Records — including the complete chamber music of Gabriel Pierné.

** 1988 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Ligeti – Cello Concerto. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (6th October) and Oostenrijk (13th November), conducted by Riccardo Chailly

** 1992 – birth of Marza Merophi (Peru)
cellist

** 1838 – Mendelssohn completes his Cello Sonata No.1 in Bb Major, Op.45

** 1854 – birth of Albert Hartmann (Lichtenau, Saxe-Weimar. Germany)
cellist, member of orchestras of Labgenbach and Mannheim Court Orchestra; occasional cello composer

** 1864 – In the past couple of years David Popper had collected numerous performances of the Volkmann Cello concerto ‘under his belt’ and on today’s date did so with the Gewandhausorchester, Leipzig, with the important composer Carl Reinecke as conductor.

** 1865 – first (private) performance of Brahms – Cello Sonata No.1 in E minor, Op.38
?/cello and composer at piano (Gdansk, Germany, now Poland)

** 1898 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Rêve d’amour {Proms premiere} and Tzig-Tzig {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1904 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23 and in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (13th October and 18th December) and Rotterdam (19th December) conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1910 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Herman Bemberg – Chant hindou (arr. Henry Wood), with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1911 – birth of André (Nicolas) Navarra (Biarritz, France) d.1988
cellist & professor

** 1920 – the debut performance of the Orquestra Pau Casals
conducted by Pau Casals (Barcelona)

** 1926 – birth of Ray {Raymond Matthews} Brown (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) d.2002
jazz double bassist & cellist, best known for extensive work with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald

** 1930 – birth of Jacques Doué (France)
cellist, principal cello Orquesta Santa Cecilia (Pamplona), professor in Bayonne Conservatorio. (he played a Testore cello of 1735).

** 1949 – Ernest Bloch conducting a programme of his own music featuring Zara Nelsova (cello soloist) with and the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, at the Royal Albert Hall (London).

** 1965 – Jacqueline Du Pré performed the Haydn Cello Concerto in C major in Manchester (probably with the Hallé Orchestra)

** 1972 – birth of Anna Armatys-Borrelli (Tarnów, Poland)
cellist

** 1993 – birth of Lester St. Louis (Brooklyn, New York)
A composer, cellist, and curator. Largely an autodidact, St. Louis did not begin playing the cello until he was 16 years old. An important figure in New York’s experimental improvisation scene, his artistic work crosses disciplinary boundaries and develops formats in which improvisation is articulated as a basic prerequisite and mode of creative sociality.

** 1806 – birth of {Eduard} Moritz Ganz (Mainz, Germany) d.1868
cellist, orchestra principal cello

** 1856 – birth of Ernest Gillet (Batignolles, Paris) d.1940 {brother of oboist and composer Georges Gillet}
composer and cellist, orchestra principal cello

** 1874 – birth of Arnold Schoenberg (Vienna) d.1951
composer and formerly cellist

** 1875 – birth of Hugo Löwenthal (Karlovy Vary, former Austro-Hungarian empire) d.1942
Czech cellist

** 1899 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Serenade and David Popper – Scenes from a Masked Ball, Op 3 No. 4 Papillons, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1901 – Clyde Twelvetrees was cello soloist in Frédéric Chopin – Nocturne in E flat major, Op 55.2 (arr. unknown for cello and piano) / Clyde Twelvetrees – Scherzo, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1902 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in Gabriel Fauré – Romance, Op 69, David Popper – Elfentanz, Op 39 and David Popper – Spanische Tänzen, Op 54 in the Queen’s Hall, London (Prom concert)
not clear whether with piano or orchestral accompaniment

** 1919 – first performance of Henriette Bosmans – Cello Sonata (written same year)
cello/ Marix Loevensohn (the dedicatee) with piano/the composer? (Amsterdam)

** 1924 – Mila Wellerson was cello soloist in Nicolò Paganini – Concerto for Violin No. 1 in E flat major, Op 6 (arr. Mila Wellerson for cello and orchestra in D major) Movement No. 1 Allegro maestoso – Tempo giusto,  with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1927 – Arnold Trowell was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb: 2, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1930 – Felix Salmond was cello soloist in Ernest Bloch – Schelomo (British premiere), with the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1981 – birth of Anna Wróbel (Warsaw)
cellist, chamber musician, premieres of contemporary works and teacher

** 1987 – the premiere of Vivian Fine’s “In Memoriam: George Finckel”, (written the same year) for four cellos (or larger cello ensembles), at Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont (U.S.A.). The composer herself conducted an ensemble of 16 cellos who are named as being: Elizabeth Brunton, Thomas Calabro, Joan Esch, Chris Finckel, David Finckel, Michael Finckel, Connie Gordon, Maxine Neuman, Robert Nowak, William Peck, Ingrid Porter, Michael Severens, Jared Shapiro, Martha Siegel and Jennifer Weiss.
This was a most heart-felt occasion; George Finckel was Fine’s longtime colleague at Bennington College. He performed many of her compositions, and his cello class was the inspiration for her Missa Brevis. The piece ends with a recapitulation of the first section, to which Fine added an expressive line resembling the “Lacrymosa (Weeping)” movement from the Missa Brevis.

** 1768 – on this date the earliest published compositions by James Cervetto “Opera prima[:] Six Solos for the Violoncello, with a Thorough Bass”, were first advertised for sale in the Public Advertiser (14th April 1768)

 ** 1840 – In a concert of the talented Russian violinist Nikolay Dmitriev-Svetchin, the cellist Auguste Franchomme participated by playing a “Theme and Variations” he himself had composed.

** 1843 – birth of Albert Gowa (Hamburg, Germany)
cellist, principal cello in court of Prince Schaumburg Lippe at Biickeburg, principal cello in Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra (during 20 years), chamber musician in various quartets.

** 1864 – cello soloist David Popper performed Volkmann’s Cello Concerto, Op.33 once again (at least the third time in the space of less than 12 months) at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert. He again repeated on 17th April the same month

** 1867 – birth of Karl Piening (Bielefeld, Germany)
cellist, member of the ‘newly-founded’ Glasgow Quartet, solo cellist of the ducal chapels at Crefeld and Meiningen, member Meiningham Quartet, played music with composer Wilhelm Berger

** 1878 – birth of Hélène Dolmetsch (Nancy, France) d.1924
cellist {based England}

** 1909 – the Max Fiedler – Cello Sonata in E-flat Major (composed before 1909) was given its US premiere with Alwin Schroeder in the Hess-Schroeder Quartet’s 1908-9 Chickering Hall concert series (Boston). Still in manuscript at the time, the sonata had been played earlier in Leipzig, with Julius Klengel and the composer. Music critic Philip Hale wrote in the Boston Herald, 14th April, 1909:
“Mr. Fiedler’s sonata… is in four movements. The themes of the first are fresh and they have a marked profile. The spirit of the movement is romantic, and the development of the thematic material is interesting, not merely scholastic and perfunctory.”
The critic of the Boston Globe wrote on the same day:
“… it was around the Fiedler sonata, naturally, that most interest centered. The composer played as he conducts, with authority. … From the very Schubert-like beginning of the piece to its brilliant ending it is a thing of resonance and genuine power. To hear two such musicians as Messrs Schroeder and Fiedler together, as was the case last night, was as unusual as it was memorable.”

** 1921 – Gregor Piatigorsky gave his last concert (Moscow) before his escape to the West. He performed with members of the State Quartet of the Music Department of People’s Commissariat for Education, also known as the ‘Lenin Quartet’. The programme included Prokofiev – Ballade for Cello and Piano in C Minor; Prokofiev – Romances; Krein – A Poem (Quartet, Op.9).
He was not to return to the Soviet Union for decades.

** 1923 – solo Belgium cellist Jean Gérardy started a third major concert tour of Australia on this day. Learning from the mistakes of the previous tour, this time they performed in far many more places, but less engagements in each one.

** 1931 – On 14th April 1931 the Second Republic is proclaimed, with which Pablo Casals participates and becomes personally involved as a member of the Junta de Música de Catalunya (Music Board of Catalonia).

** 1951 – birth of Julian Lloyd Webber (London)
cellist, conductor & conservatoire principal

** 1955 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 58 with Fritz Reiner, conductor (14th and 15th April)

** 1957 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in Geneva, with the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, conducted by Hans Rosbaud

** 1979 – first performance of Peter Sculthorpe – Requiem for cello
(Mittagong, NSW, Australia)

** 1982 – birth of Alisa Weilerstein (Rochester, New York, USA)
Cellist

** 1984 – on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Davis), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1984 – the premiere of Swedish composer Hilding Hallnäs’ Cello Concerto (written 1982) took place on this date at the Berwaldhallen/Sveriges riksradio, featuring cello soloist Ola Karlsson, with the Radiosymfonikerna conducted by Leif Segerstam

** 1994 – Danish cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson made a live performance recording of Richard Strauss – Don Quixote op. 35 (1897), on Danish Radio Studio 1

** 1844 – Jacques Offenbach’s wedding took place on 14 August 1844; he was 25 years old and was working as a professional cellist, and the bride was 17 years old. There was an obstacle to his marriage to Hérminie – the difference in their professed religions. So, he converted to Roman Catholicism, with the comtesse de Vaux acting as his sponsor. His father Isaac Offenbach’s views on his son’s conversion from Judaism are unknown!

** 1872 – birth of Zygmunt Butkiewicz (Lida Uezd, Poland) d.1935
cellist, chamber musician & pedagogue

** 1873 – birth of Adolph Schiffer (Prague) d.1950
cellist, member of Budapest String Quartet & pedagogue(professor Budapest conservatoire)

** 1886 – Cellist-composer Victor Herbert married Therese Förster in Vienna

** 1923 – Arnold Trowell was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb: 2 (arr. Arnold Trowell), with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1942 – on this day Gregor Piatigorsky participated in a benefit concert for the Russian War Relief at Tanglewood. In fact, throughout the war, he appeared in benefits for many other committees and organizations, including the USO and the Armed Forces Radio Service.

** 1947 – Ambrose Gauntlett was cello soloist, along with Paul Beard/violin, Edward Selwyn/oboe and Richard Newton/bassoon in Joseph Haydn – Sinfonia Concertante in B flat Major, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1953 – birth of {Dr.} Darilyn Dee Manring (U.S.A.) d.2019
cellist, orchestral principal cello & teacher

** 1965 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Beethoven – Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 56, , featuring the cellist Leslie Parnas, alongside Jaime Laredo, Violin and Rudolf Serkin, Piano, with The Marlboro Orchestra
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1967 – Alan Dalziel was cello soloist, along with Trevor Williams and Jeffrey Wakefield/violins, in Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto for Two Violins and Cello in D minor, RV 565, Op 3.11 {Proms premiere}, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Rossi {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1968 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Kodály – Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, featuring the cellist Ronald Leonard, with Norma Auzin, Violin
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1972 – Siegfried Palm was cello soloist in Bernd Alois Zimmermann – Canto di speranza for cello and small orchestra {UK premiere}, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Norman Del Mar {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1990 – birth of Alejandro Saul Martinez Gonzalez (La Habana, Cuba)
cellist, orchestral principal cello, chamber music, arranger – based in the Basque Country – Spain

** 1997 – birth of Łukasz {Pawlik} Pawlikowski (Poland)
cellist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger. Classically-trained cellist, jazz pianist, drummer, electric bassist, and producer.

** 1778 – birth of Nikolaus Kraft (Esterhazy, Hungary) d.1853
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello & composer [son of Antonin Kraft]

** 1879 – birth of Robert Purcell Jones (Ruabon, North Wales)
cellist (formerly violinist!), orchestra principal cello and chamber musician

** 1882 – from a concert in the Opera House St. Paul on December 14, 1882, the ‘St. Paul Daily Globe’ musical critic wrote the following day about cellist Marie Geist:
“The ‘cello solos by Miss Geist were the works of an artiste of first-class ability, trained in one of the very best schools of Europe. Her tones upon that noble instrument were full, round and clear. The ‘Fantasie’ by Hænsel is a selection that is full of difficulties, abounding in double stops and rapid, dangerous staccato passages which were executed with precision and a certain definiteness, that stamped the performer an artiste. In the ‘Mazurka,’ by Popper she gave her hearers an opportunity to listen to the delicious harmonies that constitute such a charm on the ‘cello”

** 1885 – birth of Marcel Ringeisen (Dyon, France)
cellist, professor at the Toulouse Conservatoire, solo cellist of the concert society of Toulouse

** 1888 – birth of Michel Penha (Amsterdam, Holland) d.1982
cellist, orchestra principal cello & studio musician {based USA}

** 1901 – in the concert series “Mr Joseph Ivimey´s Chamber Concerts”, held in the Assembly Rooms, Surbiton, Surrey, England, the 100th Chamber Concert was given on this date and featured Madame Marian McKenzie (vocal) with Miss Fanny Davies (piano) and then H. Trust (cello) accompanied by Miss Dora Robinson.

** 1904 – first performance of Reger – Cello Sonata No.3 in F Major, Op.78
composer at piano (Museumssaal im Palais Portia, Munich, Germany)

** 1905 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Widor – Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.41. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1905 – birth of Mervyn Vicars
cellist, orchestra musician, many other instruments, conductor & composer

** 1908 – birth of Morey Amsterdam (Chicago, USA) d.1996
comedian & cellist!

** 1913 – although he was to live another 60 years, Pau {Pablo} Casals curiously gave his last ever concert in St. Petersburg on this date.  After the Russian Revolution, Pablo Casals decides not to return to play in Russia in rejection of its policies and in support of the situation experienced by his friends such as Alexander Siloti.

** 1921 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a cello recital was given by Felix Salmond

** 1944 – birth of Heidi Litschauer (Vienna)
Austrian cellist and professor, principal cello Camerata Académica de Salzburg, cellist of Vienna Trio & Vienna Flute Trio, head professor in Mozarteum on Salzburg

** 1963 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Prokofiev – Sinfonia Concertante, Op.125. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (11th, 12th and 14th December), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1966 – cellist Maurice Gendron performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th December), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1974 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1977 – first performance of Galina Ustvolskaya – Grand Duet for piano and cello
(St. Petersburg, Russia)

** 1979 – Release Date of the Frederico Fellini film “Orchestra Rehearsal” / “El Ensayo de Orquesta” / “Prova d’Orchestra”, first publicly screened on this day in Spain. The important role of the cellist was portrayed by actor Ferdinando Villella.
An orchestra assembles for a rehearsal in an ancient chapel under the inquisitive eyes of a TV documentary crew, but an uprising breaks out. At first, the musicians had arrived, joking and teasing. A union shop steward explained to them that a TV crew is there, and that talking to them is optional, and there will be no extra compensation for that. So, the musicians were talking about their instruments. The German conductor duly arrived and put them through their paces. However, he yelled at them, insulting the players. The shop steward called a 20-minute break. The conductor retreated to his dressing room and talked about how the world of music has changed, moving away from the real respect for the conductor. He returns to the rehearsal to find the orchestra in full revolt. What can bring them back to the music?

** 1980 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Nicholas Anderson, with Jacqueline Divenyi /piano

** 1992 – first performance of Iannis Xenakis – ‘Paille in the wind’, for cello and piano
Jacopo Scalfi/cello and Roger Woodward/piano (La Scala de Milan, Milan, Italy)

** 1808 – birth of Franz de Boch (Poterstein, Czech)
cellist, member of the court chapel of Stuttgart, professor in Stuttfart Conservatoire

** 1830 – birth of Valentin Müller (Munster, Westphalia, Germany)
cellist, chamber musician & teacher – occasional composer

** 1838 – birth of Louis Lübeck (The Hague, Holland) d.1904
cellist, orchestra principal cello Gewandhaus Orchestra, professor & composer

** 1888 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in London.
The ‘Times’ newspaper wrote:
“Of Brahms’s concerto it is not easy to speak definitely after a single hearing, for although, as in most of his later works, the composer writes with greater simplicity and with more condensation of thought than in his earlier days, there is much that would require careful study to be thoroughly appreciated….No one but Brahms among living masters could have written this work, which shows all the earnestness of purpose, all the freedom from mere clap-trap, to which this composer owes his leading position. Of the performance it would be difficult to speak in too favourable terms. It was perfect, and final in the sense that all subsequent interpreters will simply have to adopt the reading of Herr Joachim at the violin and of Herr Hausmann at the violoncello.”
The Musical Times especially picked up on the third Movement:
“A rare fault with Brahms, it is patchy in construction, and the composer seems to have felt that he was not doing his best, for he brings the work to an abrupt conclusion without the imposing peroration for which one looks. It would be well for him to subject this portion of the Concerto to revision before submitting it to the world in print. With such distinguished executants the performance could not be otherwise than magnificent, and the reception of the work was nothing short of enthusiastic.”

** 1893 – Julius Klengel was special invited solo cellist in the Annual Reid Concert of 1893 on this day. He played the Volkmann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33 and various short solos with piano accompaniment:   Air (J.S. Bach), Scène pittoresque (J. Massenet) and Tarantella (A. Piatti). In all the rest of this programme was a massively long concert, held in the Music Hall (Edinburgh)

** 1895 – Pau {Pablo} Casals is named Knight of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain). He then travels to Brussels with a letter of recommendation from François Gavaërt, director of the Conservatory of Music there. After the entrance examinations with Edouard Jacobs, Pablo Casals declines admission to the conservatory. Queen María Cristina withdraws his pension. He decides to go to Paris, where he spends some difficult times and professional uncertainty. At the end of 1895 he returns to Barcelona.

**1896 – Antonin Dvorak wrote an important letter on today’s date in 1896 to Francesco Berger (director of the London ‘Philharmonic Society’ and acting as its honorary secretary):
 “My dear friend Berger, I am sorry to announce you that I cannot conduct the performance of the cello concerto. The reason is I have promised to my friend Wihan – he will play it. If you put the concerto into the program, I could not come at all, and will be glad to come another time. With kindly regards sincerely yours Ant. Dvorak.”
Francesco Berger’s reply letter to Antonin Dvorak three days later, 17 February 1896:
“My dear friend and honoured Master! We should have been most happy to have had Mr. Wihan to play your Concerto. But as you told me he could not come on the 19 March we thought to please you by including the work and have engaged Mr. Leo Stern who says he knows the work. […]”

** 1903 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Hugo Becker and Miss Tita Brand (reciter)

** 1926 – birth of Alexander Kok (Johannesburg, South Africa) d.2015
cellist, orchestra principal cellist, chamber musician, session music player, teacher, lecturer, founder of music school {based England}

** 1941 – on this day the Spanish composer Ricard Lamote de Grignon wrote an ‘Elegía’ para cello and piano (a piece from 3 ‘Bagatelas de fin de siglo’)

** 1977 – first performance of Einojuhani Rautavaara – Music for Upright Piano and Amplified Cello
(Helsinki)

** 1986 – on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1998- first performance of David Del Tredici – Cello Acrostic, for cello
(University of South Florida, USA)

** 1811 – birth of Karl Graedener/Grädener (Rostock, Germany) d.1883
composer, conductor, cellist & teacher {father of Hermann Graedener]

** 1842 – the transcription of ‘La Romanesca’ by the Belgian cellist-composer François Servais (1807–1866) is mainly based on the version made by the violinist Pierre Baillot (1771–1842), giving the violin part to the cello and the guitar part to the piano (string quintet). According to the Servais scholar Peter François, the first known performance took place in Warsaw on 14th January 1842.
La Romanesca is a post-Rameau gavotte, but does not display early style. Indeed, the section in B major seems to be by Servais himself! Given the popularity of La Romanesca, it quite possibly inspired David Popper’s famous, D major Gavotte and also Gaspar Cassadó’s Pastorale (which he tried to pass off as a François Couperin work!).

** 1863 – birth of Th. C. de Maaré (Holland)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, opera orchestra principal cello (at aged only 22 he was appointed second solo violoncellist of the Amsterdam Orchestral Union, and later on first solo violoncello at the French Opera at Amsterdam.

** 1875 – Alfredo Piatti performed at the Charles Hallé’s concerts in Manchester, along with Miss Antoinette Sterling (voice), Madame Norman-Neruda (violin), and Mr. Charles Hallé (piano and director)

** 1894 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Jean Gérardy was cello soloist in Raff – Cello Concerto, Op.193. Orchestral works of Cherubini, Liszt and Beethoven were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1911 – birth of Helmut Degen (Aglasterhausen, near Heidelberg, Germany) d.1995
A German composer (and cellist) whose works include educational chamber music in modern style. His style resembles Hindemith and uses methods similar to 12-tone composition. He wrote a cello concerto in 1942 which was premiered by Hermann von Beckerath in 1947, and a concerto for cello and string orchestra in 1955. He also wrote a concerto for twelve cellos. All these works appear to be unrecorded. The cello was for him a luring instrument – after initial studies on piano, from 1920 onwards he learnt to play the cello too, in order that he could play string quartets with his father and two brothers!

** 1932 – Gregor Piatigorsky gave a performance in the US White House, before President Herbert Hoover

** 1946 – in a concert at the National Gallery of London, William Pleeth (cello) and Margaret Good (piano) gave a joint recital

** 1951 – on the 14th and 21st January of this year, Mstislav Rostropovich gave his first ever performances of the complete six cello suites of J.S. Bach. These were important occasions, taking place in the Small Hall at the Moscow Conservatory.

** 1953 – cellist Andre Navarra performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th January), and Den Haag (17th January), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1959 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th January) and Den Haag (24th January), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1963 – cellist Anner Bijlsma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (13th and 14th January) and Assen (27th April) and conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1971- on this day cellist Janos Starker made a live recording of Hindemith – Cello Concerto, in Stuttgart (Germany), with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR conducted by Andreas von Lukacsy

** 1982 – Shirley Trepel (cello) and Albert Hirsh (piano) gave a joint recital in Hamman Hall of the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University (U.S.A.)

** 1982 – first performance of Walker – Cello Concerto
soloist Lorne Munroe, with New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta

** 1996 – cellist Natalia Gutman performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.107. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (12th and 14th January), conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich

** 1862 – first performance of Piatti – Tème Varié
soloist – Alfredo Piatti (Philharmonic Society Jubilee concert)

** 1890 – from the town of Klin, near Moscow province, P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote:
“I have the sextet ready in draft, and today I’m setting about the scoring. As my work progresses, I should like to send it to you in sections. I shall not print it until you and your companions have learned it and corrected everything that is awkward, bad, or jarring. In short, you will be playing it in public before it is printed. Only after having heard your performance and taking into account all your amendments and advice, will I subject the sextet to a revision and allow it to be engraved. It seems to me that as music it’s adequate in itself. At least, I tried terribly hard. God! How interesting it will be for me to hear my new offspring when you play it for me! After all this is my first attempt to break free from the quartet. The sextet is such a wonderful grouping! How conveniently this turned out to be, so rich in resources!
I’m dedicating the sextet to your society. Please, write to me where to send you the sextet?
Where is Verzhbilovich?  I cannot imagine the first cello part being performed without him.
I embrace you!”

** 1897 – birth of Gwendoline {Gwen} Farrar (London, England) d.1944
An English cellist, singer, actress and comedian. She trained as a classical cellist under Herbert Walenn. Recitalist with pianist Norah Blaney during World War I. Between 1921 and 1924, they appeared at many leading London and provincial variety theatres, as well as in the cabaret shows. Farrar later appeared also in three British films: She Shall Have Music (1935), Beloved Imposter (1936), which featured the popular pianist Leslie Hutchinson; and Take a Chance (1937). She was romantically linked to actress Tallulah Bankhead when the latter was living in London.
Legacy: A 2014 play, ‘All The Nice Girls’ by Alison Child and Rosie Wakley, tells the personal and professional partnership of Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney.

** 1899 – first performance of De Falla – Romanza for cello and piano
(private concert, at the home of Salvador Viniegra in Cádiz, Spain)

** 1921 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 in Karlovy Vary on this day. Orchestral works of Berlioz, Dvorak and R. Strauss were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1923 – on this day writer Philip Heseltine (the real name of composer Peter Warlock) published descriptive notes in the ‘Weekly Westminster Gazette 2’ about the Delius Cello Concerto; maybe the first-ever notes about the then ‘new’ concerto!

** 1941 – birth of Götz Teutsch (Sibiu, Transylvania, Rumania)
cellist, orchestra principal cello (Berlin Phil Orch) – member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’

** 1948 – birth of Akua Dixon (New York City, U.S.A.)
jazz cellist, arranger, composer and educator
Akua Dixon has been at the forefront of improvising string players since 1973. An early high point in Dixon’s career was playing a concert with Duke Ellington. She is the first cellist to win the Downbeat Critics Poll. A multi laureate of the National Endowment for the Arts in composition and performance, Akua is considered “amongst the treasures of contemporary jazz”. Groups in which Dixon has played include the Neo-Bass Ensemble and Quartette Indigo (with her violinist sister, Gayle). She has her own group, the Akua Dixon String Ensemble. Dixon composed The Opera of Marie Laveau in the late 1980s. Dixon received the 1998 African American Classical Music Award from Spelman College

** 1960 – birth of Matias De Oliveira Pinto (São Paulo, Brazil) d.2025
cellist and professor.
At the age of just 18 he became a teacher at the Paraná School of Music and Fine Arts, Brazil. After studying in Europe his residence became Germany. From 1991 onwards he taught at the University of Arts in Berlin (continuing to do so since 2005 as a guest professor), while also holding a professorship at the Münster Conservatory of Music since 2005. He performed as soloist and chamber musician in the promotion of contemporary music, and was a founding member of the Modern Art Sextet in Berlin. He also participated in the Bolivar Soloists, and was the dedicatee of numerous cello works. In the Musikfestival Verden in Germany and the Ouro Branco Festival, Brazil he was engaged as the artistic director.
He tragically died in a night-time car accident in Berlin, in February 2025.

** 1953 – in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Vienna Festival Weeks’ on 11th and 14th June this month, cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky performed as prominent orchestral soloists in R. Strauss – ‘Die Frau ohne Schatten’, Op.65.  Conductor: Karl Böhm / Musikverein, Large Hall, Vienna

 ** 1965 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) and Nina Musinian (Piano) record 2 works: El amor brujo: ‘Danza Ritual del fuego’ (“Ritual Fire Dance”) and Canciones populares españolas by Manuel de Falla

** 1973 – on this day cellist Ross Pople played in a trio performance, alongside Yehudi Menuhin and his sister Yalta, in an event for Queen Elizabeth II.

** 1973 – birth of Gay-Yee Westerhoff (Yorkshire, England)
cellist, bassist, pianist, violin and violist – the cellist of electric quartet ‘Bond’

** 1979 – birth of Johannes Moser (Munich, Germany)
cellist, soloist encompassing music of all ages

** 1981 – Rohan de Saram (cello) and Michael Hill (piano) gave a recital at the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, England – the programme included works by Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60, Prelude and Fugue on a theme by Cyril Scott, Op.69 and Discourse, Op.127

** 1995 – birth of Ana Carla Maza (Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba)
Cellist (her first study), also a vocalist and composer. Specialises in Latin, Brazilian and Cuban music, often with jazz influences.

** 1814 – Charles Neate performed as cellist in a quartet playing a work by Romberg.

** 1835 – birth of Walter Petit (London?) d.1882
cellist, principal cello in the Queen’s band, and at the Philharmonic Society; performed at the H.M. Theatre

** 1869 – on this date cellist Ludwig Peer performed as soloist with the Löwenberg Orchestra the Popper – Romanze for Violoncello and Piano, Op.5. This was important in that it was probably the first time an established cello soloist other than Popper himself performed one of his works in a professional concert!

** 1885 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Anna Williams (vocal) and Robert Hausmann (cello).

** 1892 – French/American cellist Louis Victor Gaetan Amato (member Chicago Orchestra) performed at the Saint Louis Exposition

** 1903 – in the concert series “Mr Joseph Ivimey´s Chamber Concerts”, held in the Assembly Rooms, Surbiton, Surrey, England, the chamber concert was on this date featured soloists Mr Arthur Walenn (vocal) and Mr Withers (cello).

** 1907 – first performance of Widor – Cello Sonata in A Major, Op.80
(Jules Loeb/cello and composer at piano, Paris)

** 1909 – first performance of Enescu – Sinfonia Concertante, Op.8 (1901)
soloist – Joseph Salmon, Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra, conducted by composer (Paris)

** 1914 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Nikmegen (14th March) and Amsterdam (15th March, where he also performed Lalo – Cello Concerto on the same programme), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1920 – birth of Paul Szabo (Hungary)
cellist, chamber musician – cellist of Vegh quartet

** 1921 – Felix Salmond performed as cello soloist in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor with the violinist Sammons, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates. Salmond was now being recognized as England’s premier concert cellist

** 1945 – birth of Valentin Erben (Munich)
Member of the Alban Berg Quartet, playing with them for nearly 40 years. Professor Hochschule für Musik Vienna since 1972. Has also taught at Cologne University, the Chigiana Academy in Siena, and at ProQuartet in Paris.

** 1957 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33, with Fritz Reiner, conductor (14th and 15th March)

** 1959 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts, in Den Haag (14th March)  and Amsterdam (15th March), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1977 – cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in THREE concerto works: Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104; Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major; and Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Kirill Kondrashin

** 1978 – Leonid Brezhnev signed an edict of the ‘Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet’ (U.S.S.R.), stripping cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife Galina of their citizenship.

** 1792 – birth of Johann Georg Herman Voigt (Osterwick, Germany)
cellist and organist, organist St. Peter’s Church, Leipzig, principal cello ‘Grosse Concert’ (later ‘Gewandhaus Concerte’) {father of Karl Ludwig Voigt}

** 1809 – birth of Johann Benjamin Gross (Elbing, Germany) d.1848
cellist, member Royal Orchestra of Berlin, member Konigstadter Theatre Orchestra, principal cello of the theatre at St. Petersburg, chamber musician and composer

** 1880 – birth of May Mukle (London) d.1963
cellist
May Mukle and her sister Anne, a pianist, formed a trio with the American violinist Maud Powell; and they toured successfully in South Africa and America. When she was seventeen, she was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of London (A..R.A.M.). She thereafter became internationally famous as a performer, sometimes even being called “the female Casals,” by the press. She was responsible for several first performances of important cello works of British composers, and was committed to the growth of cello playing among others of her own sex. The Royal Academy of Music in London awards the May Mukle prize yearly, in her memory.

** 1884 – birth of Samuil Abramovich Amosud (Tiflis, Russian Empire) d.1964
A Soviet/Russian conductor and pedagogue, who started his career as a cellist. He was a theatre and opera conductor before founding what was to become the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.

** 1902 – William Henry Squire performed his own Bourree, Op.24, and his Sérénade at the Bechstein Hall, London, as solo cello items on a vocal recital.

** 1915 – cellist May Mukle recorded Adolphe Fischer – By the brook (Au bord du ruisseau) for violoncello and piano Op.6, and Edward MacDowell – ‘Nautilus: a Fairy Sail and a Fairy Boat’ for violoncello and piano, with George Falkenstein (piano), in New York

** 1917 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Frederick Stock) recorded Suppe’s Poet and Peasant Overture, featuring the principal cello Bruno Steindl (the recording is still available today).

** 1924 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Gala concert dedicated to the 60th birthday of Richard Strauss, Friedrich Buxbaum performed Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35, with the composer conducting. Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1926 – birth of Denis Vigay (London) d.2015
cellist, principal cello in the Sadler’s Wells Opera Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; freelancer, cello professor at the Royal Academy of Music, cello tutor to the National Youth Strings Academy.

** 1945 – birth of Jürnjakob Timm (Neubrandenburg, Germany)
German cellist and university lecture. He was a member during more than 40 years of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig, becoming its principal cello in 1973. Cellist of the Gewandhaus String Quartet.
One of his two sons, Andreas Timm, works as deputy principal cello with the Konzerthausorchester of Berlin from 2002.

** 1946 – birth of Victoria Jagling d.2011
cellist composer / studied cello with Rostropovich and composition with Kabalevsky and Krennikov. Winner of the 1969 Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition, and prizewinner in Moscow International Competition. Works for cello include three concertos and a Solo Suite. Professor in the Jean Sibelius Academy – Helsinki.

** 1956 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, in Vienna, with the Sinfonie-Orchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks Hamburg, conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt

** 1965 – the American debut of cellist Jacqueline Du Pre (Elgar Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati – New York)

** 1974 – first ‘modern’ performance of Brahms – Cello Sonata in G Major, Op.78 {perhaps reworked by Brahms – or Paul Klengel? – from his Violin Sonata in D Major}
(performers?) Vienna

** 1976 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bloch – Schelomo. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th May) and Groningen (15th May), conducted by Yoav Talmi

** 1979 – birth of Danjulo Ishizaka (Bonn, Germany)
cellist and professor

** 1986 – birth of Hermine Horiot (Dijon, France)
cellist, orchestra principal cello Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitane and the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne.

** 1990 – Gheorghe Motatu/cello and Assumpta Coma/piano gave the premiere of Alejandro Gabriel Civilotti Carvahlo – Capriccio for Cello and Piano (1985), and Francesc Taverna-Bech – Temperaments (1990)
Barcelona, Catalonia

** 1991 – Dimitar Furnadjiev/cello and Zdravka Radoilska/piano performed José de Uruñuela Fernández – ‘Jorrai-dantza variata’ and ‘Pavana’ for cello and piano, in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Church of Capuchinos, Rentería (Guipuzcoa), Basque Country

** 1830 – it seems that Chopin had just attended a concert in Dresden that featured the performances of two consolidated cellists, namely Dotzauer and Kummer; Chopin wrote to his family in a letter on this date: “famous local cellists, had several solos; for the rest, nothing in particular”.

** 1881 – a notable historical concert on this day: Brahms – Piano Quartet in G minor, op.26 (Messrs Stanford, Gompertz, Donkin and Whitehouse on cello), and Beethoven, Serenade, Trio for Violin, Viola and Violoncello, op.8. Also on the programme, violin solos by BOTH Joachim and Sarasate, a cello solo by Boccherini performed by Whitehouse, and songs by Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Parry and Stanford (sung by Mr. Thorndike), in Cambridge University Musical Society (Cambridge, England)

** 1894 – first performance of Gabriel Fauré – Romance for cello and piano, Op.69
(Geneva, Switzerland). Originally written for cello and organ, it was first performed in Geneva on 14th November 1894, by Adolf Rehberg, cello, with the composer at the keyboard.

** 1896 – the London Ballad Concerts, held at the Queen’s Hall (London) gave a performance featuring the vocal soloists Miss Margaret Macintyre, Miss Mary Thomas, Mr Lloyd Chandos and Mr Franklin Clive, with ‘Mr Eaton Fanning’s Select Choir’- and Leo Stern gave some cello solos too.

** 1902 – Bruno Steindel gave the United States premiere of Boellmann – Variations Symphoniques, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Theodore Thomas

** 1905 – birth of August Wensinger (Basel, Switzerland) d.1996
cellist, violinist, conductor & professor.  He was a pioneer of historically informed performance, both as a master of the viola da gamba and as a conductor of Baroque orchestral music and operas. Wenzinger served as first cellist in the Bremen City Orchestra (1929–1934) and the Basel Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (1936–1970). By 1925 Wenzinger had mastered the viola da gamba, an instrument then usually considered obsolete. He joined the Kabeler Kammermusik (Kabel Chamber Music), a circle of musicians interested in authentic Baroque performance. In 1930 he co-founded the Kammermusikkreis Scheck-Wenzinger (Scheck-Wenzinger Chamber Music Circle), considered the leading early music ensemble until the 1950s. Wenzinger moved to Basel the same year to accept an appointment to teach cello and viola da gamba at the newly founded Schola Cantorum Basiliensis; he taught many acclaimed violists, including Jordi Savall. He founded the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis viola da gamba trio. Wenzinger was also an acclaimed conductor, and in 1949 he led a recording of the Brandenburg Concertos performed on original instruments for the Archiv record label. From 1954 to 1958 he led the Capella Coloniensis, the baroque orchestra of West German Radio in Cologne.  He edited Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites in 1950 for Bärenreiter, an edition which remains a best seller for the publisher and still among the most widely used by performers.

** 1912 – Leopold Rostropovich participated in a charity concert given “for the benefit of underprivileged students of the Real School” in his hometown of Voronezh, which was said to have left audiences deeply moved. The musical critic wrote:
“boundless artistic pleasure … The enchanting sounds of Mr. Rostropovich’s deeply expressive cello will long resonate in the memories of those who heard this talented artist yesterday”.

** 1919 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Alfred Megerlin & Leo Schulz with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stransky

** 1942 – birth of Natalia Gutman (Kazan, Russia)
Cellist

** 1943 – perhaps the greatest media success of Joseph Schuster, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra – on Sunday, November 14, 1943, when he was scheduled to play Strauss’s Don Quixote under Bruno Walter. However, Walter fell ill on the very concert day and as a replacement a very young Leonard Bernstein conducted his debut with the New York Philharmonic – not only did Bernstein fulfill the role, there was overwhelming enthusiastic response by both the audience and press to ensure Bernstein’s wonderful career was launched – but for that all important ‘kick-off’, Bernstein had to thank the cellist Joseph Schuster! The performance was later released on record.

** 1946 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a cello recital was given by Douglas Cameron (cello) and Eric Harrison (piano).

** 1948 – birth of British Royal ‘King Charles III’
Aristocrat, but a cello playing student at Trinity College, Cambridge University!

** 1952 – birth of Maria Kliegel (Dillenburg, Hesse, Germany)
cellist & teacher

** 1961 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording in Zurich the Boccherini – Cello Concerto in Bb Major (version Grützmacher) with the Lucerne Festival conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

** 1965 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Olga Zilboorg, with Robert Guralnik /piano

** 1972 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier made a live recording of Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, in the London Royal Festival Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult

** 1974 – on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Barenboim), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1977 – birth of Lucio Franco Amanti (Montreal, Canada)
cellist and composer (jazz/classical) {based Italy). His composition is notable for the integration of jazz and pop idiom into classical music forms.

** 1978 – the premiere of Dietrich Erdmann’s Mouvements for cello (or double bass) and guitar (written in the same year 1978) took place in Munich.

** 1991 – the I International Paulo Cello Competition (4–14 November, 1991) closed today. The prizewinners were:
Xavier Phillips, France / Quirine Viersen, Netherlands / Henri Demarquette, France / Jan-Erik Gustafsson, Finland / Jean-Guihen Queyras, France / and Jens Peter Maintz, Germany

** 1687 – Domenico Gabrielli is dismissed from his post as cellist at S Petronio, Bologna for neglect of duty!

** 1803 – a reference to a concerto work for piano, violin, and cello and orchestra by Ludwig van Beethoven is made in a letter of 14th October 1803 from the composer’s brother Carl, acting as secretary, to the publisher Breitkopf und Hartel – we find Carl offering a “Konzertant fuer alle Instrumente fuer Klavier, Violonzello und Violin” – so Beethoven was actually toying with the idea of a Sinfonia Concertante before the first score of the Triple Concerto appeared some months later.

** 1864 – birth of Caesar Schwormstädt (Hamburg, Fermany)
cellist, solo cellist at Crefeld and member of the Richard Barth Quartet. Member of Bulow’s Orchestra; conductor of an orchestral union, several choirs, and a director of a school of music

** 1888 – birth of Katherine Mansfield {Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp)} d.1923
She wrote short stories and poetry under the pen name Katherine Mansfield – however she played the cello decently as a youngster – in fact, she believed that she would take up professionally!

** 1898 – birth of Maurice Martenot (Paris) d.1980
French inventor, cellist, teacher. Invented in 1928 the early electronic instrument the ondes Martenot

** 1933 – often noted is the first performance of Glazounov – Cello ‘Concerto Ballata’ with soloist – Maurice Eisenberg (Paris) – however that honour is now claimed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a performance on 15th December 1932, with soloist Daniel Saidenberg.

** 1945 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Howard Mitchell, with Sol Sax /piano

** 1956 – first performance of Peter Racine Fricker – Cello Sonata, Op.28
Amaryllis Fleming/cello and Gerald Moore/piano (BBC radio performance)

** 1959 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th October), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1961 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the C.P.E. Bach – Cello Concerto in A Major, with the Lucerne Festival Strings, conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

** 1970 – first performance of Lutoslawski – Cello Concerto in London.
The soloist was Mstislav Rostropovich with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by composer

** 1971 – birth of Anne Gastinel (Tassin-la-Demi-Lun, France)
cellist and professor

** 1907 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1926 – Arnold Trowell was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb: 2 (arr. Arnold Trowell), with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1953 – birth of Tom Cora (Yancey Mills, Virginia, USA) d.1998
cellist (improvisation, jazz & pop) and composer

** 1969 – birth of Alice Miriam Olivia Garner (Melbourne, Australia)
An Australian actress, author, historian, teacher, and cellist. She took the cello seriously and was a time-term member of the ‘Xylouris Ensemble’, performing contemporary and traditional Cretan music. Later she joined ‘Sunshine Tip’ (formerly called ‘The Endings’).

** 1973 – Pierre Fournier/cello and Jean Fonda/piano performed Beethoven Cello Sonatas Nos. 4 and 5 {first half of a Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1977 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, as cellist in the Brahms – Double Concerto, Op.102. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th September), conducted by Hans Vonk

** 1988 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 16th September), conducted by Riccardo Chailly

** 1999 – a major cello event took place at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana, USA). Scheduled as the 14th Eva Janzer Weekend, Mstislav Rostropovich made a visit to conduct a multi-cello orchestra of fine cellists, including no less than Janos Starker in the ensemble!

** 1651 – birth of Domenico Gabrielli (Bologna, Italy) d.1690 [*alternative birthdate given as 19 Oct, 1659]
cellist, court & church orchestral musician & composer

** 1776 – birth of Joseph Valentin Dont (Nieder-Georgenthal, Bohemia)
cellist, opera orchestra musician, theatre orchestra musician {father of well-known violinist Jacob Dont}

** 1796 – on this day an advertisement appeared in the ‘Diario of Madrid’ announcing the sale of “a violoncello school with all the art and ‘explanation of the instrument’, several copies of works of various kinds and authorship and two very good cellos for solo and chapel”.

** 1890 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) Carl Sachs gave a cello Recital, accompanied by James Mantell

** 1898 – birth of Sela Trau (Gorlice, Poland) d.1991
Cellist. She was a prominent cellist and cello teacher born in Poland who developed much of her career in the United Kingdom and Australia, known for her detailed interviews about her life and career, her training in Berlin with Erich Hollaender, her moves due to Nazi persecution, and her influence on musicians and artists in Australia, leaving an important legacy through her recordings and teaching. In 1975 Larry Sitsky wrote “Atman : a song of serenity: for cello, violin & piano” with sub-title: “In homage to Sela Trau: a concert trio”

** 1902 – birth of Anthony Pini (Buenos Aires) d.1989
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor

** 1903 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, a ‘Sonata evening’ was given by Raoul Pugno (piano) and Jean Gerardy (cello).

** 1912 – the sinking of the RMS Titanic, in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship’s eight musicians – members of a three-piece ensemble and a five-piece ensemble – boarded at Southampton and travelled as second-class passengers.
There were THREE cellists who lost their lives in the tragedy:
++ Roger Marie Bricoux (Cosne-sur-Loire, France) – a French cellist on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage – he died in the disaster aged 20 years old
++ John Wesley Woodward (West Bromwich, England) – a British cellist on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage – he died in the disaster aged 32 years old
++ Percy Cornelius Taylor (London) – a British cellist on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage – he died in the disaster aged 32 years old

** 1912 – birth of Giuseppe Selmi (Modena, Italy) d.1987
cellist, professor & composer. Principal cello in the RAI Symphony Orchestra of Rome, solo concert performer throughout Europe; a transcriber, reviser – he has also composed didactic works, chamber music and sacred music.

** 1937 – in the “Novedades Radio Fénix” project of Buenos Aires, the maestro Von Hermann was announced as being given the role of preparing orchestral ensembles, counting on the concert artists Ángel Juan Reta (violin) and Ulderico Valzangiácomo (cello).

** 1945 – on this day the cellist Anita Laster-Wallfisch was liberated from tortures in the concentration camp of Auschwitz the German authority crumbled, and she became an interpreter for the British army (speaking German, French and English!)

** 1955 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 58 with Fritz Reiner, conductor (14th and 15th April)

** 1955 – The first public performance of Saygun’s ‘Partita’ was given by German cellist Martin Bochmann in Istanbul (Turkey) on this April day in 1955; Bochmann was the cello professor at Ankara State Conservatory during that time. Saygun dedicated the Partita ‘in memory of Schiller’. The story of the work was:
Max Meinecke, the director of the Istanbul City Theatres suggested a title for the work like: ‘Requiem/Cello Suite’. In 1955, Max Meinecke had put the famous philosopher, poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller’s ‘Kabale und Liebe’ (Intrigue and Love) on the theatre’s programme. He commissioned Saygun to write a solo piece for cello to be performed before the play.

** 1959 – Rohan De Saram (cello) and Edmund Rubbra (piano) gave a London Wigmore Hall recital, including Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60

** 1970 – a special homage to Pau {Pablo} Casals took place on this day in New York, with a brief performance by an amazing cello ensemble of ONE HUNDRED players, headed by Bernard Greenhouse, as principal. Others included Orlando Cole, Fritz Matz, Leopold Teraspulsky, Bonnie Hampton, Madeline Foley, Maurice Eisenberg, Robert Jamieson, Gabor Retjo, Dimitri Markevitch, Ko Iwasaki, Naoum Benditzky, Takayori Atsuni, Louis Potter Jr., Gordon Epperson, Alan Shulman, Fortunato Arico, Jascha Silberstein and Janos Scholz. Unfortunately, no New York Philharmonic cello players were able to be present among the 100, because the Philharmonic had an unavoidable double rehearsal on that particular Wednesday. The featured work was by Casals – his “Sardana”, composed in 1926.

** 1973 – the premiere of Vivian Fine’s “Missa Brevis”, for Four cellos and taped voice (mezzo-soprano), took place at Finch College Concert Hall, New York City. The cellists were Gail Alcock, Lori Barnet, Michael Finckel, and Barbara Mallow, and the taped voice was handled by Jan DeGaetani.
The cello class of George Finckel – Fine’s longtime colleague at Bennington College – was the inspiration for her Missa Brevis. Over her 70-year career, Vivian Fine (1913-2000) became one of America’s most important composers. She wrote virtually without a break for 68 years, producing over 140 works, perhaps best known for her chamber music.

** 1982 – first performance of Rodrigo – Cello Concerto No.2 “Concierto como un divertimento’
soloist Julian Lloyd Webber with London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jesús López Cobos (London, Royal Festival Hall)

** 1738 – Francesco Alborea, known under the name “Franciscello”, returned to Paris in the summer of 1738 to participate in the Spirituel Concert on August 15th and September 8th, where he impressed his audience with his “great precision”, according to the local press.

** 1778 – ‘debut’ concert of cellist Jean-Baptiste Breval (Paris)

** 1797 – On August 15th, 1797, an advertisement appeared in the Madrid Gazette in which composer Pablo Vidal sells his own cello method called “Art, rudiments and harmonic school for learning to play the cello with perfection and ease according to the modern style”.

** 1911 – Leopold Rostropovich returned to his hometown of Voronezh, where he gave a triumphant performance. Local newspapers proudly reported on the artistry of their native son. Rostropovich continued to perform in Voronezh in subsequent years.

** 1926 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert in the Salzburg Festival, Roszi Varady performed Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major [this would not be the C Major Concerto we are familiar with today; maybe it was a working by David Popper and falsely attributed to Haydn?). Music of Mozart and other works of Haydn were also heard. Conductor: Clens Krauss Place: Large Festival Hall, Salzburg, Austria

** 1960 – one of the first recorded appearances of the famed jazz doublebassist/cellist Ron Carter was on Eric Dolphy’s “Out There”, recorded on 15th August, 1960, and featuring George Duvivier on bass, Roy Haynes on drums, and Carter on cello.

** 1967 – Jacqueline Du Pre was cello soloist in Robert Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1831 – birth of Friedrich Gustav Jansen (Germany) d.1910
cellist, professor at Gottengen, organist and royal music director for the Verden Cathedral. Jansen published cello-piano arrangements of Romberg’s Sonatas Op. 38 (originally for solo cello plus viola and cello) and Op. 43 (for two cellos).

** 1857 – birth of Bernard Rehl {Bernardus Johannes Anton (Bernard) Rehl} (The Hague, Netherlands) d.1915
A Dutch cellist, double bassist, bassoonist, conductor, and a composer. Rehl succeeded Bouman as first cellist of the Utrecht City Orchestra in 1882. In that city he also became conductor of the Utrecht Men’s Singing Association, the mixed choir ‘Kunstmin’ (from 1889 to 1891). Later, he became bandmaster of military Infantry Corps whilst maintaining his activity as a cellist. He wrote a Concert piece for cello and orchestra in 1905, performed it himself in Enschede in 1905; it earned him an award from the Society for the Promotion of Music of the Netherlands.

** 1866 – continuing his Swiss tour, David Popper performed Bach: Suite for violoncello solo No. 1, BWV 1007, a Boccherini: Cello Concerto and his own Maskenball-Szenen for the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft Zürich. The orchestra was conducted by Friedrich Hegar.

** 1867 – on today’s date David Popper performed Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129 in a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert – probably playing this work in public for the first time in his career. The audience also heard music by Beethoven, Marschner, Seifriz and other music of Schumann.

** 1883 – first public performance of Fauré – Elegie, Op.24
Jules Loeb/cello with composer at piano (Paris – Société National de Musique)

** 1892 – birth of José María Castro (Avellaneda, Argentina) d.1964
cellist, composer & conductor

** 1895 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Julius Klengel was cello soloist in Volkmann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33. Orchestral works of Beethoven, Reznicek and Schumann were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1918 – on this day cellist Philip Abas performed as soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (with conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch) in the 1st Cello Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns.

** 1932 – a world premiere performance of Glazunov – Concerto-Ballata is claimed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a performance on 15th December 1932, with soloist Daniel Saidenberg, but often produced is the date of 14th October, 1933 with soloist Maurice Eisenberg.

** 1939 – in the National Gallery, London, a cello recital was given by Beatrice Harrison (cello) and John Simons (piano).

** 1943 – Gregor Piatigorsky, cellist, performed the Paul Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940) with the CBS Symphony Orchestra, with the composer, Paul Hindemith, conducting, in a simultaneous radio broadcast. Piatigorsky had premiered this substantial work in 1941 in Boston. However, neither he nor the composer was ever given the opportunity of making a commercial recording of it, which makes the radio broadcast something really important.

** 1943 – birth of Jan Willem Loot (Breda, Netherlands) d.2021
A cellist and pianist, reading law at the University of Groningen, who later became a Dutch orchestral administrator.

** 1950 – birth of Jerry Grossman (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)
cellist, orchestra principal cello

** 1957 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Guy Fallot, with Monique Fallot /piano

** 1966 – cellist Maurice Gendron performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th December), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1974 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Paul Tobias, with Elizabeth Moschetti /piano

** 1997 – Gheorghe Motatu/cello and Assumpta Coma/piano performed Joaquím Homs Oller – Impromptu for cello and piano (1971), Frederic Wort Collado – 5 momentos musicales, and Josep María Pladevall i Fontanet – Sonata per a Violoncel i Piano (1997), recorded live by Spanish National Radio
Centro de Cultura Contemporánea, Barcelona, Catalonia

** 1768 – birth of Sebastin Ludwig Friedel (Neuberg, Germany) d.1857 or 1858
cellist, member of Court Orchestra Berlin, and occasional composer

** 1773 – birth of Johann Gottfried Arnold (Niedernhall, Württemburg, Germany)
cellist, town musician for Wertheim on the Tauber, member of Opera Orchestra in Frankfurt (at Romberg’s recommendation!) & composer

** 1844 – cellist Julius Rietz performed his own ‘Fantasia Appassionata’ at a Gewandhaus orchestral concert on this day

** 1873 – birth of Modest {Moisei Isaacovich} Altschuler (Mogiliev, Russia) d.1963
A cellist, orchestral conductor and a composer. He emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1903, where he helped form the Russian Symphony Orchestra Society of New York City. After disbanding the orchestra on the eve of the first World War, Altschuler moved to California, where, in 1926, he organized the Glendale Symphony Orchestra. From this point he taught in Los Angeles, continued conducting, wrote transcriptions, including an orchestral version of Tchaikovsky’s Trio (A minor). He published his Memoirs in 1956.

** 1884 – in a Frankfurt am Main Museums-Concert – Im grossen Concert-Saal – cellist David Popper was invited soloist in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.33, and also in the short pieces: Schumann/Popper- Träumerei // Popper – Menuett, Op.48 // Popper – Spinnlied, Op.55, No.1

** 1884 – first performance of R. Strauss – Romanze for Cello and Orchestra
soloist Hans Wihan (Baden-Baden, Germany). It was composed the previous year (1883) but not published until 1978!

** 1903 – duo cello performance in London – Madame Rose Olitzka (cello) and Mr Bertie Withers (cello) – unclear as to whether orchestral or chamber concert

** 1904 – on this day Pau {Pablo} Casals first played at the New York Carnegie Hall.

** 1905 – cellist Jean Gerardy performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33 and Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1911 – Elsa Ruegger performed J.S. Bach in Detroit, U.S.A. in a Detroit Quartet Concert. It was reviewed in the Detroit Free Press:
“Mme Ruegger’s Solo a Revelation to the Detroit String Quartet” … “Mme. Elsa appeared as soloist and played the Bach suite No. 5 for ’cello, minus accompaniment. …In interpreting music that calls for technique and intellectual understanding, she fully sustained her reputation, and perhaps did the most illuminating work she has performed before a Detroit public.”

** 1912 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring Beatrice Harrison cello, Hamilton Harty piano/organ and Cyril Scott piano

** 1918 – Former cellist Georgescu made his public debut in the capacity of orchestral conductor on February 15, 1918, leading the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. He was a promising professional cellist; however, as he travelled by train to an engagement in 1916, a railway carriage door was closed on his hand, causing a painful injury that ultimately precluded his further performance on the cello. So, as one chapter in his life closed, a new one opened…..Richard Strauss and Arthur Nikisch both advised him to take up conducting, advice that he quickly followed after coaching with the latter…

** 1924 – birth of Marion Davies (San Francisco, U.S.A.) d.2012
first cellist with the Kansas City Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony. Dallas Symphony Orchestra principal cellist, and then served as Co-Principal on the orchestra until her retirement. Teaching appointments included positions at Southern Methodist University and the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC.

** 1941 – birth of Therese Park (Taegu, Korea)
Therese Park is a Korean author and cellist, living in the U.S.A. (in 1966 she became a naturalized U.S. citizen). An accomplished cellist, she moved to the US to play with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra (now the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra), with whom she remained for 30 years.
A Cello Instructor at Nazarene College (now Mid-American Nazarene University) and Grace-land College (now University) in the 1980s.
After her retirement in 1997, she wrote extensively about the Korean War she lived through and those who granted South Korea freedom. Writings include ‘A Gift for the Emperor’ (novel), and ‘Spinsters’ Ink’.

** 1957 – on this day cellist Enrico Mainardi made a live recording, of Hindemith – Cello Concerto, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Eugen Jochum

** 1966 – birth of Tanya Anisimova (Grozny, Chechen Republic)
cellist & composer {based U.S.A.}
Called an “Everest Climber” by Janos Starker, cellist and composer Tanya Anisimova is known for her unorthodox interpretations, masterful arrangements, and for her original compositions and improvisations with her own vocal accompaniment.

** 1970 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist George Harpham, with Kyung Sook Lee /piano

** 1975 – at the Town Hall, Leeds (England) the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed with Arto Noras as cello soloist.

** 1982 – first performance of Morton Subotnick – Axolotl for cello, chamber orchestra and electronics
(Los Angeles)

** 1986 – on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1989 – cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (15th, 16th and 17th February), conducted by Herbert Blomstedt

** 1993 – a live recorded performance by Victor Ángel Gil /cello and Margarita Soto Viso/piano for Spanish National Radio, firstly of Barja Iglesias – 5 Melodies (1961-66) [this piece is also known as Canciones para cello y piano: Ausencia; Súplica; Noticia; Cuando yo me vaya; Vidalita]. They also performed two pieces by Andrés Gaos Berea – Humoresque and Chant Elegiaque, and Casiano Paredes Romero – Cantiga de Bercé
(Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid)

** 1689 – on this day Domenico Gabrielli finishes the writing of his “Ricercari e Sonate per Violoncello”. There are ten ricercari and one canon, but no sonata as such (but resembling the sonata of Corelli) despite the name appearing in the title of the book.

** 1811 – birth of Pierre Alexandre François Chevillard (Antwerp, Belgium) d.1877
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician, professor & composer of cello music

** 1887 – first performance of Neruda – Cello Concerto No.2
soloist – Davidov? (Vienna)

** 1890 – premiere of the ballet ‘Sleeping Beauty’ of Tchaikovsky on this day in the Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg; there is a famous cello solo in this music

** 1904 – private recital of Pau {Pablo} Casals invited to the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt

** 1906 – on this date the premiere was heard of Friedrich Gernsheim’s Cello Sonata No.2 in E minor, Op.79. Friedrich Grützmacher was credited as cellist, but he had died three years previously. The composer was on piano, and the performance took place in Köln, Germany. His first sonata was written almost forty years earlier.

** 1908 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (5th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th January, last concert in Den Haag), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1910 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performed with soloists Emmy von Linsingen (vocal) and Gerald Maas (cello).

** 1914 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists B. Hubermann & Hugo Becker with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Steinbach

** 1915 – cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals made his first recordings with the Columbia Graphophone Company, performing on this day Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, Händel’s Ombra mai fu (Xerxes), Rubinstein’s Melody in F and the second movement (Adagio) of Tartini’s Cello concerto in D minor. A few days later he makes the second recording of Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, records Spanish Dance, no. 2 by Popper, Le cygne by Saint-Saëns and a Romanza by Campagnoli. In fact, between 1915 and 1924 Pablo Casals records more than 50 different short works for Columbia Graphophone Records.

** 1930 – mention was made in ‘El Imparcial’ (Madrid) of a concert in the ‘Alfredo Casella Sociedad Filarmónica’ where “it was especially worthy of praise the cellist Arturo Bonucci”

** 1930 – the performer and renowned professor Julius Klengel had a remarkable reputation for accepting young students and unleashing their potential (arrivals – Feuermann was roughly 15, Suggia was roughly 16, Kurtz was 13 or 14, and Piatigorsky was around 18, Grümmer was around 14 and a half, and the English cellist Antonia Butler was just a little over 13!). So, arriving in Leipzig at the age of 13, William Pleeth was certainly amongst the youngest of Klengel’s students (and was also the youngest student at that time to have been awarded a full scholarship). William’s registration papers show that he formally enrolled at the ‘Andeskonservatorium’, Leipzig on 6th January 1930, six days before his 14th birthday. Shortly after, Herbert Walenn’s reassuring letter dated 15th January, 1930, refers to William being in Germany with an uncle.

** 1933 – in a ‘Professor Tovey’s Sunday Concert’ in the Usher Hall (Edinburgh) Luigi Gasparini – violoncello gave performances of Valentini – Sonata No.10a in G Major, Beethoven – Sonata for pianofote and violoncello, in A major, and cello solos by Borntoft – Celtic legend and Sinigaglia – Humoresque, accompanied by Mary Grierson – pianoforte. The pianist also gave solo items, and John Tainsh – singer was also invited.

** 1941 – Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps [Quartet for the End of Time] for clarinet, violin, cello and piano premiered in Stalag VIII-A prison camp in Zgorzelec, Poland

** 1952 – birth of Melvyn Gale (London)
cellist, member of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) 1975-79.

** 1953 – cellist Andre Navarra performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th January), and Den Haag (17th January), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1959 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th January) and Den Haag (24th January), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1959 – birth of David Johnstone (Reading, England)
cellist, orchestra principal cello (including a 30-year tenure in the Navarre Symphony Orchestra), composer, prolific arranger and especially of cello ensemble music {based North Spain}.

** 1965 – first performance of Kabalevsky – Cello Concerto No.2 in C minor
soloist Daniel Shafran, with Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by composer

** 1970 – Joan Dickson was cello soloist in a Reid Orchestral Concert – she performed Hindemith – Cello Concerto with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Sidney Newman

** 1971 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the duo sonata in A Major of Cesar Franck, with pianist Jean Fonda, in Munich (the other recording days were the previous two or three days)

** 1985 – birth of Fabrice Millischer (Toulouse, France)
trombonist, sackbutist & cellist, orchestra principal trombone & professor

** 1991 – on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Dutoit), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1825 – birth of (Johann August) Julius Goltermann (Hamburg, Germany) d.1876 [not be confused with the cellist-composer Georg Goltermann (1824 – 1898) ]
cellist and professor

** 1879 – cellist Marie Geist performed on this day Carl Schuberth’s Romance op. 9 for solo cello (in an exam concert…)

** 1880 – cellist Marie Geist performed on this day Goltermann’s – Cello Concerto in D minor, Op. 30, at a gala concert to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Wittelsbach family

** 1927 – birth of Rowland Sterling Pack (London, Ontario, Canada) d.1964
cellist, orchestra principal, organist and choirmaster

** 1956 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals (cello) played in a live performance that was recorded of Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, Op. 70

** 1959 – historical concert: at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals (cello), Wilhelm Kempff (piano), and Christian Ferras (violin) gave a live performance that was recorded of Mendelssohn – Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66

** 1965 – premiere of Bernstein ‘Chichester Psalms’ – (the work features an important orchestral principal cello solo}
conducted by the composer (Philharmonic Hall, New York City)

** 1763 – birth of Franz Ignaz Danzi (Schwetzingen, Germany) d.1826 {son of cellist Innocenz}
cellist, composer & conductor

** 1807 – Antonin Reicha completes the composition of a grand ‘trio for 3 cellos’

** 1855 – birth of Alwin Schroeder (Neuhaldensleben, Germany) d.1928
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician {based USA}

** 1860 – birth of Wladislaw Alois (Prague – a Russian cellist of Czech origin) d.1918
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello & teacher

** 1874 – Austrian cellist Louise Dellmayer was reviewed after a concert in London as playing “remarkable both for tone and finish” (‘Manchester Guardian’ – 15th June, 1874).

** 1909 – first performance of Moor – Cello Quartet, Op.95
Cello quartet soloists: Pau Casals, Diran Alexanian, Joseph Salmon & André Hekking (Salle Pleyel, Paris)

** 1919 – birth of Eleanor {Catherine} Warren (London) d.2005
cellist, teacher and radio producer

** 1947 – publicity was given on this day in the Metropolitan Pasadena Star-News about cellist Gregor Piatigorsky planning to give a performance of a concerto based on Tchaikovsky themes – but no later information has been forthcoming. It has to be assumed that this would have been something of his on working, rather in the mold of the Gaspar Cassadó experiment.

** 1953 – birth of Raphael Wallfisch (London)
Solo cellist and professor

** 1959 – birth of Robert Cohen (London)
Cellist. Also, a conductor and teacher. He made his UK London Royal Festival Hall debut at the age of 12. Visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music (London). Professor of advanced cello at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.

** 1964 – On 15th June 1964, Pablo Casals conducts Haydn’s The Creation at Carnegie Hall in New York.

** 1967 – Jacqueline Du Pre met Daniel Barenboim at Christmas 1966, at the pianist Fou Ts’ong’s house, and in her words: ‘We sat down and made music together – and from then on things developed very fast. We were married soon after the Arab-Israeli war – June 15th, 1967 – between old and new Jerusalem”.

** 1976 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording, with violinist Yehudi Menuhin, of the Delius – Double Concerto, in the London Abbey Road Studios, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Meredith Davies (the other recording day was 10th June ‘76)

** 1985 – in a series of three Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, cellist Wolfgang Herzer was invited soloist today in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: James Levine / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1986 – birth of Stjepan Hauser (Pula, Croatia)
Cellist. known professionally as HAUSER, is a Croatian cellist. He was a member of 2CELLOS, along with Luka Šulić, (After 2CELLOS’ 2019 US tour, the duo took a one-year break, to work on solo classical albums for Sony Music).  He continues to perform solo projects. In 2018 and 2019, Hauser released a series of videos with Uzbek-American pianist Lola Astanova on social media. Together with the Slovenian violinist Lana Trotovsek and Japanese pianist Yoko Misumi, Hauser was a member of the Greenwich Trio.

** 1989 – birth of Tomasz Daroch (Lodz, Poland)
Cellist. Principal/sub-principal cello of the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra (Poland). Tomasz Daroch has been a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Łódź for a number of years. A member of the Polish Cello Quartet – claimed to be the only cello quartet in Poland that regularly performs pieces originally written for this line-up.

** 1820 – Pierre Alexandre François Chevillard (b. 1811, Antwerp, Belgium) became a student at the Paris Conservatoire on this day, a pupil of Norblin!

** 1838 – birth of Carl Davidov/Davydov (Goldingen, Latvia) d.1889
cellist and composer
Karl Davydov was a renowned 19th-century Russian cellist, composer, and pedagogue celebrated for his virtuosity and nicknamed “the emperor of all cellists” by Tchaikovsky. Despite initially studying mathematics, he became a leading cellist after graduating from the Leipzig Conservatory. He held a professorship and later the directorship at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and composed several works, including four cello concertos. 

** 1858 – birth of Raymond François Marthe (Tarbes, France)
cellist, member of the Paris Opera Orchestra & teacher

** 1868 – at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert David Popper performed as soloist the Batta: Souvenir de Don Sébastien (Elégie), Op.48, Popper – Mazurka, Op.11, and Piatti – Airs Baskyrs, Op.8.

** 1876 – birth of Louis Delune (Charleroi, Belgium) d.1940
A Belgian composer who wrote two cello concertos (in 1927 and in 1930), a Poème for cello and orchestra (1910), and also a work for two cellos and orchestra. The interest in writing for the cello almost surely came about by his marriage in 1906 to Jeanne Fromont (1885-1960), a cellist and concert pianist.

** 1890 – a notable historical concert on this day: an orchestral concert featuring soloists Miss Alice Whitacre (vocal), Joseph Joachim (violin) and Ernest Gillet (cello). The programme included the ‘new’ Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Violoncello (Crystal Palace, London)

** 1906 – a notable historical concert on this day: the Joachim Quartet (Joachim, Kruse, Wirth, Robert Hausmann on cello), with Moser on 2nd viola, and Hugo Dechert on 2nd violoncello. The programme was an ‘All Brahms’ concert and included: Quartet No.3 in Bb major, Op.67, Quintet No.1 in F major, Op.88, and the Sextet No.1 in Bb major, Op.18 (Sing-Akademie, Berlin)

** 1907 – Alwin Schroeder performed Davidoff’s second concerto in D Major, with the Russian SO under fellow cellist Modest Altschuler, in New York. It was also advertised as “first time,” at least for New York audiences. Of this performance, W. J. Henderson, critic for the New York Sun, March 15, 1907) wrote:
“Mr. Schroeder played the Davidoff music with the mellowness, repose and depth of style which come to an artist in the period of his maturity, when he no longer regards the cosmos as a field for his triumphs, but effaces himself and ministers as a devout priest before the altar of high art. The audience was moved by the performance, and the applause which followed it had the unmistakable sincerity of an assemblage aroused by a beautiful message.”

** 1914 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Nikmegen (14th March) and Amsterdam (15th March, where he also performed Lalo – Cello Concerto on the same programme), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1918 – Edward Elgar undergoes a tonsillectomy in London – the operation is a success but recovery was to be slow – few people know but while hospitalized, Elgar was to write down the opening theme of his Cello Concerto!

** 1931 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Boccherini – Cello Concerto in G Major. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1933 – birth of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Brooklyn, New York) d.2020
a very important American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States over 25 years; and an adolescent cellist with happy memories! She said in an interview:
“I took piano lessons from age eight to age sixteen, then for a year at Cornell University, 1952, where I also took Music 101 and 102 – the basic music course. I took cello lessons from 1946 to 1947, then played cello – not well – in my high-school orchestra from 1947 to 1950 – among the best experiences in my growing-up years.”

** 1953 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (15th March), Iserlohn (9th April) and Krefeld (10th April), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1953 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Alexander Hilsberg, programmed a concert on this day featuring both the Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 1 in in A Minor, Op. 33 by Camille Saint-Saëns and the Variations on a Rococo Theme for Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 33 by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with soloist Leonard Rose, cellist

** 1957 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33, with Fritz Reiner, conductor (14th and 15th March)

** 1957 – first performance of Crumb – Solo Cello Sonata
soloist Camilla Doppman (USA – Ann Arbor, Michigan)

** 1959 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts, in Den Haag (14th March) and Amsterdam (15th March), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1960 – Simone and Francoise Pierrat, two young French ladies, who besides being sisters were a ‘cello and piano duo, made their New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall. The New York Times titled the review “Simone and Francoise Pierrat, Sisters, Impress in ‘Cello and Piano Program”

** 1974 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 17th March), conducted by David Zinman

** 1978 – cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, have their Soviet citizenship revoked

** 1978 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Martinu – Cello Concerto No.1 in Geneva, with the orchestra of the Suisse Romande, conducted by Wolfgang Swallisch – later issued on CD

** 1985 – Christopher Bunting gave the first performance of his own cello concerto with the Peterborough String Orchestra in Peterborough!

** 1990 – the premiere of John Corigliano – Symphony No.1 (written 1988) took place at the Symphony Centre, Chicago with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Baremboim. Its great interest for cellists lays here:
The third movement, Chaconne: Giulio’s Song was written in memory of a college friend of the composer, Giulio, an amateur cellist. The chaconne, a recurring harmonic pattern, is followed by solo cello representing his friend. A second cello joins in, a remembrance of Giulio’s cello teacher.
The final movement – Epilogue – begins with a solo cello. Each of the friends and their music is recalled: the piano from the first movement, the clarinet playing the tarantella folk tune, the solo cellos. Antiphonal waves, led by brass, burble and churn underneath. The work ends on a dying “A” in the solo cello.

** 1991 – premiere of Francisco Manuel Balboa Rodríguez – Preludio de ‘A noite vai coma un rio’, by Andrés Ruiz/cello and Pablo Ferreño /piano
‘I Semana Cultural de la Diputación’, Teatro Rosalía, La Coruña, Galicia, Spain

** 1991 – premieres and live recordings, for Spanish National Radio, of Francisco Manuel Balboa Rodríguez – Solamente (a la memoria de Mará Zembrano), Francisco Manuel Balboa Rodríguez – Preludio de ‘A noite vai coma un rio’, and Juan Vara García – ‘Tiempo para una distancia secreta’ given by Herre-Jan Stegenga/cello, and Emmanuel Ferrer/piano
‘V Xornadas de Música Contemporánea’, Auditorio de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

** 1995 – Antonio Meneses was invited cello soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (? work ?)

** 1754 – Anton Fils, just 20 years old, is appointed cellist to the electoral court of Mannheim – and the appointment is retroactive to 1st February!

** 1794 – cellist Robert Lindley appeared as a soloist on this day in a concert at the King’s Theatre, London

** 1880 – Tchaikovsky wrote to his friend, cellist Jan Seifert:
“I am extremely happy and proud at the thought that the Philharmonic Society intends to devote part of its activities to my music in the next season. Allow me to express to you in person my heartfelt gratitude for the honour being afforded to me ….. I thank you once more, most esteemed friend, and I remain your devoted and grateful”

** 1891 – in the Princes’ Hall, Piccadilly (London) a recital featured Signor Piatti (cello) and Madame Torricelli (piano)

** 1897 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) a Tchaikovsky Concert featured the cello soloist ‘Monsieur Hollman’. This concert also included the first English performances of Tchaikovsky – Overture from the Opera Voievode, and his Suite for Orchestra, No. 3 in G, Op.55.

** 1924 – The famous composer Paul Hindemith marries a cellist! On 15th May 1924 Paul Hindemith married Johanna Gertrude Rottenberg (usually called Gertrud). And distinguished onlookers; the witnesses were the artistic director of the Frankfurt Radio, Dr. Hans Flesch (who was married to Gertrud’s elder sister Gabriele!) and the painter Rudolf Heinisch

** 1930 – Antonia Butler gave a cello recital at the Drawing Room, The Mansion House, London

** 1942 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Wehrmacht’ concert, Franz Kwarda performed as cello soloist in Volkmann – String Serenade No.3 in D minor, Op.69. Conductor: Wilhelm Jerger / Vienna Konzerthaus, Mozart Hall, Vienna

** 1944 – an extremely bleak day for the history of the cello – as the political climate in Germany changed, most notably for Jews, and became more threatening, Paul {Pál} Hermann – an excellent Hungarian cellist and a cello professor in Germany – decided to move, first of all to Brussels from 1934–1937, and later to Paris from 1937 to 1939, and then on to the south of France. But he was deported under the Vichy France régime in February 1944 from Toulouse to the internment camp of Drancy.But on today’s date in 1944 – 15th May – he was sent to the Baltic States on the Drancy Convoy 73, and was never heard of again.

** 1947 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940). Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 17th May), conducted by the composer

** 1955 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier made a recording of Hindemith – Cello Concerto, in the Dvorak Hall, Prague, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conductor by Karel Ancerl

** 1970 – first performance of Alun Hoddinott – Cello Sonata No.1, Op.73/2
George Isaac/cello and Eric Harrison/piano (Wigmore Hall, London)

** 1970 – cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson recorded a live performance playing Emil Hartmann’s Cello Concerto in D minor, Op.26 (written 1879) on Danish Radio.

** 1976 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bloch – Schelomo. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th May) and Groningen (15th May), conducted by Yoav Talmi

** 1984 – on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th of May, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1999 – Ángel Luis Quintana/cello and Alberto Rosado/piano performed Gonzalo de Olavide Casenave – “Precipiten: para violonchelo y piano” (1993) in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Museo “Thyssen-Bornemisza”, Madrid

** 1793 – birth of Louis Decortis (Liège, Belgium) d.1871
cellist, professor Liège Conservatoire

** 1859 – in reviews on the young Hungarian cellist Rosa Suck, the press noted a “a developed technique” and “finely nuanced playing” (Fremdenblatt 15th November 1859)

** 1868 – in a Hellmesberger Quartet Concert, held in the Musikverein, Vienna, on this occasion David Popper played as quartet cellist, in works of Haydn and Beethoven.

** 1884 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Griswold (vocal) and Monsieur Jules Lasserre (cello).

** 1890 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Macintyre (vocal) and Mons. J. Hollman (cello).

** 1897 – cellist May Mukle gave her first recital on 15th November, 1897, to good critical acclaim. The ‘Standard’ certified her:
“ Much depth of expression and firmness of tone”
and the “Daily Telegraph” commented on the interpretation of the Sonata in D major by Pietro Locatelli that:
“its difficulties were surmounted and its beauties revealed in surprising fashion by the young artist, of whom her master (Mr. Alessandro Pezze) has every right to be proud”

** 1905 – Leopold Vitoldovich Rostropovich, aged just 13, participated in a concert in St. Petersburg. A reviewer, impressed by his performance, advised him to focus on rigorous practice to further develop his undeniable abilities rather than frequent public performances.

** 1907 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed on this day, and the following day, a programme that included the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33, by Robert Volkmann – the featured soloist was the principal cellist of the orchestra Bruno Steindel.

** 1907 – birth of Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (Berlin) d.1944
German army officer and Catholic aristocrat; a central figure of the German Resistance movement within the Wehrmacht – and a fine cellist!

** 1922 – birth of Doreen Mary Carwithen (Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England) d.2003
a British woman composer of classical and film music. The second wife of the English musician William Alwyn, she was also known as Mary Alwyn. As a child she had her first music lessons from her mother, a music teacher, starting both piano and violin with her at the age of four, and at the age of 16 she began composing – however, in 1941 she entered the Royal Academy of Music and played the cello in a string quartet and with the college orchestras! Was she a self-taught cellist? She later worked as a Sub-Professor of Composition at the RAM.

** 1927 – Charles Hambourg (cello) gave a recital at the Wigmore Hall (London), assisted by a chamber orchestra conducted by Claude Powell

** 1928 – the Royal Philharmonic Society at the Queen’s Hall (London) conducted by Sir Henry J. Wood, gave a performance featuring the soloist Livio Mannucci (cello). The programme also included Schubert – Mass in Eb Major with the Philharmonic Choir.

** 1930- cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major. Two concerts, in Den Haag (15th November) and Amsterdam (16th November) and conducted by Pierre Monteux

** 1947 – Felix Salmond gave his last appearance with orchestra on 15th November 1947, performing Bloch – Schelomo in a Bloch festival at Juilliard School, New York

** 1957 – first private performance of Gordon Jacob – Cello Sonata for cello and piano, at the Great Drawing Room, Arts Council of Great Britain, and featuring William Pleeth and Margaret Good (a MacNaghten Concert)

** 1961 – An important performance given by Leonard Rose, playing the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor, with the Luxembourg Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Louis de Froment. The interpretation was later released on disc.

** 1974 – on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Barenboim), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1975 – Mstislav Rostropovich records the 2 Haydn Cello Concertos with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (audio recording)
(Abbey Road, London)

** 1991 – American cellist Barbara Hedlund was the featured soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra {Illinois, U.S.A.} at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, Illinois, USA with Maestro Paul Vermel.

** 1996 – the II International Paulo Cello Competition (3–15 November, 1996) closed today. The prizewinners were:
Hai-Ye Ni, China / Oren Shevlin, UK / Perttu Kivilaakso, Finland / Inbal Segev Israel, / ja Taneli Turunen, Finland / and Ani Aznavoorian, USA

** 1581 – in the ‘Louvre’ (Paris) this day a performance took place of “Ballet comique de la Reine”, with music by Beaulieu and Salomon. It contained a movement titled ‘La Clochette’ (The Bell), written in five parts and to be executed by ’20 violins’, included amongst them the tenor and bass violins, which indicated that this is one of the first-ever pieces of written music including the new ‘violoncello’! The air caused a sensation, and became known as the ‘Air de Louis XIII’.

** 1802 – birth of Ferdinand Wilhelm Kummer (Germany) d.1834
cellist, member of the Dresden Orchestra {the youngest brother of famed cellist Friedrich Auguste Kummer}

** 1841 – birth of Julius Cabisius (Halle, Saale, Germany) d.1898
cellist, orchestra principal cello, royal court musician

** 1846 – birth of Luise Wandersleb (Gotha, Germany) d.1901
cellist, chamber music artist (especially recitals with her husband)

**mid-1800s – birth on this day of the year of Karl Backhaus (Leipzig)
cellist, royal chamber musician at the Court Theatre of Wiesbaden, and teacher of cello in conservatoire of Wiesbaden

** 1866 – birth of Alfred Gallrein (Magdeburg, Germany)
cellist, member of Richter Orchestra of London, professor of cello and occasional composer

** 1885 – The Neue Stuttgarter Musikschule (Germany) opens its doors. Among its faculty, the cello professor is named as Victor Herbert

** 1899 – in the series of the Sunday Afternoon Orchestral Concerts given at the Queen’s Hall, Langham Place, London, featured soloist was cellist Paul Bazelaire

** 1900 – birth of Ernst S. Silberstein (Germany) d.1985
cellist, orchestra principal cello {based Germany-USA}

** 1903 – Jacques Renard was the featured cello soloist in Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23, and two pieces of David Popper (Autumn Flower, Op.50/5 and Zur Guitarre, Op.49/1) with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}. The concert also included the Proms premiere of Bruckner – Symphony No.7

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (18th and 20th March, and 9th October (^^)), in Den Haag (11th October (^^)) and Rotterdam (15th October (^^)), conducted by Karl Muck and Pierre Monteux (^^)

** 1926 – May Mukle was cello soloist, along with Adila Fachiri/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1943 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (three concerts; 15th, 16th and 17th October), Richard Krotschak performed as cello soloist (with Wolfgang Schneiderhan – violin) in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102. Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1944 – first performance of Norman Dello Joio – Duo Concertante for cello and piano

** 1955 – birth of Phoebe Carrai (Boston, USA)
cellist, baroque and historical performance practice expert & teacher

** 1956 – Donald McCall, cello, gave a cello recital at the Town Hall, New York City, accompanied by Reiko Eto, piano. This was part of McCall’s NYC recital prize for winning the Naumburg Competition. The New York Times review the following day (October 16th, 1956) spoke warm words about him:
“M’Call is Heard in ‘Cello Debut – Young Musician Appears at Town Hall as Reward for Winning Naumburg Prize. Mr. McCall is a sensitive young artist who seems to have a warm spot for twentieth century music. That he is gifted was apparent in the Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73, and the Bach D minor Suite…with the Sonatina of the contemporary Louis Nenini.. his tone was warm and resonant, his phrasing broad and self-assured, and he seemed to enjoy himself…The Shostakovich Sonata, Op. 40, was the crown of the afternoon’s performances.”

** 1959 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th October), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1964 – first performance of Krzysztof Penderecki – Sonata for cello and orchestra
soloist – Siegfried Palm, with Orchestra of Baden-Baden conducted by Ernest Baur (Donaueschingen, Germany)

** 1966 – a Heifetz-Piatigorsky Celebration concert took place at the Carnegie Hall (USA). Firstly Gregor Piatigorsky (Cello) performed Joseph HaydnCello Concerto in D Major, H.VIIb:2; then Jascha Heifetz (Violin) played the Jules Conus Violin Concerto in E Minor (1896). After the interval they both starred together in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op. 102

** 1995 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist David Hardy, with Lisa Emenheiser Logan /piano

** Birthday greetings – Teresa Valente Pereira (Lisbon, Portugal)
cellist, orchestral principal (Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Basque Country), cellist of Orquestra Gulbenkian y Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal), chamber music (cellist of Trio Pangea)

** 1848 – birth of Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (Seesen, Brunswick, Germany) d.1890
cellist, composer, arranger, pedagogue

** 1875 – an advertisement appeared in the press “AMZ” of the publication of  “Concertstück” Op.1 of cellist Jacques Rensburg – however this same music may have simultaneously been published as “Recitativ, Adagio und Allegro in Form eines Concertstückes für Violoncello mit Begleitung des Orchesters” (ca.1873-5)

** 1889 – the great Italian-Anglo cellist Alfredo Piatti had a fruitful friendship with Charles Villiers Stanford. The composer wrote his second sonata for cello and piano for him in 1889. According to a British newspaper report:
“The chief item at the Monday Popular Concert last night was a new sonata for pianoforte and violoncello by Professor Villiers Stanford. This work, which was composed by Professor Stanford during a visit recently paid by him to Signor Piatti in his Italian home, is in three movements”
We now know the ‘finishing dates’; the first movement is dated September 15; the second September 17, and the third, September 19. Worth investigating!

** 1910 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in in Volkmann – Serenade in D minor (‘obligato solo cello’ part). Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 18th September), conducted by Cornelis Dopper

** 1923 – Jacques Lier was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1927 – Raya Garbousova was cello soloist in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op 33, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1962 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Yan Pascal Tortelier and Paul Tortelier at the London Proms

** 1971 – birth of Asier Polo (Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain)
cellist and professor

** 1975 – a fine review from ‘The New York Times’ about Andor Toth Jr., cellist of the New Hungarian Quartet and member of the Faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music stating that he …. “made his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall on Saturday night with Marc Neikrug, composer‐pianist, as the assisting artist…. Mr. Toth, who is 27 years old, is a skilled instrumentalist …. characterized by admirable intonation, supple bowing and consistently pleasing tone quality”.

** 1977 – cellist Jean Decroos performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, as cellist in the Brahms – Double Concerto, Op.102. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th September), conducted by Hans Vonk

** 1855 – the “Fantaisie sur un Theme original pour le Violoncelle avec accompagnement de l’Orchestre” of Carl Leopold Boehm was dated as finished “Carlsruhe, April 16, 1855.”

** 1866 – birth of Heinrich Kruse (Arolsen, Germany)
cellist, principal cello of court orchestra of Cassels, member of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Max Fiedler Orchestra; several original pieces for cello

** 1883 – cellist Víctor Mirecki Larramat inaugurates, with a cello recital, the Sala Zozaya, Madrid to a clamorous reception from the public

** 1889 – birth of Charlie Chaplan (London) d.1977
actor, film director & cellist!

** 1898 – first performance of Fauré – Sicilienne Op.78, for cello and piano
(Paris)

** 1899 – birth of Giulio Cesare Gedda (Turin, Italy) d.1970
Italian conductor and composer. He played cello and organ, and began conducting in 1932. He wrote a Cello Concerto, and a Concerto for 4 Saxophones (1952). Unfortunately, he ended his days in a mental institution.

** 1908 – on 16th April 1908, in Brighton (England), 22-year-old cellist Philip Abas {Abbas} married the three years younger Englishwoman Beatrice Eleanor Sanderson, daughter of a candle-maker. The first daughter ‘Isobel Rodrigues Abas’ was born in 1909, followed in 1912 by ‘Beatrice Frances Abas’. However, a tragedy struck in 1915 when his wife and children perished on the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, sunk by a German submarine.

** 1957 – At the Theater of the University of Puerto Rico, during a rehearsal with the Festival Orchestra, Pau Casals suffered a heart attack

** 1999 – Michael Sanderling, cellist, gave the premiere/broadcast of Frank Michael Beyer – “Canto di giorno” (1998/99), for cello and orchestra, with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Giuseppe Mega, at the Great Broadcasting Hall, House of Broadcasting, Berlin

** 1843 – birth of Stanislaus Thalgrün (Warsaw)
cellist, principal cello of theatre orchestra of Warsaw

** 1867 – birth of Albrecht Löffler (Tilset, Germany)
cellist, member of Krasselt Quartet, member of Waldemar Meyer Quartet in Berlin

** 1899 – first performance of de Falla – Melodía for cello and piano
Salvador Viniegra/ cello (to whom the piece is dedicated) and the composer on piano (Salón Quirell, Cádiz, Spain)

** 1904 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1908 – birth of Orlando Cole (Philadelphia, USA) d.2010
cellist & pedagogue

** 1910 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Richard Strauss – Don Quixote, Op 35, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1918 – Thelma Yellin (née Bentwich) was cello soloist, along with Margery Bentwich/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1938 – Raya Garbousova was cello soloist in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op 33, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1961 – birth of Laurent Pardo (Rouen, Normandy, France) d.2016
A French bass guitarist, violoncellist, and background singer. He was best known for playing in the rock band of American singer Elliott Murphy, where he was a member ‘The Normandy All Stars’. He also was seen on tambourine! He occasionally recorded on cello in the formation.

** 1962 – Rohan de Saram was cello soloist in Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb:2- {cadenzas by Pablo Casals & Gaspar Cassadó}, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1978 – first performance of Noam Sheriff – Tre’y-Assar, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Jerusalem, Israel)

** 1980 – Janos Starker recorded Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Franz-Paul Decker. It took place in the Sydney Opera House, and may have been a live recording.

** 1983 – first performance of FeBland – Elegy for solo cello
soloist – David Johnstone (Southwark Cathedral, London)

** 1987 – birth of Krzysztof Karpeta (Katowice, Poland)
Principal cello in the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra in Gdańsk. He is the founder and member of the Polish Cello Quartet – claimed to be the only cello quartet in Poland that regularly performs pieces originally written for this line-up. Krzysztof Karpeta has also developed his talent in the field of early music; since 2007 he has been playing the viola da gamba and violone. In the years 2010-2012 he was principal cello in the Mannheimer Philharmoniker. Krzysztof Karpeta is a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Łódź and Wrocław

** 1688 – on this day Giuseppe Maria Jacchini was made a member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna. His interest in it was apparently musical only, for there were members who objected that he did not attend to the spiritual exercises and sacred functions of the organization!

** 1776 – birth of Adamus (Adam) List {Liszt} d.1827
cellist and pianist – the father of the great Franz Liszt. He gave his son musical tuition until his early death, when Franz was still just 16 (Franz composed a funeral piece for his father’s funeral service). Adamus Liszt had played cello in the House of Eszterházy summer orchestra, under the direction of Joseph Haydn himself.
Note: In his youth, Adam changed his surname “List” to the spelling “Liszt”, according to Hungarian pronunciation. However, ‘Adamus’ was the Latin form of his name!

** 1848 – birth of Richard Vollrath (Sonneberg, Saxe-Meiningham, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & teacher

** 1880 – on this date the premiere was heard of Klengel’s Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.4, in Leipzig, Germany. The soloist was Julius Klengel himself, with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. It was published two years later, and dedicated to Karl Davidov.

** 1882 – birth of Zoltán Kodaly (Kecskemét, Hungary) d.1967
composer, cellist, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue & philosopher

** 1883 – birth of Alexander Barjansky (Odessa, Russia) d.1946
Cellist

** 1891 – in Prague, David Popper‘s mother dies

** 1893 – world premiere of Symphony no.9 “from the New World” by Antonín Dvorák, in Carnegie Hall, New York to great acclaim.
At the insistence of the composer, the cello section is led by Victor Herbert

** 1894 – first performance (in orchestral version) of Dvorak – Rondo in G minor, Op.94; in the same concert the orchestrated version of Dvorak’s ‘Silent Woods’ with cello soloist was also heard for the first time
soloist – Moritz Kahnt, conducted by Alfred Volckland (Basle, Switzerland)

** 1896 – probable premiere of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – 5 Fantasiestücke, for string quartet, with William Whitehouse performing as cellist.

** 1899 – after having first played the Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor in 1896, solo cellist Alwin Schroeder reprised the Dvorak concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the 1899-1900 season, first on tour in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New York (Carnegie Hall, 13th December, 1899), then at Boston Music Hall on 5th and 6th January, 1900).  Schroeder’s interpretation earned him renewed critical success in Boston, but the quality of his New York performance provoked some debate – was he well out-of-tune in the first movement? The New York Times critic wrote on 17th December, 1899:
“The musical editor of THE TIMES is also well acquainted with the Dvorak ’cello concerto. He is aware that Mr. Schroeder assisted Dr. Dvorak in writing it, actually writing some of the solo passages himself—a fact which seems to have escaped the correspondent. The difficulty of the work is conceded, and Mr. Schroeder’s high standing as a virtuoso has frequently been mentioned in this paper. If he were not so great an artist, the fact that he did not play in tune would have occasioned less surprise…”

** 1911 – John Barbirolli makes his public debut as solo cellist at a concert at the Queen’s Hall, London

** 1922 – the conducting debut of cellist Janos Scholz on this day included the humorous anecdote that at one point he fell off the conductor’s podium, and into the ranks of the first violin section!

** 1927 – first performance of Florence Schmitt – Introït, récit et conge, for cello and orchestra
(Paris)

** 1951 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Beethoven Academy Concert’, Franz Kwarda performed as cello soloist in Beethoven – Cello Sonata in A Major, Op.69, during the orchestral programme devoted to the ‘middle’ period of Beethoven. Karl Swobada was the duo pianist.

** 1955 – on this day the Hans Kindler orchestration of Cassadó’s ‘Toccata in the style of Frescobaldi) (and note, not by Frescobaldi himself!) was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, presumably conducted by cellist/conductor Kindler himself.

** 1978 – in Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts, cellist Natalie Gutman was invited soloist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104. Conductor: Christof Prick / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1980 – on the 11th, 12th and 13th and 16th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1983 – birth of Joshua Roman (Oklahoma, USA)
cellist. orchestra principal cello

** 1994 – birth of Brannon Cho (New Jersey, U.S.A.)
cellist

** 1848 – first public performance of Chopin – Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.65
Auguste Franchomme/cello with composer at piano (Salle Pleyel, Paris) {this was Chopin’s last concert appearance in Paris}

** 1868 – birth of Adolf Rehberg (Switzerland) d.1935
cellist & composer

** 1884 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Carlotta Patti (vocal) and ‘Mons. De Munck’ (cello). The programme also included the first English performance of Saint-Saëns – Ballet Divertissement ‘Fete Populaire’ (Henry VIII).

** 1886 – on today’s date in 1886 Friedrich Grützmacher was sent an angry letter by Abraham Peters (the editor) on their impending publication of the Schumann Cello Concerto…here is part of that letter reproduced “When you, most honoured friend, say in your letter yesterday that you have set down the ‘original’ edition, this is a great error…in short you have left barely one bar untouched, quite apart from the changes in parentheses. And this you call an Original – Ausgabe!”

** 1891 – in the Concerthaus-Conventgarten, Hamburg (Germany), an orchestral subscription concert conducted by Hans von Bülow featured the soloists David Popper (cello) and Franz Schwarz (baritone).

** 1905 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring Victor Maurel – baritone, Margaret Huston – mezzo-soprano, and Philipp Abbas – cello

** 1907 – on this date the premiere was heard of Friedrich Gernsheim’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.78, with cello soloist Karl Piening, in Eisenach.

** 1912 – birth of Margaret {‘Peggie’} Sampson (Edinburgh) d.2004
Cellist, viola da gamba player – one of the most prominent cellists and viola da gambists in Canada. Member Carter Trio. Donald Tovey’s teaching assistant 1937-1944. Started a teaching position in 1951 at the University of Manitoba in Canada, remaining in this position for almost twenty years. In 1963 she founded the Manitoba University Consort with Christine Mather which performed music composed between 1100 and 1800. In 1970, Sampson took up a post at York University as a professor at the Department of Music. She was to teach theory and set up a programme for viols. She also taught at the University of Victoria in the summers from 1973 through to 1975.

** 1939 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (16th February) and Den Haag (18th February), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1957 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed ‘Furtwängler Memorial Concert’ on both 16th and 17th February, with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Walter Barylli featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102, in an all-Brahms programme. Conductor: Karl Böhm / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1958 – on this day cellist Antonio Janigro finished recording, at the Decca Studios, England, the Boccherini – Cello Concerto in Bb Major (version Grützmacher) (probably there were 3 recording days, in which he also did some conducting)

** 1966 – birth of Phillip Adrian Ewell (DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.)
An American professor of music theory at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center, with first instrument “cello”. Ewell received a BA in music from Stanford University, an MA in cello performance from Queens College (City University of New York), and a PhD in music theory from Yale University.
He specializes in Russian and twentieth century music, as well as rap and hip hop. In 2019, he sparked controversy with his conference talk, “Music Theory’s White Racial Frame”. As a result of Ewell’s work with African American music culture, he became the editor of the newly launched Oxford University Press book series, ‘Theorizing African American Music’.

** 1976 – birth of Li-Wei Qin (Shanghai, China)
A Chinese-Australian cellist, winning the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Cello Competition of 1998. A frequent concerto soloist. He teaches at the YST Conservatory, Singapore and is guest professor at Shanghai and Central Conservatory of Music, China and visiting professor, Chamber music, at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester).

** 1989 – cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (15th, 16th and 17th February), conducted by Herbert Blomstedt

** 1886 – Belgian cellist/conductor/writer Maurice Kufferath married Lucie Fouassier in Paris. Their son Camille Kufferath composed operas and ballets from the 1910s to the 1950s.

** 1893 – Alfredo Piatti performed at the Monday Popular Concerts in London, along with Mdlle Clotilde/Kleeberg (piano), Lady Hallé (Madame Norman-Neruda – violin), Ludwig Strauss (violin) and Mr. Reynolds (viola).

** 1900 – at a ‘Mr Halford’s Orchestral Concert’, given at the Town Hall, Birmingham (England) the cello soloist was ‘Signor Ronchini’.

** 1900 – Alwin Schroeder performed J.S. Bach – Suite No.5 (all, or part of?) in Washington D.C. It was reviewed:
“When pianist Breitner could not perform with the Kneisels as scheduled, Mr. Alwin Schroeder, the master of the cello, gave as a solo a sonata of Bach, from the fifth ’cello suite. Of course, it was most enthusiastically received…”

** 1903 – the New York Times give a rave review to cello soloist Alwin Schroeder, performing the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor in the Carnegie Hall (phrases such as “supreme mastery”) whilst being unimpressed by the work itself!

** 1908 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (5th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th January, last concert in Den Haag), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1928 – Benar Heifetz (1899 – 1974) was a famed chamber music cellist (also orchestral principal and professor) and on 16th January 1928 he was cellist in the world premiere of Anton Webern’s String Trio op.20 (with Kolisch and Lehner), which the three musicians subsequently included in their repertoire.

** 1936 – first performance of Bridge – Oration {‘concierto elegaico’} for Cello and Orchestra (1929-30)
(soloist Florence Hooton, BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer)

** 1940 – in the National Gallery, London, a cello recital was given by Leily Howell (cello) and Clifford Curzon (piano).

** 1944 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier made a live radio recording of Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, in Paris, with The Grand Orchestre de Radio-Paris conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1944 – birth of Gunnar Kvaran (Seltjarnarnes nr. Reykjavík, Iceland)
cellist, chamber musician & professor

** 1954 – the New York Herald Tribune European Edition, January 16th, 1954 reported on a Stolen Strad being recovered of Gregor Piatigorsky.
Piatigorsky had acquired the 1712 “Földesy” Strad in 1927. It was looted from the Rothschild estate in Paris by the Nazis in 1941 and only returned to Piatigorsky in January of 1954 after it had been purchased by a violin dealer in Aachen, Germany. The person selling it got his asking price of about $200 – no questions asked! The dealer knew it was Piatigorsky’s missing Strad and called him immediately. Piatigorsky’s mother- in-law, Baroness Germaine de Rothschild, paid the dealer and brought the cello personally to Piatigorsky in California!

** 1971 – premiere of Wilfred Joseph’s Cello Concerto ‘Cantus Natalis’, Op.34 (written 1961-1962), with cello soloist Thomas Igloi and the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bryden Thomson

** 1976 – first performance of Gian Carlo Menotti – Fantasia for cello and orchestra
(RAI radio, Turin, Italy)

** 1976 – birth of Jakob Kullberg (Aarhus, Denmark)
Cellist. Noted for collaborations with Danish composer Per Nørgård. In 2013 he was appointed to the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship Programme and has been the artistic director of the Open Strings Cello Academy since 2004.

** 1982 – first performance of Werner Egk – Canzone for cello and orchestra
conducted by the composer (Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria)

** 1983 – birth of Benyamin Sönmez (Bremen, Germany) d.2011
Turkish classical cellist

** 1990 – President Mikhail Gorbachev signed a decree reinstating the Russian/Soviet citizenship of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife Galina

** 1667 – birth of Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (Bologna, Italy) d.1727
cellist and composer

** 1815 – birth of Heinrich August Bock (Berlin) d.1837
Cellist

** 1858 – birth of Eugène Ysaye (Liege, Belgium) d.1931
violinist, conductor, composer … and occasional cellist!

** 1905 – on this day Marcel Ringeisen (born in 1885) obtained first cello prize at the Paris Conservatoire

** 1916 – Adele Clement, French cellist, took part as soloist in a symphonic festival in the Jardin du Luxembourg – the first of two performances

** 1921 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 in Mariánske Lázně on this day. Orchestral works of Berlioz, Dvorak and R. Strauss were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1975 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Sergei Rachmaninov – Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19, featuring the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, with Ian Hobson, Piano
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1982 – birth of Eric Jacobsen (Long Island, New York, USA)
conductor and cellist

** 1843 – birth of David Popper (Prague, Bohemia) d.1913
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician, teacher, composer & arranger

** 1903 – at 68 Great Cumberland Place. London, a mixed concert took place titled “Lucie von [van] Hulst‘s Violoncello Recital”, given with the assistance of Lucie Coenen (vocal) and the Von Hulst Trio (formed by Madame von Hulst/piano), Herr Johan von Hulst/violin and Lucie von Hulst/cello). This concert also included the first London performance of C. Coenen – Tarantelle for cello

** 1904 – another fine review for cellist Francesca Vidal Puig, still only 24 years old; the newspaper of ‘La Academia Calasancia’ of June 16th, 1904 commented:
“From Ms. Vidal, who we have applauded so many times in the Philharmonic, must state with great satisfaction that in each concert she gives a new proof of her perfection in the art to which she dedicates herself; she interprets the compositions with the most correct diction, the most exquisite feeling and that difficult seriousness in expression that only true masters achieve”.

** 1911 – in one sole concert Beatrice Harrison performs the Haydn – Cello Concerto in D, Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, and the Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations!

** 1915 – birth of Rudolf Kirs (Brandýs nad Labem, Czech) d.1963
cellist, orchestra principal cello [Symphony Orchestra of City of Prague FOK and the Symphony Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Radio in Prague (1953 – 1963). Member of the Heřman trio. Professor at the Conservatory in Prague.

** 1921 – Felix Salmond performed as cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote at the London Queen’s Hall, conducted by Hamilton Harty

** 1953 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals (cello) played in a live recorded performance of Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 No.1

** 1963 – On 16th June Pau {Pablo} Casals conducts Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Carnegie Hall in New York.

** 1963 – birth of Angel Luis Quintana (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain)
cellist, orchestra principal cello Spanish National Orchestra, chamber musician & teacher. Social causes co-coordinator (Fundación Columbus)

** 1973 – birth of Enrico Bronzi (Parma, Italy)
cellist, chamber musician, conductor. Orchestral principal cello for three years in the orchestra of Teatre alla Scala de Milán

 ** 1981 – the first recording of Urs Joseph Flury’s Cello Concerto in A minor (composed 1977-1978) took place on 16th and 17th June at the Baumgartner Casino Vienna, featuring solo cellist Pierre Fournier, with the Wiener Volksopernorchester conducted by the composer.

 ** 1985 – in a series of three Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, cellist Wolfgang Herzer was invited soloist today in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: James Levine / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1992 – a concert promoted by the John Tunnell Trust at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh) featured the soloists Pinchas Zukerman (violin), Ralph Kirshbaum (cello) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle

** 1852 – first performance of William Sterndale Bennett – Sonata Duo for cello and piano, Op.32
(London)

** 1859 – it seems that attractive lady cellists have always suffered a certain ‘sexism’. The announcement of a concert in Pest of Hungarian cellist Rosa Suck anticipated: “Several young gentlemen can hardly wait for the time to admire the adorable 17-year-old lady in her charms” (Humorist, March 16th, 1859).

** 1869 – on this date Adolfo Baci finished composing “Melodia per Violoncello con accompagnamento di Pianoforte” in Bb Major.

** 1871 – first performance of Johan S, Svendsen – Cello Concerto, Op. 7 in Leipzig – the work had been written the previous year. It was dedicated to Emil Hegar (1843-1921) and published the same year.

** 1879 – birth of Franz Borisch (Kottbis, Prussia)
cellist, principal cello Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, royal chamber musician, member of Royal Chapel of Berlin & professor

** 1885 – first performance of Franz Liszt – Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, for piano and violin or cello
(Budapest)

** 1889 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mr Edward Lloyd (vocal) and Mons. Ernest Gillet (cello).

** 1891 – birth of Dezyderiusz Danczowski (Battonya, Poland) d.1950
cellist, orchestra principal cello and music educator

** 1893 – cellist Bruno Stendel gave the United States premiere of Volkmann – Concerto in A minor, Op.33, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Theodore Thomas

** 1901 – the date of the first ever cellist to make a ‘commercial’ recording; and the cellist was Alex Heindl

** 1905 – on this date the premiere was heard of Georg Wilhelm Rauchenecker’s Cello Concerto in D minor, in Elberfeld Stadthalle. It was dedicated to Henri Son

** 1923 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 on this day. The whole programme was dedicated to the composer Richard Strauss.
Conductor: Richard Strauss (?) / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1927 – Alexander Fachiri (cello) and Angus Morrison (piano) gave a recital in the Bourne Music Club (England).

** 1929 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (today and tomorrow), Friedrich Buxbaum performed as cello soloist in Bloch – Schelomo.  Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwangler / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1930 – British cellist Felix Salmond finally had the opportunity to perform Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor in New York, with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under Artur Bodanzky. The concert took place at the Mecca Auditorium. There was rather a ‘muddled’ review in The New York Times the following day:
“whatever the auditors’ reaction to the modern ’cello concerto of Elgar, which has at least the merit that it helps performers on the violoncello to eke out their scanty repertory, there can be no division of opinion regarding the musicianship and artistic sincerity of Mr Salmond’s playing”

** 1937 – Raya Garbousova gave a cello recital at Bennington College Music (USA) with pianist Leo Toumarkin, featuring:
Sonata in D minor – Andrea Caporale // Concerto in C major – Haydn // Sonatine – Weber // Rococo Variations – Tchaikovsky // Largo and Rondo – Weber // Nocturne – Chopin // Zapateado – Sarasate.

** 1956 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, and the Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations in the Kingsway Hall (London), with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent

** 1968 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts (on 16th and 17th March), cellist Emanuel Brabec played as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Lorin Maazel / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1971 – on this day James Kreger made his official debut, performing at the Carnegie Recital Hall, whilst still a student at the Juilliard School (student of Rose and Shapiro). The performance (including Gregor Piatigorsky in the public) was said to have been sensationally good!
Reviews in the New York Times were almost ‘rave’:
“Mr. Kreger, who will be 24 years old on March 30…but his playing on this occasion was so masterful in every way that it is difficult to imagine just what he has left to learn”.
and:
“Kreger’s playing resembles that of Mstislav Rostropovich and Jacqueline du Pre in that it is strong, vigorous and impassioned. But in this recital, it was always firmly controlled, never losing musical or tonal focus, never splitting a sentiment to shreds.” 

** 1982 – first performance of William Walton – Passacaglia for solo cello
(London)

** 1994 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts in Amsterdam (16th, 17th and 18th March), conducted by Mariss Jansons

** 1764 – the young cellist Giovanni Battista Cirri (born in I740, at Forli, Italy) made his debut in London at a concert of the violinist Marella, on May 16th, I764.

** 1834 – birth of Hippolyte Müller (Hilburghausen, Germany) d.1876
cellist, ‘court band’ solo cellist & teacher

** 1837 – František Hegenbarth completes his conservatoire training on this day, on a scholarship from Prince Kinsky – it was a well worthwhile inversion for in 1838 he was appointed solo violoncellist at the theatre at Gratz, and afterwards went to Linz in the same capacity.

** 1850 – birth of Auguste Van Biene (Rotterdam, Holland) d.1913
cellist (“The Magician of the Cello”) and Theatre Production manager

** 1874 – birth of Jules Marneff (Belgium)
cellist, principal cello Lamoureux Orchestra (Paris), member of Fermin Touche String Quartet, and co-founder of ‘Double Quintet of Paris’ of wind and strings

** 1891 – birth of {Patricia} Ruth Waddell {sometimes written Waddel} (Edinburgh) d.1981
cellist, member of the Reid (Symphony) Orchestra; violoncello teacher and performer

** 1897 – cellist Leontine Gärtner performed as invited soloist with the New York Women’s String Orchestra under the direction of Carl Lachmund

** 1918 – in the Wigmore Hall (London), a recital was given by Beatrice Harrison (cello) and Hilda Saxe (piano).

** 1957 – birth of Doron Toister (Durban, South Africa)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, pianist, composer and classical music arranger {based Israel}

** 1978 – first performance of Günter Bialas – Assonanzen, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Schwetzinger Festspiele, Schwetzingen, Germany)

** 1985 – During this week, solo cellist Lynn Harrell performed the first Saint-Saëns cello concerto several times with the National Symphony Orchestra (U.S.A.) – on the 16th, 17th, 18th and 21st of May

** 1994 – on today’s date and the following day, cellist Maria Kliegel recorded both Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, and the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor alongside violinist Ilia Kaler, with the National Symphony orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Andrew Constantine.

** 1996 – the Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jirí Belohlávek, featured cello soloist Ralph Kirschbaum at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham (England).

** 1782 – cellist Jean Tricklir performed on this day his own double concertos with violinist E. Schick at the Theatre of Hamburg (Germany). This was their second concert together within the space of 7 days: In a report, given by Cramer, it said: “Since Lolli’s time the house has never been so crammed as on these occasions.”

** 1807 – birth of François George-Hainl (Issoire, France) d.1873
cellist & conductor

** 1895 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Rina Allerton (vocal) and ‘Herr David Popper’ (cello).

** 1897 – on 16th November, 1897, Dutch cellist Kato van der Hoeven became a member of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and, according to the current state of research, is perhaps only the second woman cellist after Valborg Lagervall to be accepted into a permanent professional symphony orchestra in Europe (though she had already appeared as invited soloist with the orchestra two years previously).

** 1905 – at the Broadwood Concerts (London), the famous ‘Bohemian String Quartet’ played a string quartet by Tchaikovsky, and the quintet of Schubert with Mr Karl Fuchs as invited cellist.

** 1905 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Dresden by soloists Felix Berber and Julius Klengel with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Steinbach

** 1907 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed on this day, and the previous day, a programme that included the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.33, by Robert Volkmann– the featured soloist was the principal cellist of the orchestra Bruno Steindel.

** 1924 – in a trio concert at Synod Hall (Edinburgh), and apart from trios of Beethoven and Schubert, the cellist Bernard Beers and Donald Tovey – piano also performed a Boccherini Cello Sonata

** 1925 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, a recital was offered by Gaspar Cassadó (cello)

** 1928 – Alexander Schuster gave a recital “cello evening” in Berlin.

** 1930- cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major. Two concerts, in Den Haag (15th November) and Amsterdam (16th November) and conducted by Pierre Monteux

** 1943 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in Berlin, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Fürtwangler (only 2nd and 3rd movements thought to survive)

** 1945 – first performance of Milhaud – Elégie for cello and piano
(New York)

** 1949 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts in Amsterdam (16th and 17th November), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1949 – Lorne Munroe won the only Naumburg Award granted in 1949 and as a result made his formal New York recital debut on this day 16th November at Town Hall, NY, playing works of Haydn, Weber, Dvořák, and Fauré.

** 1961 – Joan Dickson was cello soloist, along with Louis Carus – violin and Hester Dickson – pianoforte in a Reid Orchestral Concert – they performed Beethoven – Triple Concerto in C Major, for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, Op.56, with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Sidney Newman. However, our cellist returned to the podium in the second half to also perform Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor. Sir Adrian Boult was also credited as guest conductor, though it is not clear which work or works he directed.

** 1974 – on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Barenboim), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1984 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording, with violinist Yehudi Menuhin, of the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, in the London Abbey Road Studios, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paaco Berglund (the other recording day was the previous day)

** 1987 – birth of Beatriz Blanco (Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain)
cellist and professor

** 1989 – on the 16th, 17th and 21st of this month, cellist Natalia Gutman performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – Karel Husa’s Cello Concerto was performed by Lynn Harrell, with the USC Symphony conducted by Daniel Lewis (the work had been premiered a couple of years previously, but underwent a certain revision, reaching its definitive form for the performance on this day)

** 1999 – José Miguel Gómez/cello and Juan Carlos Garvayo/piano performed Alvaro Guijarro Pérez – Dos impresiones Nocturnos for cello and piano in the Centro Cultural “Conde Duque”, Madrid in a concert recorded live by Spanish National Radio.

** 1778 – birth of Christian Urban (Elbing, Germany)
cellist, musical director in Elbing, music theory lecturer in Berlin, music director in Dantzig, and composer

** 1852 – birth of Joseph Hollmann (Maastricht, Holland)
cellist, a soloist career with many international invitations

** 1871 – birth of Adolphe Biarent (Belgium) d.1916
composer, conductor, cellist and music teacher

** 1896 – in a series of four orchestral concerts given by the Colonne Orchestra of Paris at the Queen’s Hall, London on 12, 14, 16 and 17 October 1896, the performance on 16th October featured the soloists Monsieur Vergnet and Mrs Katharine Fisk (vocal) and Marix Loevensohn (cello)

** 1897 – first performance of W.H. Squire – L’Adieu for cello and piano, with the composer on cello (Prom concert, London)

** 1900 – Clyde Twelvetrees was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1902 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in Léon Boëllmann – Variations symphoniques, Op 23 / David Popper – Tarantella, Op 33, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1919 – birth of Marinus Arnoldus Johannes Snoeren (The Hague, Holland) d.1982
cellist, and music educator. In the Netherlands he was called ‘the aristocrat of cellists’ on account for his elegant musicianship and majestic sound. He was principal cello during 6 years of the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague.

** 1921 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Bratislava, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 on this day. Orchestral works of Dvorak, Debussy and Beethoven were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1936 – premiere of Bohuslav Martinů – Concertino for Piano Trio and String Orchestra (H.232, composed in 1933), performed by the soloists Walter Kägi (violin), Richard Sturzenegger (cello) and Tibor Harsanyi (piano), conducted by Paul Sacher
(Basel, Switzerland)

** 1941 – on this day the Spanish composer Ricard Lamote de Grignon wrote a ‘Serenata’ para cello and piano (a piece from 3 ‘Bagatelas de fin de siglo’)

** 1943 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (three concerts; 15th, 16th and 17th October), Richard Krotschak performed as cello soloist (with Wolfgang Schneiderhan – violin) in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102. Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1956 – The American cellist Donald McCall was named a winner of the 1956 Naumburg Competition, and his debut concert was warmly reviewed in The New York Times review, October 16th, 1956:
“Mr. McCall is a sensitive young artist who seems to have a warm spot for twentieth century music. That he is gifted was apparent in the Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73, and the Bach D minor Suite…with the Sonatina of the contemporary Louis Nenini.. his tone was warm and resonant, his phrasing broad and self-assured, and he seemed to enjoy himself…The Shostakovich Sonata, Op. 40, was the crown of the afternoon’s performances.”
He much later taught at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England where one of his students was Clive Greensmith.

 ** 1960 – Rohan De Saram (cello) and Edmund Rubbra (piano) gave a recital at the Little Missenden Festival (England), including Rubbra – Cello Sonata Op.60

** 1960 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Richard Kay, with Lalan Parrott /piano

** 1964 – birth of Olaf Maninger (Recklinghausen, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation board member

** 1966 – cellist Anner Bijlsma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Jean Fournet

** 1967 – Shirley Trepel was cello soloist in the premiere performances of Andre Previn’s 1st Cello Concerto, with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in Jones Hall, conducted by the composer [two performances, today and following day]

** 1971 – at the Town Hall, Leeds (England) the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Reginald Stead/Jascha Horenstein) performed with Paul Tortelier as cello soloist.

** 1980 – birth of Park Go Eun (Seoul, South Korea)
cellist

** 1981 – birth of Brice Catherin (Brussels, Belgium)
Considered a French composer and cellist. His works include: Winterreise for Cello and Ensemble (2010) / Verklärte Nacht for Cello and Ensemble (2012)

** 1997 – birth of Jonathan Roozeman (Helsinki, Finland)
Cellist. The youngest winner of the first cello prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015, Roozeman was also a finalist at the Naumburg International Cello Competition in the same year.

** 1756 – birth of Carl Gottfried Wilhelm Wach (Loebau, Ober Lausitz, Germany)
cellist, double-bassist & violinist – from 1788 he was secretary to the concert society of Leipzig where he was a double bass player. Wach was also a collector of biographical notes, which Gerber later used for his famous dictionary.

** 1860 – birth of Hugo Dechert (Potschappel, Dersden, Germany) d.1923
cellist, orchestra principal cello, royal ‘chamber virtuoso’ & teacher

** 1897 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Berceuse {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1899 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Chansonette and Tzig-Tzig / Trad. Robin Adair {Proms premiere of this arrangement} / William Henry Squire – Slumber Song {World premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1942 – cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and her sister were arrested by the ‘Gestapo’ on a German railway station as they tried to escape to Paris, and were brought to prison in Breslau (trial in 5th June 1943)

** 1952 – André Navarra was cello soloist, along with Alfredo Campoli/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1955 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor and Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert Menges (not known how many recording days were used)

** 1957 – on this day cellist Janos Starker recorded Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor, at the Kingsway Hall London, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini

** 1988 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 16th September), conducted by Riccardo Chailly

** 1992 – birth of Mari Möldre (Estonia)
cellist, singer and pianist – she represented Estonia in the EuroVision song contest of 2009 together with the group ‘Urban Symphony’

 ** 1993 – the premiere took place of Günter Bialas – Concerto No.2 for Cello and Orchestra (composed the previous year) in Bremen, Germany.
Name of cellist ?
It was commissioned by the Bremen Chamber Philharmonic and the work was later published by Bärenreiter Kassel

** 1826 – on this day English cellist Robert Lindley performed with the double bassist Dragonetti a sonata of Corelli (in London)

** 1843 – birth of Louis Noebe (Güstrow, Germany)
cellist, member Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, member court chapel of Weimar, principal cello in Hamburg Orchestra and in the Orchestra of the Museums Concerts of Frankfurt-upon-Main, director of a violin instrument studio with new patents

** 1864 – cello soloist David Popper performed Volkmann’s Cello Concerto, Op.33 once again (at least the fourth time in the space of less than 12 months) at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert. He had, in fact, played the same work just a few days before.

** 1870 – the last performance was given at the Kärtnertortheater before its demolition – the featured opera was ‘William Tell’ with cellist David Popper performing the opening cello solo!
(Vienna)

** 1898 – birth of Grace Becker Vamos (Berkeley, California, U.S.A.) d.1992
cellist, composer and educator. She formed the Trio Moderne with flutist Christine Howells Pfund and harpist Marie Hughes Marguarrie

** 1903 – birth of Gregor Piatigorsky (Dnipro, Ukraine) d.1976
cellist, chamber musician, arranger, composer & teacher {based USA}
A world-renowned cellist known for his “glorious low-register sound” and powerful musical expression. He achieved early success as principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic before launching a celebrated international solo career, marked by extensive recordings and collaborations with legendary musicians like Arthur Schnabel and Jascha Heifetz. Later in life, he became an influential teacher and settled in the United States, where he taught masterclasses and continued to inspire new generations of cellists.

** 1913 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (17th and 20th April) and Paris (2nd May), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1958 – birth of Michael Bach {Bachtischa} (Worms, Germany}
cellist, composer & visual artist

** 1973 – first performance of Helmut Eder – Melodia-Ritmica, for 12 Cellos, Op.59 N.1
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Salzburg, Austria)

** 1974 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier made a live recording with violinist Yan Pascal Tortelier, of the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, from the London Royal Festival Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Pritchard

** 1975 – on the 17th, 18th and 19th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Bernstein), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1983 – first performance of Klaus Wüsthoff – Cellodrom, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (televised concert, SFB, Berlin)

** 1984 – on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Davis), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – Release date (premiere screened in France) of the film “Delicatessen”
directed by Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon and Pascal Benezech
A post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants – famous for a duo performance of cello and musical saw.

** 1998 – the premiere took place on this day of Torbjörn Engström’s Cello Concerto (written in 1992-1993), by cellist Åsa Åkerberg, with the ‘KammarensembleN’, conducted by Staffan Larsson, in Örebro, Sweden. He had also written a smaller concertino for cello and string orchestra in 1992. The composer was born in 1963.

** 1748 – birth of Johann Jäger (Schlitz, Germany)
cellist, oboist, french horn player, court ‘chamber soloist’

** 1784 – Luigi Boccherini renews his contract with Infante Don Luis of Spain, with an additional 12,000 reals (however, it was not to be a happy time for the composer; the Infante dies within as year, as also did Boccherini’s wife)

1838 – birth of Emile Dunkler
cellist and composer. Also, a saxophonist.
He received his first music lessons from his father, but probably also from Joseph Giese. He left for Paris as a young man. He became a cellist in the orchestra of Napoleon III, which was part of the corps Guides de la Garde Impériale, but also immersed himself in the sounds of the then recently invented saxophone. In the wind orchestra he was the first alto saxophone player. Dunkler gave concerts throughout Western Europe and the United States of America. As a saxophonist in the French army, he experienced the campaigns in Italy (Battle of Magenta and Battle of Solferino). When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, he fled to his parents in the Netherlands and died at a young age.

A number of Dunkler’s works, such as ‘La fileuse’ and ‘Caprice hongrois’, are still performed.

** 1844 – birth of Francis Bennat (Bregenz, Germany)
cellist, member Royal Chapel of Munich (later ‘chamber virtuoso’ there), chamber musician

** 1879 – birth of Antonio Certani (Budrio, Italy) d.1952
Certani graduated in cello in 1900 with Francesco Serato, founder of the so-called Bologna school of cello. He was considered a virtuoso on his instrument. He wrote ‘Five pieces all’antica’ for cello and piano (1920), which were dedicated to Arturo Bonucci (1894-1964) – these works are presented as five studies of cello virtuosity comparable to the form of the Capriccio with piano accompaniment. It is not common knowledge that in 1912, Respighi dedicated him a collection of Variations for Cello and Piano: later, in 1920, it was Certani himself who orchestrated the work in the form of “Adagio with Variations for Cello and Orchestra” – a masterful orchestration!

** 1901 – after successful concert tours of Australia and New Zealand, solo Belgium cellist Jean Gérardy returned to U.S.A. on the RMS Ventura on this day.

** 1942 – birth of Stephen Geber (Los Angeles, California, USA)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor

** 1944 – in a concert at the National Gallery of London, Vivian Joseph (cello) and Gerald Moore (piano) gave a joint recital

** 1948 – birth of Alexander Ivashkin (Russia) d.2014
cellist, writer, academic & conductor. Also played the sitar.

** 1949 – Anthony Pini was cello soloist in Antonin Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1959 – Amaryllis Fleming was cello soloist in Mátyás Seiber – Tre Pezzi {London premiere}, with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1977 – birth of Tatjana Vassiljeva (Novosibirsk, Russia)
cellist, soloist & chamber music player

** 1993 – first performance of Edward Cowie – Cello Concerto
(Brisbane, Australia)

** 1786 – auditions and applying for positions has always been hard! On this day in 1786 Thomas Hennerlein (youngest son of cellist Anton) applied for the second time (a month after the first) for a permanent engagement at the court of Bamberg or to be allowed to ‘go to Salzburg’; he was told he might go to “Salzburg unmolested or seek service at any other court” – hardly a positive response! What eventually became of him is unknown.

** 1865 – on this date cello virtuoso David Popper performed his own Cello Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op.8, advertised as a “World Premiere”. He was accompanied by the Löwenberg Orchestra

** 1866 – soloist Alfredo Piatti performed Sullivan – Cello Concerto in D Major in Edinburgh on this date – it was one of the first ever performances of the work.

** 1899 – the three Vidal Puig sisters (Francesca on cello, Júlia on violin, and Mercè on piano) gave their first major performance as a trio in Barcelona, which took place at the Sala Estela on December 11th, 1899, in a concert organized by the Barcelona Philharmonic Society. They performed trios of Beethoven and Saint-Saens. Francesca and Mercè also presented the Grieg Sonata in A minor for cello and piano. ‘La Vanguardia’ newspaper of December 17th said:
“Las señoritas Mercedes, Júlia and Francisca Vidal, appeared before the public for the first time, to perform a whole concert. They came out of the difficult test not only well spared, but extraordinarily applauded.”

** 1901 – at a ‘Mr Halford’s Orchestral Concert’, given at the Town Hall, Birmingham (England) the soloists were Miss Theresa Rassam (vocal) and Willy Lehmann (cello).

** 1913 – at Milton Hall, Deansgate, Manchester on 17th December, 1913, a “Miss Gertrude Haworth’s Student’s Vocal Recital” took place; the programme was assisted by solos on the cello by Ernest Thorley

** 1930 – a Cello Recital was given for the Windermere Chamber Concerts by Antonia Butler at St. John’s Room, Windermere (England)

** 1932 – release date of a Mickey Mouse film of interest to cellists; “Mickey’s Good Deed” (also called Mickey’s Lucky Break and Mickey Plays Santa in certain home video releases) is a 1932 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. Set during the Christmas season and the contemporary Great Depression, the cartoon centers on Mickey’s act of charity to bring Christmas to a poor family. The film was directed by Burt Gillett and features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey and Pinto Colvig as Pluto. It was the 50th Mickey Mouse short, and the 14th of that year. At one point in the film Mickey drops his cello and a horse-drawn sleigh runs it over destroying it. The apparently oblivious party in the sleigh calls out a cheerful “Merry Christmas!” to Mickey…

** 1934 – birth of David Rubio {born as David Spink} (London) d.2000
A master instrument maker, famed above all for his cellos.
David Rubio started his studies in medical school and intended to become a surgeon but discovered that being colour blind, surgery would be impossible. Instead, he went in an entirely different direction, becoming a flamenco guitarist with a gypsy group in Spain. He then started making guitars, then harpsichords and baroque violins. He moved to Cambridge in 1979 and concentrated on violin and cello making, developing an international reputation for his instruments.
He was involved in research and significant discoveries about the methods and materials used by classical Italian violin makers for finishing and varnishing instruments. He developed methods of acoustical testing which helped other makers gain insights and control over how their instruments function, his unconventional training in instrument-making led him to evolve detailed constructional techniques different from those taught in the violin-making schools.

** 1955 – on 17th December 1955, Pau {Pablo} Casals took part in a tribute to the house where his mother, Pilar Defilló, was born, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

** 1955 – Many newspaper and magazine advertisements kept Gregor Piatigorsky‘s name before the public throughout the 1940s and 50s. One that appears to have come flying out on today’s date was produced by the record company RCA and was a simple marketing slogan: “There is Only One Piatigorsky”

** 1960 – on 17th December 1960, Pau {Pablo} Casals’ oratorio El Pessebre is premiered in Acapulco (Fort of San Diego, Mexico).

** 1966 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in Paris, with the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française conducted by Jean Martinon

** 1972 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Yehuda Hanani, with Emanuel Krasovsky /piano

** 1976 – birth of Mark Kosower (Eau Claire, Minneapolis, USA)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & teacher {based USA-Germany}

** 1978 – in Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts, cellist Natalie Gutman was invited soloist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104. Conductor: Christof Prick / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1988 – on December 17th, 1988, Mstislav Rostropovich gave a special concert at Barbican Hall in London, after postponing a trip to India for the Armenian Earthquake relief program. The event was part of an effort called Musicians for Armenia

** 1847 – first {private} performance of Chopin – Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.65
Auguste Franchomme/cello with composer at piano (house concert)

** 1854 – a letter from Clara Schumann about her husband’s cello concerto; Schumann had presented the work to the publishers three years after the initial inspiration but by then his mental state had deteriorated significantly:
“The Doctors put him [Schumann] to bed, and he gave no resistance for a few hours. Then he got up again and started making corrections in the cello concerto, feeling that this might relieve him of the interminable sound of the voices.” Clara Schumann wrote on 17-02-1854

** 1856 – birth of Hendrik Nicolaas (Henri) Bosmans (Amsterdam) d.1896
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician, viola pomposo & teacher

** 1859 – premiere of the Verdi opera “Un ballo en maschera” – there features an important cello principal solo in the aria ‘Morró, ma prima in grazia’ from Act III.

** 1889 – birth of Sara Gurowitsch (born in Russia, but moved at an early age to the U.S.A.) d.1981
cellist, soloist and chamber musician. She toured in 1914 on the lyceum circuit with baritone Marcus A. Kellerman. Gurowitsch left the professional stage after marriage in 1919, but she occasionally played at Jewish women’s events.
There seemed to be problems in spelling her name! – all these were found:
Sara Gurowitsch, Sara Gurovitch, Sara Gurowitch, Sara Leight, and S. Gurowitsch !

**1896 – Antonin Dvorak had written an important letter on 14th February 1896 to Francesco Berger (director of the London ‘Philharmonic Society’ and acting as its honorary secretary) about the first performance of his new Cello Concerto.  Francesco Berger’s reply letter to Antonin Dvorak came three days later, on today’s date in 1896:
“My dear friend and honoured Master! We should have been most happy to have had Mr. Wihan to play your Concerto. But as you told me he could not come on the 19 March we thought to please you by including the work and have engaged Mr. Leo Stern who says he knows the work. […]”

** 1905 – birth of Orville {“Hoppy”} Jones (Chicago, U.S.A.) d.1944
cellist, and bass singer

** 1909 – in the preparation for the London 1908-09 season there were special recitals planned by Robert Hausmann for February 13 and 17, and each were each to feature a work by Bach, a work by Tovey, and concluding with one of the sonatas of Brahms. They were to be happy occasions – Hausmann was a reverent scholar and arranger of historic works, an ally to English composers, and a central player in the rich Germanic tradition of Brahms. Sadly, these concerts with Hausmann never took place due to his sudden death the month previously (totally unexpected, he passed away in his sleep).
However, Donald (later Sir Donald) Tovey rescued the second of these two dates, and premiered a new original work, the ‘Elegiac Variations’ for Cello and Piano, Op. 25 – a 10-11 minute work of ‘sombre’ Elgar influence, dedicated to the memory of his late friend Mr. Hausmann. The cellist on this day could well have been Pau Casals as he surely played the work later that same year, but I cannot find proof of this.

** 1917 – the Manchester City News reported on an early performance of Debussy – Cello Sonata, given by the cello-piano duo Hock & Forbes:
“…There is more than painting in Debussy’s new sonata.  The suggestions of abstraction and spiritual aestheticism in the daring opening are bound up with a logic of conception unfathomable in the conventional musical audience… because it is absolutely apart from the logic dictated by the subject. Mr. Forbes at the piano did his best to make tangible what is, in the light of understanding of Debussy’s music, altogether intangible; and though Mr. Hock was certainly handicapped by the solidity of the pianoforte, his ‘cello playing showed sufficient of the piece to give hope that his next rendering, helped by more congenial atmosphere, will assist to a fairer judgement of the sonata…”

** 1923 – Herman Thomas Canivez was cello soloist along with Julius Roentgen (junior) – violin and Bram Mendes – viola, in Julius Roentgen – Triple Concerto for violin, viola, and violoncello, with string orchestra, at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, with The Reid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey.

** 1923 – cellist Diran Alexanian gave two recital performances, on 17th and 19th February of this year, in Barcelona, with the marvellous experience of sharing the concert platform together with a young Sergei Prokofiev.

** 1930 – first performance of Honegger – Cello Concerto
(Boston. USA)

** 1934 – birth of Anner Bylsma (The Hague, Holland) d.2019
cellist, baroque cellist, orchestra principal cello & teacher

** 1955 – Eldon Fox was cello soloist in the Annual Reid Concert on this day. He performed Tovey – Cello Concerto in C Major, Op.40, with the Reid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sidney Newman.

** 1957 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed ‘Furtwängler Memorial Concert’ on both 16th and 17th February, with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Walter Barylli featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102, in an all-Brahms programme. Conductor: Karl Böhm / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1964 – first performance of Wuorinen – Chamber Concerto for cello and ten instruments
(New York)

** 1972 – birth of Raphaël Chrétien (Paris)
cellist & music educator

** 1986 – on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1989 – cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (15th, 16th and 17th February), conducted by Herbert Blomstedt

** 1991 – on this day cellist Janos Starker recorded Robert Starer – Cello Concerto, with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston conducted by Leob Botstein

** 1991 – birth of Edward Christopher Sheeran (Halifax, West Yorkshire, England)
English singer-songwriter and musician, who also played the cello in his youth

** 1994 – first performance of Gwyneth Walker – Journeys for 3 Celli
cellists: Eugene Friesen, Judith Serkin and Zon (Brattleboro, VT, USA)

** 1811 – birth of Karl Romberg (St. Petersburg, Russia) d.1897
cellist, member of the Russian court band, member of the Imperial Private Band of Vienna {the son of the famous Bernhard Romberg!}

** 1817 – birth of Wilhelm Lotze (Berlin) d.1890
cellist, court cellist & chamber musician

** 1866 – birth of Rudolph Ehrlick (Prague)
cellist, professor Moscow Conservatoire, member of the Moscow Trio

** 1876 – birth of (Joseph Marcel) Rodolphe Plamondon (Montreal) d.1940
singer (tenor) and also professional cellist

** 1892 – a solo performance was noted by French cellist Marguerite (Anastasie) Baude in Angers on this day

** 1911 – first performance of Reger – Cello Sonata No.4 in A minor, Op.116
(Hamburg, Germany)

** 1916 – on this date the premiere was heard of Paul Hindemith’s Cello Concerto in Eb Major, Op.3, with the Orchestra of the Hoch Conservatory featuring Maurits Frank (cello soloist), conducted by the composer. The music was not published until 1977 (Piano Reduction by Willy Giefer).

** 1929 – the Royal Philharmonic Society at the Queen’s Hall (London) conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, gave a performance featuring the soloist Alexandre Barjansky (cello).

** 1945 – in a concert at the National Gallery, London, cellist William Pleeth performed the Rubbra – Soliloquy, Op.57 for the second time, with the Boyd Neel String Orchestra conducted by Boyd Neel. Pianist Myra Hess (née Johnstone) also featured in the programme as a soloist.

** 1947 – birth of Thomas Igloi (Budapest) d.1976
cellist, chamber musician

** 1949 – Paul Tortelier gave a cello recital at the Royal Dublin Society Members’ Hall, Ball’s Bridge (Ireland)

** 1953 – cellist Andre Navarra performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (14th and 15th January), and Den Haag (17th January), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1954 – birth of Michal Kaznowski (Gooderstone, West Norfolk, England) d.2023
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor {son of a professional orchestral cellist}. An influential musician in the British musical scene.

** 1959 – birth of Salome Kammer (Nidda, Hesse, Germany)
A German actress, singer and cellist – she has successfully combined acting and musical careers simultaneously over a long period.

** 1963 – Joan Dickson was cello soloist in a Reid Orchestral Concert – she performed Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104, with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Sidney Newman

** 1964 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bloch – Schelomo. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (17th January) and Den Haag (18th January), conducted by Donald Johanos

** 1964 – birth of Andrew Michael Rourke (Manchester, England) d.2023
An English bass guitarist, electric guitarist, and cellist, focused on alternative rock and indie-pop. Member of the band ‘The Smiths’. He was famed for his melodic and funk-inspired approach to bass playing.

** 1965 – the premiere took place at Carnegie Hall, New York of George Kleinsinger’s (1914-1982) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (written the same year), with cello soloist Paul Olefsky with the Orchestra of America, conducted by RIchard Korn. Best known for his lighter works “Tubby the Tuba,” “Street Corner Concerto,” and the Cantata “I Hear America Singing”, American composer George Kleinsinger had a more serious side as the more profound writing in this Concerto for Cello and Orchestra demonstrates.

** 1965 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Louis Vyner, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 9 in B-flat Major by Luigi Boccherini with Harold Gorodetzer, cellist

** 1985 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd and 23rd of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Tennstedht), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1988 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Yosif Feigelson, with Masha Tishkoff /piano

** 1996 – birth of Klaus Mäkelä (Helsinki)
Cellist and conductor. Principal guest conductor with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Chief conductor Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.

** 1926 – birth of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch (Breslau, Germany – today Wrocław, Poland) [mother of cellist Raphael Wallfisch]
cellist, orchestra principal cello – a survivor from Auschwitz Concentration Camp {based England}

** 1955 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier recorded (live?) Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, in London, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent

** 1956 – on this day cellist Janos Starker finished recording Milhaud – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.136, and Prokofiev – Cello Concerto in E minor Op.58 at the Kingsway Hall London, the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Walter Süsskind (probably there were 2 recording days in all, the other on the 14th)

** 1974 – Vasso Devetzi (piano) and Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) record Beethoven – Variations on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” for Cello and Piano
(Salle Wagram, Paris)

** 1982 – birth of Dominika Weiss Hošková (Prague )
Czech cellist , daughter of cellist musician Jiří Hošek. She lives alternately in the Czech Republic and in Israel. She specializes in the interpretation of the work of the cellist David Popper (1843–1913).

** 1988 – birth of Eros Jaca (Zaragoza, Spain)
cellist, chamber musician, contemporary music expert

**1789 – on this day the whole Italian Opera House, Haymarket, London burned down; the cellist Cervetto the younger had a magnificent instrument (by luthier William Forster) that was lost in the fire. The regret felt by the loss of this instrument was so enormous that he was to retire altogether from the profession, knowing he would never have such an instrument again that suited him so well.

** 1863 – at an orchestral concert on Žofín Island, Prague, the invited soloists were Theodor Wahle (piano), Gallenstein (voice), David Popper (cello) and Karl Wien (violin). Popper played an unspecified solo work with the orchestra

** 1926 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Cornelis Dopper

** 1929 – Pau (Pablo) Casals, alongside pianist Blas Net, recorded the Boccherini – Sonata No.6 in A Major, and the ‘Grave ed Espressivo’ from Tartini – Cello Concerto in D Major, in Barcelona (recording days on the 16th and 17th of this month)

** 1930 – birth of Leah {Miriam} Lowenstein [née Hiller] (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.) d.1984
A female American nephrologist, academic administrator, and cellist. In 1982, she became the first woman dean of a co-educational, medical school in the United States upon her appointment at Jefferson Medical College. As a cellist was a fine semi-professional, playing in a string trio in engagements whilst living in Wisconsin.

** 1966 – On 17th June, 1966, Pau {Pablo} Casals he is named an honorary citizen of San Juan de Puerto Rico. This was to be the last year that he attended the Prades Festival and the Zermatt Summer School in summer. In September, Pablo Casals conducted the oratorio El Pessebre in Sant Miquel de Cuixà.

** 1968 – first performance of Britten – Solo Cello Suite No.2, Op.80
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich (England – Aldeburgh Festival)

** 1977 – birth of Dominik Połoński (Krakow, Poland) d.2018
cellist (laterly right-hand cellist only)

** 1981 – the first recording of Urs Joseph Flury’s Cello Concerto in A minor (composed 1977-1978) took place on 16th and 17th June at the Baumgartner Casino Vienna, featuring solo cellist Pierre Fournier, with the Wiener Volksopernorchester conducted by the composer.

** 1985 – in a series of three Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, cellist Wolfgang Herzer was invited soloist today in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35, in the ‘Vienna Festival Weeks’. Conductor: James Levine / Musikverein, Large Hall, Vienna

** 1997 – Michael Hoppé and Martin Tillman release the disc “The Poet: Romances for Cello” on this day

** 1998 – cellist Arto Noras premiered the Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op.141, by Erik Bergman, with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Ari Rasilainen. This took place at the Naantali Chamber Music Festival of Finland, who were the organization that commissioned this work.

** 1783 – news from July 1782, when preparations for Earl Abingdon’s first grand concert series in England were underway, it was regularly reported that the Earl was in negotiation with Haydn – audiences were explicitly informed that Abingdon had directly approached Haydn for new works: ‘Haydn is among the foreign composers, to whom Lord Abingdon has applied for new music at his grand Concert’ (a quote from the Morning Chronicle, 17th March 1783). This was important for cellists in the fact that the Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major would have been a project in this group of works!

** 1817 – birth of Julius Stahlknecht (Posen, Germany)
cellist, chamber musician & composer

** 1817 – birth of Ferdinand Büchler (Darmstadt, Germany) d.1842
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician

** 1874 – first joint performance of cellist David Popper and {first wife} Sophie Menter – piano (Bösendorfersaal, Vienna)
They had been a couple from 1872 until 1886, when they separated. They most likely performed informally before this day’s recital…

** 1883 – first complete performance of David Popper – Cello Concerto No.2 in E minor, Op.24
soloist – David Popper, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (St. Petersburg, Russia)

** 1900 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mr Santley (vocal) and Herr Julius Klengel (cello). Interestingly the programme also included the first English performance of Klengel – Concert Overture in Eb Major, Op.35.

** 1917 – the Manchester City News gave an interesting report of the duo Hatton (cello) and Forbes (piano) on a performance of Debussy – Cello Sonata:
“…the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano by Debussy, in which the ‘cello was again revealed as an instrument strongly akin to the Debussy spirit. Full of strange and flowing emotions with which the composer has already dealt more fully elsewhere, the piece was like a spiritual arousal after travail. Mr. Hatton and Mr. R.J. Forbes made a very vivid thing of its jocular tauntings no less than its bizarre pleading”

** 1927 – Gregor Piatigorsky gave the Berlin premiere of Schelomo by Ernst Bloch, a work with which he was associated for much of his career.

** 1929 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (today and yesterday), Friedrich Buxbaum performed as cello soloist in Bloch – Schelomo.  Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwangler / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1932 – a Reid Historical Concert at Edinburgh University featured the Edinburgh String Quartet (W. Watt Jupp, J. M. Begbie, Miss Margaret Ludwig, and J. Dickson) with guests John Fairbairn – viola and Ruth Waddell – ‘cello. The performance included D. F. Tovey – Sonata for two cellos

** 1941 – first performance of Norman Dello Joio – Sonata for cello and piano
?/cellist with composer at piano (the MacDowell Club, New York)

** 1945 – first performance of Myaskovsky – Cello Concerto No.1 in C minor, Op.66, with cello soloist Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (the dedicatee) and the All-Union Radio Orchestra, conducted by A. Orlov.

** 1948 – birth of Andor Toth, Jr. (U.S.A.) d.2002
Principal cellist with the San Francisco Symphony. Professor of Cello at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, where he taught for 30 years (1972-2002). In 1972, when Toth Jr. joined the Oberlin faculty, his father, who was also on the faculty, formed the New Hungarian Quartet. In 1982, Toth formed the Oberlin Trio with piano Professor Joseph Schwartz and violin faculty member Stephen Clapp.

** 1968 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts (on 16th and 17th March), cellist Emanuel Brabec played as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Lorin Maazel / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1974 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 17th March), conducted by David Zinman

** 1977 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Lorne Monroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1981 – first performance of Rodrigo ‘Como una fantasia’ for solo cello
soloist – Carlos Prieto (Mexico City)

** 1987 – the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, invited Matt Haimovitz as cello soloist, playing Lalo – Concerto in D minor

** 1992 – release of the pop song “Place your Hand” by Melissa Etheridge, which features the cello playing of actor and cellist Dermot Mulroney

** 1994 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts in Amsterdam (16th, 17th and 18th March), conducted by Mariss Jansons

** 1822 – birth of Bernhard Cossmann (Dessau, Germany) d.1910
cellist, composer, arranger and pedagogue
During his early prpfessional life, he worked for the Grand Opera in Paris and became acquainted with Franz Liszt, with whom he went to Weimar. In 1866, Cossmann was appointed professor of cello studies at the Moscow Conservatory. Then, in 1878, Cossmann helped found the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, where he occupied the post of teacher of cello. He composed many etudes and studies for the cello, many of which are still used today by advanced students.

** 1848 – birth of Hugo Jäger (Warmbrunn, Silesia)
cellist, solo cellist positions in Ems, Altenburg, Brunswick and Pawlowsk (near St. Petersburg); first solo cello in theDucal Chapel of Dessau

** 1897 – birth of Enrico Mainardi (Milan, Italy) d.1976
cellist, composer, arranger & pedagogue
At just thirteen (1910) he gave his London première in a Promenade concert conducted by Henry Wood. However, World War I halted Mainardi’s performances and touring for four years. He took advantage by studying at the Berlin Hochschule with Hugo Becker, relearning all he had previously known and successfully relaunching his solo career. In 1941, he succeeded Becker at the Berlin Hochscule, becoming known primarily as a teacher with a talent for spotting and, crucially, remedying bad habits and mental blocks in young players

** 1910 – first performance of Kodaly – Sonata for cello and piano
Jenö Kerpely/cello and Bela Bartok/piano

** 1918 – birth of Julius Drossin (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) d.2007
An American composer and cellist. He joined the Cleveland Orchestra as a cellist in 1948. Following the awarding of a Ph.D in Music Composition from Western Reserve University, he left the Orchestra to found the Music department at Fenn College which became Cleveland State University in 1965 (he retired as Chairman in 1984). He and his wife Barbara wrote the music and words for many special occasions including Jewish worship services. He wrote a cello concerto which was published around 1979.

** 1942 – at the Cambridge Theatre (London) the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron, performed with invited cello soloist Anthony Pini.

** 1947 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1940). Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 17th May), conducted by the composer

** 1955 – first performance of Einar Englund – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
(Helsinki)

** 1962 – birth of Steven Honigberg (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.)
American cellist specializing in contemporary classical repertoire. He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Potomac String Quartet. From 1994 – 2002, Honigberg served as chamber music series director at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. From 1990 – 2009, he was principal cellist, chamber music director of the Edgar M. Bronfman series in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Honigberg is author of “LEONARD ROSE: AMERICA’S GOLDEN AGE and ITS FIRST CELLIST”, published in 2010 and revised in 2013.

** 1971 – first performance of Joan Tower – Six Variations for cello
(New York)

** 1994 – on today’s date and starting the previous day, cellist Maria Kliegel recorded both Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, and the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor alongside violinist Ilia Kaler, with the National Symphony orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Andrew Constantine.

** 1849 – birth of Adolf Hartdegen (Cassel, Hesse, Germany)
cellist, principal cello Thomas Symphony Orchestra (U.S.A.), principal cello Boston Philharmonic Club, member New York Beethoven Quartet; composer for the cello

** 1855 – birth of Giuseppe Campanari (Venice) d.1927
Italian-American baritone singer & cellist

** 1878 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Ernst de Munck was cello soloist in Molique – Cello Concerto. Orchestral works of Schubert, Reinhold and Schumann were also heard.
Conductor: Hans Richter / Place: ?

** 1916 – first performance of Villa-Lobos – Cello Sonata No.2
(Salão Nobre, Rio de Janeiro)

** 1927 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, a ‘Bach Brahms Evening’ was offered by Max Baldner (cello) and Dr V. Ernst Wolff (piano)

** 1937 – On 17th November, 1937, Pau Casals records Donald Francis Tovey’s epic Cello Concerto in C major with the BBC Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Boult.

** 1939 – in the National Gallery, London, a recital was given by Lionel Tertis (viola), Cedric Sharpe (cello) and William Murdoch (piano).

** 1949 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts in Amsterdam (16th and 17th November), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1959 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Ernó von Dohnányi – Concertstuck, Op.12. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by the son of the composer (Christoph)

** 1961 – An important performance given by Leonard Rose, playing the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, with the Luxembourg Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Louis de Froment. The interpretation was later released on disc.

** 1962 – birth of Torleif Thedéen (Sweden)
cellist, chamber musician & professor

** 1966 – birth of Sophie Marceau (Paris)
Actress, model, author ….and cellist!
Prolific film roles, appeared on more than 300 magazine overs worldwide.
French actress Sophie Marceau plays the cello and a classically trained cellist, which can be seen, for example, in the 1999 film ‘Lost and Found’ when she plays J,S. Bach before the camara, although she is more famous for her film roles such as La Boum, Braveheart and the James Bond film.

** 1975 – Mstislav Rostropovich records the 2 Haydn Cello Concertos with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (full video recordings) 17th to 19th November
(Abbey Road, London)

** 1977 – birth of Jonathan Cohen (Manchester, England)
An English cellist and conductor. He performed as guest principal with many of the UK’s foremost orchestras and ensembles, both symphonic and early music. With this experience he developed a speciality in the field of early music and an interest in period instruments. He was a founder member of the London Haydn Quartet in 2000. Cohen is Artistic Director and founder of the British early music ensemble Arcangelo, which he founded in 2010. Cohen has been the Artistic Director of the Tetbury Music Festival since 2013. Cohen is Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (Minnesota, US) and Associate Conductor of Les Arts Florissants.From 2017 he is artistic director of the Quebec City-based period orchestra Les Violons du Roy. He became conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society in 2023.

** 1978 – Lorne Munroe gave a soloist performance of Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Canada

** 1984 – birth of Juan Ignacio Emme (Mendoza, Argentina)
cellist, orchestral principal cello of the Basque National Orchestra, and Essession Strings, television and film recording artist

** 1989 – on the 16th, 17th and 21st of this month, cellist Natalia Gutman performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1992 – first performance of Herbert Howells – Threnody for Cello and Orchestra (this is the slow movement of the incomplete Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra, probably composed late 1930s)
soloist – Raphael Wallfisch with English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by  Martin Neary (Westminster Abbey, London)

** 1994 – first performance of Alfred Schnittke – Sonata for cello and piano No.2
(London)

** 1874 – in only a few seasons of concertizing Auguste van Biene was rapidly gaining experience and confidence. Showing himself very comfortable on stage, this interesting note appeared on this date in a review by the Preston Chronicle (Lancashire, England):
“Another grand feature in the entertainment, and one which could not fail to take the audience by surprise, was a beautiful solo on the violincello, rendered by Mons. Van Biene. There was not only something astonishing in the perfection of the execution, but also amusing in the manner in which it was given. The artiste seemed so familiar and so taken up with his instrument, that he appeared to throw body, arms, legs, head, and everything into it, and produced such wonderful strains that he may well be ranked one of the finest players of the day.”

** 1878 – birth of Henri Mulet (Paris) d.1967
cellist, organist and composer

** 1889 – English cellist Maud Fletcher (b.1873 in Hampshire) occasionally gave cello recitals; on this day she performed Mendelssohn – Cello Sonata in Bb Major, Op.45

** 1893 – a message from Tchaikovsky to cellist Brandukov: “Expecting you on tomorrow’s mail train with Poplavsky, bring the Saint-Saëns concerto”

** 1893 – Max Reger premiered his first sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.5, with the cellist Oskar Brückner (1857 – 1930) on this day in 1893 in Wiesbaden, Germany. According to Reger, it made quite an impression on his teacher, Hugo Riemann (1849 – 1919). Then, some months later, Reger put together an entire evening’s worth of his then most mature works along with several important musical figures in the audience. This Op.5 sonata was on this programme along with his Piano Trio Op.2. In the preparations Reger had high hopes for the event, but unfortunately it was considered by most (including Reger himself!) to be rather a failure, in part due to the sheer scope and density of the programme.

** 1896 – birth of Jacobus Hendrikus Bastiaan “Jaap” Spaanderman (Gouda, Netherlands) d.1985
A Dutch pianist, cellist, and conductor. A pedagogue for piano and conducting. He received the Dutch Prize of Excellence twice, one being for cello playing. From 1922 he taught piano at the Conservatoire of the Society Amsterdam ‘Muzieklyceum’. In 1932 he was appointed as conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Arnhem. In 1949 he returned to his school in Amsterdam,teaching piano and conducting.

** 1903 – following the premiere of the Ewald Straesser Cello Concerto in D Major (presumed lost today) earlier this month, it was described in ‘The Athenæum’ (page 523) on 17th October 1903, as having 3 movements, with special mention for the 2nd, a brief intermezzo, considered “most pleasing”.

** 1906 – Herman Sandby was cello soloist in Antonin Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1907 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Goltermann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.14 and Emánuel Moör – Cello Concerto No.2. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1930 – Martinu finishes his first version of Cello Concerto No.1 (later fully revised in 1939 and 1955)

** 1943 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (three concerts; 15th, 16th and 17th October), Richard Krotschak performed as cello soloist (with Wolfgang Schneiderhan – violin) in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102. Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1959 – first performance of Martinu – Variations on a Slovakian Theme, for Cello and Piano
Sasha Vectomov/cello & Vladimir Topinka/piano

** 1967 – Shirley Trepel was cello soloist in the premiere performances of Andre Previn’s 1st Cello Concerto, with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in Jones Hall, conducted by the composer [two performances, today and the previous day]

** 1972 – first performance of Einojuhani Rautavaara – Cantus Arcticus, Op.61, at the University of Outu, Finland, in a concert conducted by Stephen Portman. One of his most famous works, it is subtitled ‘Concerto for Birds and Orchestra’, because it incorporates magnetic tape recordings of bird songs recorded near the Arctic Circle and in the Liminka swamps in northern Finland. The work also generously treats the cello section, and a romantic passage for the solo principal cellist.

** 1983 – the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra (London), conducted by James Blair, featured Andrew Shulman play Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85.

** 1991 – on the 17th, 18th,19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Natalia Gutman performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Masur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1993 – first performance of Peter Sculthorpe – Into the Dreaming for cello
(Sydney)

** 1995 – first performance of Jorge García del Valle Méndez – Monólogo for solo cello. According to the regional newspaper it was also the first time that the Kodaly Solo Cello Sonata, Op.8, had been heard in Pamplona, Navarre.
soloist – David Johnstone (Gobierno de Navarra ciclo de música del siglo veinte, Auditorio del Conservatorio Pablo Sarasate, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain)

** 1840 – birth of Francesco Serato (Castefranco, Italy) d.1919
cellist (originally violinist), member of Bolognese Quartet & teacher

** 1849 – on this day Chopin emotionally wrote to Auguste Franchomme: “I love you, and this is all I can tell you now because I am dead tired and weak.” Their friendship lasted until the death of the Polish musician on 17th October of that very year.

** 1889 – the great Italian-Anglo cellist Alfredo Piatti had a fruitful friendship with Charles Villiers Stanford. The composer wrote his second sonata for cello and piano for him in 1889. According to a British newspaper report:
“The chief item at the Monday Popular Concert last night was a new sonata for pianoforte and violoncello by Professor Villiers Stanford. This work, which was composed by Professor Stanford during a visit recently paid by him to Signor Piatti in his Italian home, is in three movements”
We now know the ‘finishing dates’; the first movement is dated September 15; the second September 17, and the third, September 19. Worth investigating!

** 1908 – Herman Sandby was cello soloist in Eugen Albert – Concerto for Cello in C major, Op 20, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1922 – birth of Radu Aldulescu (Piteasca, Ilfov County, Romania) d.2006
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor.
Between 1950 and 1964 he was principal cellist of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra. He formed a trio together with the violinist Ștefan Gheorghiu and pianist Valentin Gheorghiu. he founded, in 1972, the “Trio d’Archi di Roma” together with violinist Salvatore Accardo and violist Luigi Alberto Bianchi.
He was engaged as professor at the Music Academy in Rome, the Conservatoire de Paris, the City of Basel Music Academy, the Maastricht Conservatoire and the Pescara Music Academy.

**1936 – birth of Urs Frauchiger (Mungnau, Bern, Switzerland) d.2023
Swiss cellist, music theorist, and an author. He was Secretary General of the European Music Academy and an honorary professor at the University of Bern. From 1970, he headed the music department at the Bern Studio of Swiss German Radio. In 1977, he was elected director of the Bern Conservatory and Music Academy. From 1992 to 1997, he headed the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, based in Zurich.
After decades of working as a music educator, he expressed sometimes highly critical and controversial views on aesthetic and social issues. Frauchiger firmly believed that human hearing had generally deteriorated, distinguishing between a purely physical ability to hear and the activity “hearing”. He claimed that young people were being impaired because of disco music, even citing a prophecy by Arthur Honegger that one day people would no longer be able to distinguish between half tones and whole tones!

** 1944 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Howard Mitchell with Sol Sax /piano

** 1946 – the American cellist-composer Alan Shulman married the pianist Sophie Pratt Bostelmann on 17th September 1946. Their first child, Jay, a cellist, was born in 1949, followed by his daughter Laurie, a musicologist, in 1951, his son Marc, a guitarist, in 1953, and his daughter Lisa in 1956.

** 1957 – on this day, and in one day, cellist Janos Starker recorded Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, at the Kingsway Hall (London), with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Meia Giulini

** 1960 – first performance of Luigi Dallapiccola – Dialoghi for cello and orchestra
(Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy)

** 1974 – Mstislav Rostropovich was soloist in Haydn – Cello Concerto in  C Major and Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Groves, at the Philharmonic Hall (Liverpool).

** 1978 – cellist Mstislav Rostropovich plays in the East Room of the White House, invited by President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.  The event was broadcast on national US television

** 1984 – cellist Clay Ruede, accompanied by the pianist Thomas Schmidt, made his formal solo debut at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall.

** 1988 – birth of Ilya Elinson (St. Petersburg, Russia)
cellist, member of ‘The Cello Quartet’

** 1996 – first performance of Colin Matthews – Concerto for Cello No.2
soloist – Mstislav Rostropovich, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis (Barbicam Hall, London)

** 1759 – birth of Jacques Christian Michel Widerkehr l’Aîné {also Wiederkehr, Viderkehr} (Strasbourg, France) d.1823
composer and cellist. Performed with the Concert Spirituel and the orchestra of the Loge Olympique

** 1800 – Beethoven composed his Sonata for Piano and French Horn for a concert held at the Vienna Hofburgtheater on 18th April 1800 by Giovanni Punto (Johann Wenzel Stich), the most famous horn player of his day. The solo part was designed to grant Punto an opportunity to display his special prowess; in consequence, there were few professional virtuosos capable of performing it – so Beethoven made a version for cello, which (unfortunately) has been performed on very few occasions

** 1834 – birth of Ludwig Ebert (Chateau Kladrau, Bohemia)
cellist, member opera orchestra of Temesvar, principal cello in the Ducal Chapel of Oldenburg, professor in Cologne of the ‘Rhenish School of Music’, principal cello of the Gürzenich Orchestra

** 1884 – first performance of d’Indy – Lied, Op.19 for cello and orchestra
soloist – ? (Société National de Musique, Paris)

** 1891 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Ada Patterson (vocal), Master Jean Gerardy (cello) and Mr H. Krause

** 1914 – birth of Fritz Magg (Vienna) d.1997
cellist, orchestral principal cello, chamber musician {based USA}

** 1920 – first performance of Marrhijs Vermeulen – Cello Sonata No.1 (written in 1918)
performed by Thomas Canivez & Evert Cornelis (Amsterdam)

** 1920 – cellist Diran Alexanian performed the premiere of Jean Huré – Cello Sonata No.3 in F# Major, with the composer at the piano. The sonata was dedicated to him. In a wonderful programme he also presented J.S. Bach’s Fourth Cello Suite and Georges Enesco’s Sinfonia concertante for cello and orchestra, op. 8, with (once again) the author at the piano.

** 1927 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Radio concert, Friedrich Buxbaum performed Dvorak – Waldesruhe, Op.68/4 and Rondo, Op.94. Orchestral music of Beethoven, Wagner and Bruckner was also heard. Conductor: Franz Schalk

** 1968 – cellist Anner Bijlsma performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op.33. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1974 – in the Schubert-Saal, Vienna, a solo recital of music of J.S. Bach was given by cello soloist Thomas Igloi, under the auspices of the Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft

** 1975 – on the 17th, 18th and 19th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Bernstein), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1977 – birth of Irina Comesaña (Madrid)
cellist, assistant principal cello Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE (Spanish Radio-Television Orchestra) & professor

** 1981 – birth of Sol Gabetta (Villa María, Argentina)
cellist {based Germany}

 ** 1988 – Danish cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson made a live performance recording of György Ligeti’s Cello Concerto (1966) in Aarhus, Denmark

** 1851 – birth of Valborg Lagervall {alternative spellings: Valborg, Walborg, Lagerwall} Österhaninge near Stockholm (Sweden) d.1940
cellist and pianist. From November 1884, Valborg Lagervall was accepted as a permanent cellist in the orchestra of the Kungliga Teatern (Royal Theatre) Stockholm and should be regarded as one of the first woman cellists ever – or even the first?! – to find full-time employment in a professional orchestra outside of specifically women’s orchestras

** 1879 – composer/conductor Arthur Sullivan tended to mix the popular and the unusual when he was conducting in the Covent Garden Promenade Concert Programmes – on this day he programmed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Auber’s overture ‘Marco Spada’ and a ‘Cello Concerto’ (which one?  who played it?!) by Goltermann

** 1922 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Buenos Aires (Teatro Colón), Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 on this day. Orchestral works of Smetana, Troiani, Wagner and Beethoven were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1928 – Beatrice Harrison was cello soloist in Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1930 – the inaugural concert of the ‘Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela’, conducted by Emilio Sojo and Vicente Matucci took place on 24th June 1930 in Caracas. On 18th August, a number of founder members met to form the first directors’ board. It is noted that Carlos Añez and Andrés Añez were representatives from the cello section of the new orchestra.

** 1937 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Eda Kersey & Thelma Reiss at the London Proms

** 1948 – Pierre Fournier was cello soloist in Antonin Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, with London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1948 – at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth (England) the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra, conducted by Rudolf Schwarz, featured cello soloist Florence Hooton in the first of two consecutive concerts.

** 1966 – Natalie Shakhovskaya was cello soloist in Dmitry Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No 1 in E flat major, with Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1968 – Daniel Barenboim (piano) and Jacqueline du Pré (cello) finish recording the two Brahms – Cello Sonatas
(Abbey Road, London)

** 1969 – Release date (premiere screened in New York City, U.S.A.) of the film “Take the Money and Run”, directed by Woody Allen, starring Woody Allen, Janet Margolin and Louise Lasser.
Take the Money and Run is a 1969 American ‘mockumentary’ comedy film. the film chronicles the life of Virgil Starkwell (Woody Allen), an inept bank robber. He is a ‘notorious criminal mastermind’ who tries to learn how to play the cello. It is abominable. Excruciating – he even tosses the cello out the window! He joins a marching band but he can hardly keep up because he has to drag a chair along. A street gang puts the cello out of its misery!

** 1972 – birth of Leonardo Sapere (Buenos Aires)
Italian-Argentine cellist, principal cello of “I Virtuosi Italiani”, chamber musician, also specializes in Jazz, Experimental music & Ethnic music – founder of the improvisation trio Giubileos

** 1982 – birth of Eduardo Vassallo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
He was a founding member of the L.R.A. National Radio String Quartet and principal cellist of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Argentine Republic. As a member of the Camerata Lysy Gstaad (Switzerland), he developed a significant activity related to chamber music, and performed as a soloist throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Since 1989, he has resided in England, where he is principal cellist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with which he has appeared as a soloist on numerous occasions. Since June 2006, he has also been a member of the Granada Ensemble, making recordings for National Radio and performing in various Spanish cities. He is the founder and artistic director of the Latin American Cello Festivals, held every two years in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

** 1848 – birth of Karl/Carl Schröder {II} (Quedlinburg, in the Harz region of Germany) d.1935 {father was Karl Schröder I, violinist}
cellist, composer & conductor

** 1861 – David Popper had a lion’s share of the concert on this day in Vienna. The performance included both Beethoven’s Piano Trio, Op. 70/2 and Goltermann: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op.14

** 1863 – David Popper performed as cello soloist in Servais – Souvenir de Petersbourg, Op.15 with the Löwenberg Orchestra

** 1869 – according to a specialist Popper investigative group, David Popper performed TWICE on this date! Firstly he was announced in a Chamber concert at the Imperial Court Opera, Vienna, playing Schumann – Piano Trio in D Minor with Clara Schumann (piano) and Jacob Grün (violin). Then he appeared with a Hellmesberger Quartet Concert, again in Vienna, with Beethoven’s Sonata for cello and piano in D Major, Op. 102/2 with pianist Julius Epstein

** 1873 – Belgian cellist Gabrielle Platteau performed in the Amsterdam Felix Meritis, among others at the side of the soprano Marie Monbelli.

** 1896 – on 18th and 19th December, 1896, Alwin Schroeder gave the full US premiere of the complete Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor, with Emil Paul conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  While Dvorak biographer John Clapham gives credit for the American premiere to Franz Listemann, who was the soloist in a New York Symphony Society concert two weeks earlier, Listemann only played the second and third movements.

** 1897 – Paul Bazelaire gave his first concert recital in his hometown, Sedan, France, on 18th December, 1897, at the age of eleven. The previous year he had entered the Paris Conservatory in the class of Delsart. He was already a noticed talent. Apart from being a dazzling cellist, he was also a prestigious pianist – in fact, when he entered the Conservatoire, he was hesitating about the choice of first instrument!! Luckily for us it was the cello, and unbelievably, still at the age of eleven, he unanimously won a first prize for cello, a unique event in the cello annals of the Conservatoire!

** 1904 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23 and in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (13th October and 18th December) and Rotterdam (19th December) conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1905 – birth of (Hans) Richard Strurzenegger (Zurich) d.1976
cellist, orchestra principal cello, teacher & composer

** 1906 – the Trio Cortot-Thibaud-Casals makes its debut in a concert, in Lille, France

** 1907 – Monroe Bostelmann (lived 1880-1920, originally from New York) made his Berlin debut playing cello sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms, with the pianist Josef Weiss. It appears that the pianist upset the critics; one (Arthur Laser) wrote: “It is time to make an energetic protest against the kind of playing that Herr Weiss favors. If he does not take art seriously, he should practice his craft where caricatures are fully appreciated, namely in the Variéte-Theater”. The cellist returned to the US in 1909, where he apparently abandoned his musical career, and died very young.

** 1927 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Guidi & Scipione with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mengelberg

** 1941 – first performance of William Busch – Cello Concerto
soloist – Florence Hooton with the Oxbridge RAF Orchestra. The second performance, also with Florence Hooton, was with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult (who was very complimentary about the piece!).

** 1947 – birth of Rafael Ramos (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain) d.2020
cellist, orchestral principal cello & profesor

** 1948 – birth of William Boughton (Birmingham, England)
cellist and conductor (founder English String Orchestra & English Symphony Orchestra)

** 1955 – first broadcast performance of Gordon Jacob – Divertimento for Unaccompanied Cello (the concert premiere was in April 1955 at the Royal Festival Hall) – performances were by Florence Hooton

** 1987 – birth of Žana Miniotaite (Vilna, Lithuania)
cellist, chamber music, artist & writer

** 1993 – José María Mañero/cello and Gerardo López Laguna/piano recorded Federico Mompou – El Pont (1982), for cello and piano for Spanish National Radio
Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid

** 1632 – birth of Giovanni Battista Vitali (Bolonia, Italy) d.1692
violinist, cellist & composer

** 1866 – on this day David Popper’s song “Ich will meine Seele tauchen”, Op.2 No.5, was performed at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert. The song was dedicated to Elisabeth von Metzdorff, and written in July of the previous year.

** 1906 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Lalo – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1909 – at the Broadwood Concerts (London), a recital was given by Paul Ludwig (cello) and Leonard Borwick (piano), with Miss Phyllis Lett (vocal).

** 1910 – A ‘Special Grand Concert’ at the Guildhall, Cambridge (England) included the solo artists Madame Blanche Marchesi and Edna Thornton (vocal), Arnold Trowell (cello) and Cyril Towsey (piano)

** 1926 – cellist Judith Bokor performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D major. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1933 – a Recital was given for the British Music Society, Salisbury Centre (England) by Antonia Butler (cello) and Hugh Campbell (baritone)

** 1939 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann – Cello Concerto, Op.129. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (16th February) and Den Haag (18th February), conducted by Eduard van Beinum

** 1944 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Wehrmacht Chamber concert’, Emanuel Brabec performed as cello soloist in Volkmann – String Serenade No.3 in D minor, Op.69. Conductor: Rudolf Moralt / Vienna Konzerthaus, Mozart Hall, Vienna

** 1952 – first performance of Sergei Prokofiev – Sinfonia Concertante in E Minor Op. 125
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. It was conducted by Sviatoslav Richter – incredibly said to be his sole appearance as a professional conductor!

** 1964 – birth of Jan Vogler (East Berlin)
cellist, orchestra principal cello {based U.S.A.)

** 1977 – first performance of Pfitzner – Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor (Op. posth)
soloist – Esther Nyffenegger

** 1986 – on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th of this month, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1994 – birth of Hayk Sukiasian (Yerevan, Armenia)
Cellist. Versatile and wide geographical activity.

** 1762 – birth of Camillo Barni (Como, Italy)
cellist, orchestra first cello & composer.
At 14 Barni began studying cello with his grandfather Davide Ronchetti. In 1788 he was second cello at the Scala Theatre in Milan, and then from 1791 – 1795 the first principal cellist. In 1799 he began to study composition with Ambrogio Minoja in Milan, whilst playing in several quartets in Italy. In 1802 she ettled in Paris where he was a cellist for several years at the Italian Opera.

** 1795 – birth of Joseph Merk (Vienna) d.1852
cellist, teacher& composer
Joseph Merk was a cellist from the Austrian Empire, often described as one of the most influential of the first half of the 19th century. He also wrote a number of compositions for the cello. He first studied singing, the guitar and the violin, but at the age of 15 he was bitten so severely on his left arm by a dog, that he could no longer play the violin adequately – even after the wound had healed – so he then turned to the cello!
After touring the Austrian provinces, in 1816 or 1818 Merk was appointed to his teacher Schindlöker’s old post of principal cellist at the Vienna Court Opera. In 1823 Merk became professor at the Vienna Conservatory, remaining in that position interruptedly until 1848.
He became deeply associated with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. His performances of the work helped to bring it out of the obscurity in which it had languished since its debut in 1808 (Beethoven himself having never played it in public, unlike his piano concertos. In 1829, Frédéric Chopin visited Vienna, and dedicated his Introduction and Polonaise brillante, Op. 3, to Joseph Merk. He was named Kammervirtuoso (translated as Imperial and Royal Chamber Virtuoso) to the Emperor in 1834 – a highly prestigious award. n 1836 Friedrich August Kummer dedicated his Souvenir de la Suisse, Concertino for cello and orchestra, Op. 30, to Joseph Merk. oseph Merk’s compositions include a Concerto, a Concertino, an Adagio and Rondo, a Polonaise, various sets of variations, études and similar works.
He died in Vienna in 1852, aged 57.

** 1859 – birth of Eugen {Heinrich Hugo Eugène} Gänsbacher (Wiesbaden, Germany) d.1920
cellist, organist and music teacher (he died in Crowborough, England)

** 1868 – birth of Paul Friedrich Theodore Miersch (Dresden, Germany) d.1956 {based U.S.A.}
composer, cellist, orchestra principal cello in the New York Symphony Orchestra.  Among his compositions were concertos for violin and for cello, among other orchestral works. He also composed chamber music, including a string quartet, and songs. …

** 1873 – first performance of Piatti – Cello Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.26
soloist – Alfredo Piatti, conducted by August Manns (London – Crystal Palace Concerts)

** 1876 – birth of (Joseph Marcel) Rodolphe Plamondon (Montreal) d.1940
Singer (tenor), teacher, cellist – worked professionally as both Singer soloist & cellist

** 1899 – the cellist Willy Bender, with Mrs Benda at the piano, gave a concert in the University Music Class Room (Edinburgh) which also included a vocal quartet. In the programme composer-cellists were well represented, featuring:
Ninth concerto, in B minor, Op.56 … Bernhard Romberg // Divertimento, on Austrian songs, Op.46 … Bernhard Romberg // Fantaisie sur des airs nationaux Eccosais et Irlandais, Op.137 … Justus Johann Dotzauer // Abend-Empfindung … Friedrich August Kummer // Schmerz und Heiterkeit … Friedrich August Kummer // Concertstück, Op.14 … Adrien François Servais

** 1905 – cellist Guilherminia Suggia performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Den Haag (18th January) and Amsterdam (25th January), conducted by Willem Mengelbert

** 1905 – birth of Herbert de Castro (Panama) d.1969
cellist, conductor and composer. After cello studies in the U.S.A. and Paris he was associated with the Musical Union Orchestra between 1938 and 1940, which was to pave the way for the creation of the Panama National Symphony Orchestra and also the Conservatory, founded in 1941.  He was the orchestra’s first director from 1941-1944 and also in the longer period 1953-1965. He produced a variety of orchestral and chamber works as a composer.

** 1908 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (5th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th January, last concert in Den Haag), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1909 – on this day in 1909 Julius Klengel gave a ‘massive’ recital at the Bechstein Hall, London. The programme consisted of the 4th Bach Solo Suite, the Haydn D Major Cello Concerto, an Aria by Reger, some pieces of his own, finishing with ther Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations – all with piano accompaniment! Here are a couple of quotes on the event by the critic “L.P.C.”:
“The first movement of Haydn’s Concerto was rendered with beautiful finish and excellent tone….as a cellist Professor Klengel stands in the front rank, but we cannot avoid noticing that the tremendous cadenzas and with which he embellishes the compositions of other are occasions where tone gives way to execution…”

** 1915 – Pablo Casals gave a recital with Harold Bauer in New York, playing sonatas by Beethoven (A Major) and Brahms (F Major).  The New York Times reviewed:
“Mr. Casals… played in New York a dozen years ago, and since then has greatly enhanced his reputation in Europe. It was well that he should be introduced to the more serious New York public in a recital so exceedingly favorable to the finest qualities of his art… . In the solo suite by Bach he played with beautiful refinement and flexibility, with ease and the authority of an assured master.”

** 1919 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts today and tomorrow and the 24th, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60. Orchestral works of Beethoven and Brahms were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1921 – birth of Gordon Epperson (Williston, North Dakota, U.S.A.) d.2006
cellist & pianist, concert cellist and teacher with symphony orchestras in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Seattle, Rochester; faculty member at the University of Puget Sound 1946-1952, Louisiana State University 1952-1961 and Ohio State University 1961-1967; professor emeritus of cello at the University of Arizona from 1967 onwards.

** 1924 – Journalist Lucienne Darrouy (“L’Echo d’Alger”) revealed the secret of a remarkable folding and removable study cello instrument that was invented and bore the mark “Adèle Clément” (important French cellist in the first half of the 20th century), which was revealed in public on Friday January 18th, 1924 in Algiers during a second and last concert at the Salle des Beaux-Arts:
“We know that Miss Clément is the inventor of a mute (or almost) cello that can be dismantled. She played this practical instrument as a demonstration, of course; because its role is rather to serve traveling artists, who want to play scales in hotel rooms without incurring intolerance from profane eardrums, than to enthuse crowds for the benefit of concert performers”
Even without the sound, the columnist of L’Echo d’Alger appreciated the cellist’s style:
“in the hands of this artist with deep faith, only the opportunity to admire the united inventive meaning, in a remarkably balanced nature, with the most exquisite artistic feeling…. ‘Practical and poetical’ ”
Two years earlier, in November 1922, the “Popular Science Monthly” magazine published in New York promoted this curious, slender and elegant object with an illustration to support….

** 1948 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Paul Olefsky, with Eileen Flisser /piano

** 1948 – cellist Georg Horvath gave a most difficult recital of works by Vitali, Haydn (Concerto in D Major), R. Strauss (Cello Sonata), Ravel, Mouusorgsky, Davidoff and Popper with Jul. Karr-Bertoli in the ‘International concert tour concerts in Munich
(the fine print on the poster said “under the auspice is of the military government” Munchen 1948).

** 1953 – cellist Andre Navarra performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1955 – Francesca Vidal, who had been Pau Casals’ romantic partner and his great secret love for so many years, died in Prades on 18th January, 1955. They had not been able to marry before because Casals had not yet divorced Susan Metcalfe

** 1964 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bloch – Schelomo. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (17th January) and Den Haag (18th January), conducted by Donald Johanos

** 1974 – first performance of Alberto Ginastera – Serenata for baritone, cello and nine instruments
(New York)

** 1984 – first performance of Wolfgang Rihm – Erster Doppelgesang for viola, cello and orchestra
(Baden-Baden, Germany)

** 1985 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd and 23rd of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Tennstedht), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1991 – birth of Julian Schwarz (Seattle, Washington, USA)
cellist & teacher

** 1991 – birth of Cosimo Carovani (Florence, Italy)
Cellist, chamber musician, composer, and writer. Member of the Orchestra da Camera Milano Classica, Quartetto Indaco. His ideals are to “revive the ancient yet recently dormant tradition of the instrumentalist-composer in a way that serves as a fertile example for today’s musicians”.

** 1997 – cellist Rebecca Gilliver gave the first performance of Arthur Butterworth – Cello Concerto Op.98, with the Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer, at Huddersfield Town Hall (England)

** 1670 – birth of Giovanni Bonocini {Buoncini} (Modena, Italy) d.1747
cellist, singer, teacher & composer

** 1853 – cellist Lisa (Lise) Barbier Cristiani almost surely gave her last concert on this date during a grueling Russian tour; this last appearance is recorded in Pyatigorsk on July 18, 1853, when Leo Tolstoy also heard the musician. At the end of September 1853 she arrived in Novocherkassk, fell ill with cholera and succumbed to the disease after just a few days. Edouard Thouvenel (1818–1866), then the French ambassador to Constantinople, brought her instrument back to Paris in 1857.
Lisa Cristiani was the first woman who dared to regularly perform publicly as a professional cellist. The cello was considered ‘improper’ for a woman, and there was also the need to hold the instrument between and with the legs (the attachment of a spike was only documented by François Servais from 1850 onwards…).

** 1883 – birth of Oscar Eberle d.1943 {son of cellist Oscar Eberle}
cellist, chamber musician & teacher.  His father was the cellist Oscar Oberle.
Eberle joined the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Willem Mengelberg, followed by the orchestras of Baden-Baden and Koblenz and the orchestra of the High German Opera in Rotterdam and the Italian Opera in Amsterdam (together with his wife Fieta). In the Netherlands he played in the chamber music trio Louis Wolff, Anton Verheij and Eberle, the so-called Rotterdam Trio. He was also a cello teacher at the music school for music in Leiden. In 1918 he was full professor of cello at the Rotterdam Conservatory, a position he held until his death.

** 1916 – Adele Clement, French cellist, took part as soloist in a symphonic festival in the Jardin du Luxembourg – the second of two performances

** 1936 – on 18th July, 1936, during a rehearsal with the Pablo Casals Orchestra at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Pablo Casals receives the news of the Spanish military uprising. The Pablo Casals Orchestra is immediately dissolved. Pablo Casals continues to tour Europe and South America, giving benefit concerts for food, clothing and medicines. Between 1936 and 1939 Pablo Casals recorded Johann Sebastian Bach’s six Cello Suites in London and Paris.

** 1946 – On 18th July 1946 Pau {Pablo} Casals published a letter to the London News Chronicle on the tenth anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, titled “Why Franco must go”.

** 1956 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals performed Casals: El Cant dels Ocells (Song of the birds), in a live performance that was recorded

** 1959 – Austrian born US-Canadian cellist Ernst (Peter) Friedlander gave the world premiere of Milhaud – Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.377, with Mrs Friedlander, piano, in the 2nd International Festival de Vancouver.

** 1992 – Raphael Wallfisch was cello soloist, along with Tasmin Little/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley {Prom Concert “In memoriam Charles Groves (10/3/1915 – 20/6/1992)”, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1673 – birth of Antonio de Literes {Antoni Lliteres} (Artá, Mallorca) d.1747
violinist, cellist, bass violist & composer

** 1809 – birth of Joseph Szablinski (Warsaw)
cellist, orchestra and opera principal cello & chamber musician

** 1859 – birth of Louise Dellmayer (Vienna) d.1913
important Austrian woman cellist; in the years 1873 and 1874 she was engaged as solo cellist in the “First European Ladies Orchestra” directed by Josephine Amann-Weinlich. Later based in the U.S.A. and a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

** 1881 – birth of Horace Britt (Antwerp, Belgium) d.1971
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & teacher {based USA}

** 1918 – birth of Eduardo Ortiz Lara (Guatemala City) d.2021
cellist, orchestra principal cello, professor (‘father of the Guatemala cello school’)

** 1954 – An interesting recital with a first performance given by Gaspar Cassadó with Alberto Ventura, piano
Programme: Frescobaldi – Toccata [now known to be by the cellist himself] // Mozart – Sonata in F, K. 458 [originally for piano 4-hands] // Beethoven – Sonata in G, Op. 5 No. 2 // Boccherini – Sonata in A // Granados – Intermezzo from Goyescas // E. Halffter – Habanera // Cassadó – Achares [premiere]

** 1954 – in the Herkules-Saal der Residenz (Munich, Germany): VI Konzert im Abonnement, presented by Musica Viva and given by the Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks directed by Nino Sanzogno, Ludwig Hoelscher was the special invited cello soloist

** 1957 – on this day cellist Enrico Mainardi finished recording Wagenseil – Cello Concerto in A Major, with the Munchener Kammerorchester (probably there were 2 recording days – he also directed the ensemble)

** 1791 – the cellist Menel performed in a concertante by Haydn at the Hannover Rooms (London).

** 1832 – birth of Jules-Joseph} Ernest Vieuxtemps (Brussels) d.1896
cellist, orchestra & opera principal cello {based England}

** 1834 – birth of Otto Kitzler (Germany) d.1915
cellist, conductor and orchestration teacher (of Bruckner!) {based in Austria}

** 1866 – David Popper was soloist in his own Cello Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.8, with the Löwenberg Orchestra. Music of Mendelssohn, Chopin, Weber, Liszt and Beethoven also was heard in this concert.

** 1870 – Friedrich Grützmacher performed as soloist in the Schumann Cello Concerto probably for the first time in his life at a Frankfurt Museum Concert on March 18, 1870, and probably still one of the first ever performances world-wide of this work.

** 1904 – Richard Strauss accompanied cellist Leo Schulz, in a performance of his Cello Sonata in F Major, Op.6
(New York)

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (18th and 20th March, and 9th October(^^)), in Den Haag (11th October(^^)) and Rotterdam (15th October(^^)), conducted by Karl Muck and Pierre Monteux(^^)

** 1927 – at the Teatro Nazionale, Piazza S. Agostino, Genova (Italy). special guest was Enrico Mainardi (cello) in the ‘Concerto della Commemorazione del Centenario Beethoveniano’

** 1954 – birth of Jan Diesselhorst (Marburg, Germany) d.2009
cellist, orchestra musician (Berlin Philharmonic), chamber musician and orchestral academy teacher – member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’

** 1958 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bloch – Schelomo. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (5th and 6th March) and Rotterdam (18th March), conducted by Bernard Haitink

** 1977 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Lorne Monroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1981 – birth of Alberto Martos Lozano (Granada, Spain)
cellist and composer

** 1985 – birth of Lukas Lauermann (Austria)
Austrian cellist and sound designer (plays cello onb electric sound and writes his string arrangements). His field of activity also includes recordings and compositions for theater, radio drama and film music.

** 1994 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts in Amsterdam (16th, 17th and 18th March), conducted by Mariss Jansons

** 1984 – birth of Cristine Rauh (Osnabruck, Germany)
German female cellist educated in England and Germany. Prolific scholarship and prizewinner. Duo performances with Johannes Nies within the framework of the Villa Musica foundation.

** 1900 – in a performance at a Budapest Benefit Concert. David Popper, cellist, was partnered by the composer Béla Bartók, piano. This was a benefit concert held at the Park Club, Budapest, for a proposed tuberculosis sanatorium. They performed:
Popper – Polonaise de Concert, Op.14 // Popper – Gavotte No.2, Op.23 // Popper – “Vito” // Rubinstein – Melodie // and Schumann: second movement from the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129

** 1911 – Willem Willeke performed J.S. Bach in Cleveland. The ‘Cleveland Plain Dealer’ reviewed:
“Mr. Willeke gave Bach’s sonata in D major for the violoncello alone… He produces a beautiful clear tone, and at certain moments in this work gave almost the impression of hearing a distant organ pealing its deep tones. From this manner to the light measures of the dance he passed with fluency and skill that pronounced him a master of the instruments, perhaps the best we have heard since Gerardy.”

 ** 1919 – cellist Juan Ruiz-Casaux was said to have given a masterly performance as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, in Lisbon

** 1921 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert dedicated to the figure of violinist Adolf Busch, Paul Grümmer was cello soloist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto (along with Adolf Busch and Rudolf Serkin – piano). Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and the Violin Romance in F Major completed the programme.
Conductor: Alexander Wunderer / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1949 – first performance of Poulenc – Cello Sonata, Op.143
Pierre Fournier/cello and the composer at piano (Salle Gaveau, Paris)

** 1953 – birth of Eugene Benjamin Bondi (U.S.A.) d.1992
Cellist and composer. He was the associate principal cellist in the Honolulu Symphony for six years, and taught for four years at the University of Hawaii. He composed this concerto for his student, Michael Lim, who performed it with the Honolulu Symphony in 1982. Michele Winter later created an arrangement for solo cello and string orchestra; then, believing that violists might enjoy adding this concerto to their repertoire, she created an arrangement for solo viola with string orchestra (the arrangements were made with the permission of the family of Eugene Bondi).

** 1954 – birth of Jacques Morelenbaum (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
cellist, arranger, teacher, musical producer and composer

** 1959 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Kodaly – Solo Cello Sonata, Op.8, for the Czech Radio in Prague

** 1962 – on this day cellist Enrico Mainardi made a live recording, of Pizzetti – Cello Concerto, with the Orchestra del’RAI, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini

** 1979 – first performance of Alan Bush – Pro Pace et Felicitate Generis Humani, Rhapsody for cello and piano
Cathy Giles/cello and the composer at piano (British Bulgarian Friendship Society, Camden Town Hall, London)

** 1989 – first performance of Iannis Xenakis – Epicycle for cello and 12 instruments (London)

** 1993 – live first recording of Norberto Almandoz Mendizábal – Pequeña Elegía (Small Elegy) for Spanish National Radio by María Lourdes Lekuona/cello and Alejandro Zabala/piano
Church of Capuchinos, Renteria, Basque Country

** 1994 – live recording by Pilar Serrano/cello and Miguel Ángel Samperio/piano, for Spanish National Radio, of Legido González – Fantasía for cello and piano (1984). On the same programme they performed José María García Laborda – ‘Entre Deux III’ (1981), Francisco Otero Pérez – ‘Clamores de fondo en la escena de la decadencia’ (1994), Miguel Ángel Samperio – Sonata for cello and piano (1966, rev.1974), and Jesús María Legido González – ‘Confidencias’
San Luis de los Franceses, Madrid

** 1843 – first performance of Mendelssohn – Cello Sonata No.2 in D Major, Op. 58
Carl Wittmann/cello with composer at piano (Leipzig Gewandhaus, Germany)

** 1858 – Karl Schlesinger enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist

** 1875 – first performance of Brahms – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op.60, with David Popper on cello and the composer at piano (Vienna)

** 1889 – on this date the premiere was heard of Charles Villiers Stanford’s Cello Sonata No.2 in D minor, Op.39, with Alfredo Piatti, cello (also the dedicatee), and the composer as pianist, at St. James’s Hall, London. The music was published in Berlin some four years later.

** 1891 – the Andante cantabile of Tchaikovsky was heard for the first time in Russia in Moscow on 18th November 1891, in a concert organised by Aleksandr Ziloti, once again with Anatoly Brandukov (cello), conducted by Tchaikovsky.

** 1892 – cellist Leo Schrattenholz makes his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Berlin), later twice winning the Mendelssohn Prize

** 1903 – cellist Pau {Pablo} Casals performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Lalo – Cello Concerto, Saint-Saëns – Allegro Appassionato and Jean Huré – Air. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1909 – at the Beethoven Hall, Berlin, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra performed with ‘Dr. Serge Barjansky’ as cello soloist.

** 1922- at the Whitney Wood (England) a recital was given by Ruth Tanner (cello), accompanied by Ruth Eyre

** 1924 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a cello recital was given by Guilhermina Suggia

** 1933 – birth of Madeleine Charlotte Moorman (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA)  d.1991
cellist & contemporary avant-garde music specialist – known as the “Jeanne d’Arc of new music”, founder of the Annual Avant Garde Festival of New York; improvisor in “TV Bra for Living Sculpture” (1967); featured artist in the book “Topless Cellist: The Improbable Life of Charlotte Moorman”

** 1943 – cellist Friedrich Buxbaum performed in a piano trio concert with his daughter Alma Rosé (violin) and Myra Hess (piano) at the National Gallery of London.

** 1946 – at the Royal Albert Hall (London) the London Symphony Orchestra in a Decca Concert, performed with invited cello soloist Guilherminia Suggia.

** 1951 – birth of Heinrich Schiff (Gmunden, Austria) d.2016
cellist & conductor

** 1845 – the French virtuoso cellist Lisa B. Cristiani is documented as having performed on this day in Leipzig (Germany), whilst on an extensive tour of Germany, Denmark and Russia. In this concert in which she received lavish praise she was accompanied by Felix Mendelssohn, who wrote his cello ‘Song without Words’ for her!

** 1855 – birth of Antoon Alphons Johannes Bouman (s’Hertogenbosch, Holland)
cellist, principal cello in the municipal orchestra and teacher at the school of music at Utrecht; principal cello of the Philharmonic Orchestra (Berlin) and of Hans von Biilow’s concerts; cello professor at the Royal Conservatoire at the Hague and the Rotterdam Conservatoire. Composer of four cello concertos.

** 1873 – By the age of thirty-six, Arthur Sullivan had accumulated a wealth of conducting experience. His association with the Covent Garden Promenade concerts began with invitations to conduct performances of his own music; 18th October 1873 was designated a special ‘Sullivan Night’, the composer conducted his Cello Concerto (quite possibly with Alfredo Piatti as soloist), Overture ‘di Ballo’ and music to ‘The Tempest’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’.

** 1887 – first performance of Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102
soloists Joachim Joachim/violin and Robert Hausmann/cello, with the Orchester des Konzertgesellschaft, conducted by Brahms (Germany – Cologne, Gürzenichsaal)

** 1893 – the important cellists Anatoly Brandukov and Yulian Poplavsky visited Tchaikovsky at Klin (near Moscow) on18th and 19th October 1893

** 1899 – a “I. Cacilia-Konzert” was given at the Kaiser Friedrich-Halle, Mönchengladbach, Germany. The orchestra was directed by Hans Gelbke, and featured cello soloist Beatrice Harrison

** 1904 – Gertrude Ess was cello soloist in Karl Yulievich Davydov – Concerto for Cello No. 2 in A minor, Op 14 {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1913 – in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Pablo Casals. This concert also included the first English performance of Scriabin – Symphony No. 3 in C ‘Le Divin Poème’.

** 1920 – birth of Olga Hegedus (London) d.2017
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician

** 1920 – birth of Adam Klocek (Krakow, Poland)
cellist, conductor, composer and teacher

** 1923 – Beatrice Harrison was cello soloist in Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1946 – the release date (premiere) of the American ‘film noir’ drama film “Deception” – released by Warner Brothers and directed by Irving Rapper. The film is based on the 1927 play ‘Monsieur Lamberthier’ by Louis Verneuil, and the screenplay was written by John Collier and Joseph Than. It is a great film from the golden age of Hollywood, featuring Bette Davis, Claude Rains – and Paul HENREID, whose performance as cellist actor is dazzling!
Henreid’s cello playing was dubbed by ELEANOR ALLER, who was then pregnant with her son Frederick Zlotkin, who became a noted cellist himself! Her father, Gregory Aller, coached Henreid in plausible bow movements. For some scenes, Henreid’s arms were tied behind him, and the two cellists put their arms through the sleeves of a specially designed coat.
The imaginary ‘Hollenius’ Cello Concerto was written for this film by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who composed all the music for this film. But so interesting for cellists, Korngold subsequently expanded this material and published it as his own Cello Concerto in C Major. Near the beginning of the film, an eager student Jerry Spencer (Richard Erdman) asks Karel “Which of the living composers should I admire?” Karel demurs, but when asked who he likes best, he replies: “Stravinsky when I think of the present, Richard Strauss when I think of the past, and of course, Hollenius, who combines the rhythm of today with the melody of yesterday.” The last is an apt description of and probable discreet tribute to Korngold.

** 1948 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier recorded the Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, at the London Abbey Road studios, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Rafael Kubelik (recording was possibly finished the following day)

** 1963 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Zino Francescatti & Pierre Fournier with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karajan

** 1986 – American cellist Barbara Hedlund was the featured soloist in the first of two performances of Strauss – Don Quixote with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra {then the Springfield Symphony Orchestra} at the Sangamon State University Auditorium of the University of Illinois, conducted by Kenneth Kiesler. She repeated the performance the following day.

** 1991 – on the 17th, 18th,19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Natalia Gutman performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Masur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1998 – first performance of Wolfgang Rihm – Styx und Lethe for cello and orchestra
(Donaueschingen, Germany)

** 1870 – birth of Emil Braun (Lenzburg, Switzerland)
cellist, cello & chamber music professor at Basle Conservatoire, cello teacher in Mülhausen & Colmar (Alsace); solo cellist and viola da gamba player

** 1895 – cellist Elsa Ruegger makes her soloist debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Berlin)

** 1897 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in William Henry Squire – Summer Dreams, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1902 – Bertie Withers was cello soloist in Jules de Swert – Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor {First performance in England} / Hugo Becker – Deux morceaux, Op 8 No. 1 Romance in D major / Wilhelm Fitzenhagen – Perpetuum mobile, Op 24, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1907 – English cellist Maud Fletcher married Francis William Beckford (1873–?) in Christchurch, Dorset, on this day. In an article about her most musical father from 1908 she is referred to as “lately married” and “well known, both to London and Bournemouth audiences, as a rare exponent of the violoncello” (Cremona 1908, p. 142). Sadly, according to the findings in the English press, she subsequently refrained from performing in public as a married woman

** 1908 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist, along with Arthur Beckwith/violin, in in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1910 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Volkmann – Serenade in D minor (‘obligato solo cello’ part). Two concerts, in Amsterdam (15th and 18th September), conducted by Cornelis Dopper

** 1914 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist, along with Arthur Catterall/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1901 – birth of Willem van den Burg (The Hague, Holland) d.1992
cellist with studies in Holland and Paris; he became in 1924 principal cello of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.  From 1926 to 1935 William van den Burg was principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra of Leopold Stokowski. However, after 1935 he returned to the San Francisco Symphony to be principal cellist and also as assistant conductor. A cello professor at Mills College in Berkeley, California (from 1942). He helped the re-founding of the San Jose Symphony (1946-1947). In 1950 he retired from the San Francisco Symphony and changed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Finally, he taught at the University of California – Santa Cruz.
He wrote 67 etudes for the cello on the Beethoven string quartets, practice pieces for cello.

** 1919 – Felix Salmond was cello soloist in Édouard Lalo – Cello Concerto in D minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1935 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Adolf & Hermann Busch at the London Proms

** 1945 – birth of Roman Jabłoński (Gdańsk, Poland)
Cellist

** 1969 – birth of Marc Coppey (Strasbourg, France)
cellist, cello teacher and conductor. Professo at the Conservatoire de Paris. Since October 2020, he is the Artistic Director of the Saline Royale Academy d’Arc-et-Senans. He was a former member of the Ysaÿe Quartet (1995-2000). He now serves as Artistic Director of the annual Festival Les Musicales de Colmar.

** 1982 – first performance of Arvo Pärt – Fratres for 12 cellos
(Berlin)

** 1994 – birth of Sarah Hohstadt (Dallas, Texas, USA)
cellist, social media cello producer

** 1819 – English cellist Robert Lindley presented on this day his own trio (still in manuscript) for two cellos and piano, with the cellist Eley playing the second part, and Weichsel on keyboard. The first cello part was the concertante ‘principale’ line.

** 1863 – on today’s date in history an orchestral concert was held with the Löwenberg Orchestra (in Lowenberg, today Lwówek in Poland) conducted by Hector Berlioz, with all music on the programme being composed by the director. When cellist David Popper – member of the orchestra – accompanied Berlioz to the train station (after the performance), Berlioz realized that he had forgotten his overcoat at the hotel. Popper generously gave him his in place – later Popper received a warm written note of thanks from Berlioz!

** 1894 – birth of Arturo Bonucci (Mulhouse, France) d.1964
cellist, chamber musician & professor

** 1897 – cellist Willem Wileke performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra – in Molique – Cello Concerto, Op.45 and Servais – Fantasie et Variations sur Le Désir, Op.4. Concert in Amsterdam conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1956 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed on tour in Kukuoka (Asahi Kaikan Hall, Kukuoka) with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102.

** 1962 – this day marked the beginning of the international tour of the Pau Casals’s oratorio El Pessebre. On 19th April 1962, with the concert of the oratorio El Pessebre at the Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, he announces his intention to embark on a personal crusade for human dignity, fraternity and peace. Over the next ten years, Pablo Casals will conduct El Pessebre all over the world.

** 1965 – birth of Keith {Jerome} Jackson (Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.A.)
American football tight end & cellist in high school and further education (college)

** 1967 – first performance of Ligeti – Cello Concerto
soloist – Siegfried Palm with Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Henryk Czyz (Berlin)

** 1975 – on the 17th, 18th and 19th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Bernstein), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1988 – on this day cellist Daniil Shafran gave a recital in Warsaw (Royal Castle) with the pianist Oleg Stepanov (an all-J.S. Bach programme)

** 1994 – Alvaro Quintinilla/cello and Daniel del Pino/piano made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Gaspar Cassadó – Requiebros for Cello and Piano (pub.1931)
Casa de la Radio, Madrid

** 1686 – birth of Antonio Tonello {alternative name Antonio De’Pietri} (Carpi, Italy)
cellist, viola d’amour, organist and teacher

** 1737 – birth of Johann Georg Christoph Schetky (Darmstadt, Germany) d.1824
German-Scottish cellist and composer

** 1813 – birth of Karl Schlesinger (Germany) d.1871
cellist, orchestra & opera principal cello, chamber musician & professor {based Hungary-Austria}

** 1824 – birth of Georg Goltermann (Hannover, Germany) d.1898
cellist, composer and pedagogue

** 1881 – birth of George Enescu (Liveni – Varnav, Botoșani, Rumania) d.1955
composer, violinist, pianist, conductor … and cellist! At the age of about twelve, while studying at the Vienna Conservatoire, he also learned the cello, and indeed even played the cello in string quartet evenings for fun!

** 1889 – first performance of Jean Sibelius – Tempo di valse [Lulu Waltz] for cello and piano
(Loviisa, Finland)

** 1922 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist in Max Bruch – Kol nidrei, Op 47, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1928 – birth of Peter Steiner (Berlin) d.2003
cellist, orchestra cello (Berlin Phil Orch) – member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’

** 1946 – Soloists Frederick Grinke/violin and Douglas Cameron/cello performed Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor at the London Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Basil Cameron

** 1948 – at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth (England) the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra, conducted by Rudolf Schwarz, featured cello soloist Florence Hooton in the second of two consecutive concerts.

** 1954 – Edmund Kurtz was cello soloist in Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

1962 – the premiere of Vivian Fine’s Divertimento for Violoncello and Percussion (written in 1951) took place at Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York. The performers were Sterling Hunkins (cello) and James Coover (percussion).
Over her 70-year career, Vivian Fine (1913-2000) became one of America’s most important composers. She wrote virtually without a break for 68 years, producing over 140 works, perhaps best known for her chamber music.

** 1970 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Bohuslav Martinů – Duo for Violin and Cello (not specified which one of the two), featuring the cellist Henri Honegger, with Pierre Menard, Violin
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1790 – on this day The Elector Maximilio Franz (Electorate of Cologne) engaged Bernhard Romberg for his Royal Band at Bönn.

** 1840 – birth of Ernest Demunck (Brussels)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician {based England, France, Germany & finally U.S.A.} {son of cellist-composer François de Munck}

** 1883 – on this day, while visiting Dresden, Richard Strauss accompanied the principal cellist of the Dresden Court Orchestra, Ferdinand Böckmann, in a performance of the composer’s new cello sonata – this would have surely been only the second performance of the work (premiered less than three weeks previously).
Oscar Franz, a horn player in the orchestra, reported to Franz Strauss:
“Your son’s wonderful sonata had a magnificent reception and is indeed a splendid work, full of original feeling, and everything flows so wholesomely from it. I take the greatest pleasure in your son’s success.”

** 1884 – at a Frankfurt am Main Museums- Concert – Im grossen Concert-Saal – Hugo Becker was the invited cello soloist. He performed the de Swert – Concertstück for Cello, Op.8, and also two pieces of David Popper: Herbstblume, Op.50, No.5 (from the ‘Im Walde’ Suite’) and Elfentanz.

** 1896 – on 18th and 19th December, 1896, Alwin Schroeder gave the full US premiere of the complete Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor, with Emil Paul conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  While Dvorak biographer John Clapham gives credit for the American premiere to Franz Listemann, who was the soloist in a New York Symphony Society concert two weeks earlier, Listemann only played the second and third movements.

** 1900 – a ‘Historical Concert’ at Edinburgh University on this day included David Millar Craig – cello and Scott Jupp (accompanist), who performed Haudn – Cello Concerto in D Major Second Movement, and two pieces by Julius Klengel: Intermezzo and Mazurka

** 1904 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Boëllmann – Variations Symphoniques, Op.23 and in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (13th October and 18th December) and Rotterdam (19th December) conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1912 – first performance of Klengel – Double Cello Concerto, Op.45
soloists Julius Klengel & {daughter} Eva Klengel with Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Artur Nikisch (Leipzig, Germany)

** 1943 – birth of Yehuda Hanani (Jerusalem, Israel)
solo cellist and teacher.  Professor of Violoncello at Mannes. Professor of Violoncello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
{ he was brought to the United States from Israel by Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern at the age of 19!}.

** 1958 – birth of Steven Isserlis (London)
Cellist, very fine British soloist. Teaching and speciality in master classes….

** 1962 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.1. in Geneva, with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Jascha Horenstein

** 1964 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished the recording in Zurich of Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major, with the Festival Strings Lucerne, conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner (the other recording day was two days previously)

** 1966 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier recorded live Strauss – Don Quixote, in Munich, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Rudolf Kempe (with viola soloist Georg Schmid)

** 1969 – Rodríguez Uria /cello and Elisa Ibañez /piano made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Gaspar Cassadó – Requiebros for Cello and Piano (pub.1931)
Auditorio del Ministerio de Información y Turismo, Madrid

** 1985 – birth of Diego Val Simon (Spain)
Cellist, orchestral principal. Work in Göttinger Symphonieorchester, Landestheater Detmold, principal cello in Bilboa Symphony Orchestra.

** 1988 – birth of Astrig Siranossian (Lyon, France)
French female solo cellist

** 1743 – birth of Luigi Boccherini (Lucca, Toscana, Italy) d.1805
cellist, court cellist & composer

** 1880 – birth of Henryk Adamus (Warsaw) d.1950
cellist, composer & conductor

** 1899 – in the series of the Sunday Afternoon Orchestral Concerts given at the Queen’s Hall, Langham Place, London, featured soloist was cellist Bertie Withers with ‘Miss Maggie Davies’

** 1914 – the first performance of Arthur Foote – Aubade, Op. 77 (1912) was given by Alwin Schroeder and the composer at Boston’s Jordan Hall. This was an important moment for the composer; some twenty years earlier, Schroeder had been elected to perform Foote’s new Cello Concerto with the Boston Symphony, but Foote was to withdraw the concerto after its Chicago world premiere with Bruno Steindel as soloist got a lukewarm reception. Schroeder had confidence in him though, and took part in several first performances of Foote chamber works during his years as cellist of the Kneisel Quartet.

** 1921 – first performance of Saint-Saëns – Suite in D minor, in version with orchestra, Op.16-bis
soloist – Joseph Hollmann (at the Concerts Pasdeloup, Paris)

** 1923 – cellist Diran Alexanian gave two recital performances, on 17th and 19th February of this year, in Barcelona, with the marvellous experience of sharing the concert platform together with a young Sergei Prokofiev.

** 1947 – cellist Anna Saulowna Luboshutz (born Odessa, Ukraine) gave her very final concert on this day; she was described as:
“You are an artist whose conscientiousness and commitment to her work serves as an example to others”.

** 1950 – in a concert at Community Centre, Richmond, London (Richmond Concerts Society), Douglas Cameron (cello) was invited soloist performing Edmund Rubbra – Soliloquy, Op.57, with the Community Centre String Orchestra conducted by Rubbra (in his own work) and Irene Swann

** 1957 – Leonard Rose was special invited cello soloist in two performances, where he played by the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, and in the Brahms Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102 alongside Yehudi Menuhin, on the 19th and 20th February 1957. Howard Mitchell was conducting the National Symphony Orchestra in the Constitution Hall of Washington D.C. as a dedication to the ‘National Brotherhood Week’.

** 1976 – on the 19th, 20th and 24th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Levine), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1987 – on the 19th, 20th, 21st and 24th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Shostakovich and Penderecki), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1989 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Rafael Figueroa, with Wu Han /piano

** 1992 – first performance of Brett Dean – Twelve Angry Men, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Philharmonie, Berlin)

** 1997 – first performance of Roger Smalley – Cello Concerto
(Perth, Australia)

** 1808 – birth of Joseph Menter (Daudenkofen, nr. Landshut, Bavaria) d.1856
cellist, Kapelle musician in Munich, and composer {he was the father to Sophie Menter, the first wife of David Popper!} [another source gives 17th January 1808]

** 1870 – birth of Jean-Baptiste [Alphonse] Dubois (Ghent, Belgium) d. 1938
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer & teacher

** 1873 – first performance of Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor with orchestra
soloist – Auguste Tolbeque (Paris Conservatoire orchestral concert)

** 1895 – birth of Otto Van Koppenhagen (Arnhem, Holland) d.1978
cellist & teacher

** 1903 – in a concert advertised as ‘Miss Rhoda von Glehn’s Vocal Recital’, the singer was accompanied by Henry Bird, and the concert was (quote) “given with the assistance of Mr Percy Such (cello)”

** 1919 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts today and yesterday and the 24th, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60. Orchestral works of Beethoven and Brahms were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1925 – birth of Valentin Berlinsky (Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia) d.2008
cellist, chamber musician

** 1939 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed on a TV show in the U.S. two works with the pianist Theodore Saidenberg; Fauré – Après un Rêve and Sarasate – Zapateado.

** 1946 – Marie Dare was cello soloist in a Reid ‘Saturday Night Concert’ – she performed the Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Muir Mathieson – it was an all-Tchaikovsky programme.

** 1946 – Peers Coetmore gave the first concert performance of Moeran – Cello Concerto with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sargent
(she had premiered it over Radio Eire in Dublin a few months previously, and as the new wife of this composer!)

** 1965 – cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saens – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Concert in Rotterdam, conducted by Pierre Boulez

** 1973 – birth of Antero Manninen (Finland)
classical and ‘modern’ cellist (Apocalyptica)

** 1985 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd and 23rd of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Tennstedht), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1835 – birth of Charles Ould (Romford, Essex, England)
cellist, member of the ‘Monday Popular Quartet’ and Gompertz String Quartet; member of the Queen’s Band

** 1846 – birth of Sophie Menter (Munich, Germany) d.1918
A pianist intertwined with the cello world all through her life. Her father was the well-known cellist, Joseph Menter, and she made her pianist concert debut in 1863. The following year Menter met the great pianist Franz Liszt in Vienna, and was soloist in a performance of his Piano Concerto in E-Flat which drew great praise from the composer. She was often referred to as “Franz Liszt’s favourite student”; more than that, they had an intimate relationship continued until his death in 1886. It appears that Liszt (about 60) and Sophie Menter (mid-twenties) had a daughter together, born in the same year that she married David Popper! It was a marriage doomed to failure, and yet survived until 1886 when they finally divorced. In 1883 she was made a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Recognized as an extremely beautiful woman, she resided in a castle in Munich and passed away in 1918.

** 1921 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra tour, Friedrich Buxbaum was cello soloist in Weingartner – Cello Concerto, Op.60 in Brno on this day. Orchestral works of Berlioz, Dvorak and R. Strauss were also heard.
Conductor: Felix Weingartner

** 1930 – Felix Salmond was cello soloist in Lalo – Cello Concerto in D minor, in a broadcast recording, with Frank Bridge conducting the embryo ‘BBC Orchestra’

** 1936 – birth of Gerald Appleman (Los Angeles, California, USA)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician

** 1944 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Olive Zorian & Antonia Butler at the London Proms

** 1955 – at a special Hollywood Bowl concert, Gregor Piatigorsky played the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Eduard Van Beinum in one of his various appearances at the 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl.

** 1955 – first performance of Finzi – Cello Concerto, Op.40
soloist Christopher Bunting with the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by John Barbirolli (Cheltenham Music Festival)

** 1958 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals and Mieczyslaw Horszowski (piano) performed Brahms – Cello Sonata No.1 in E minor, in a live performance that was recorded

** 1973 – birth of Aldo Mata (Madrid)
cellist, orchestral principal cello, professor of cello & chamber music, baroque/classical music specialist, investigator and writer

** 1993 – Paul Watkins performs the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis

** 1865 – birth of Louis Victor Gaetan Amato (Paris) d.1913
cellist, a founder-member of the Chicago Orchestra during 1891-1901 (now the Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

 ** 1897 – Manuel de Falla writes ‘Melodía’ for cello and piano on today’s date

** 1928 – at the Oxford Ladies’ Musical Society (England) a recital was given by Alexander Fachiri (cello) and Angus Morrison (piano).

** 1949 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Ellinor Benedict, with Rudolph Hildeman/piano

** 1964 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35, in Amsterdam, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by George Szell (and with Klaas Boon as viola soloist). He also performed the work the following day in Scheveningen (20th June), again conducted by George Szell

** 1992 – first performance of Robert Simpson – Cello Concerto
soloist – Raphael Wallfisch with the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley (Malvern Festival, England)

** 1994 – first performance of Alfred Schnittke – Improvisation for cello
(Paris)

** 1998 – Steven Doane was cello soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Gerhard Markson, at the National Concert Hall, Dublin

** 1740 – birth of Joseph F. Weigl (Bavaria) d.1820
cellist, orchestra musician, opera orchestra musician, Imperial Band and Court and chamber musician {father of the more well-known composer Joseph Weigl}

** 1761 – Luigi Boccherini, eighteen years old, gives a concert entirely programming music by himself
(Florence, Italy)

** 1847 – birth of Constantin Dimitrescu (Blejoi, Rumania) d.1928
composer, teacher & cellist

** 1865 – at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert, David Popper was once again invited soloist playing the Volkmann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 33, along music orchestral music of Liszt, Schumann. Constantin, Berlioz and Beethoven.

** 1868 – birth of Luigi Stefano Giarda (Viña del Mar, Chile) d.1952
cellist, conductor, composer & teacher

** 1876 – in the German press “Signalen für die Musikalische Welt” the following was written about cellist Karl Ripfel (he had recently passed away on 8th March):
“Although not known in an extensive circle, he was esteemed by Bernhard Romberg to be the greatest master of technique on his instrument, which he was at last able to manipulate almost as well as Paganini”

** 1883 – the second complete performance of David Popper – Cello Concerto No.2 in E minor, Op.24 (the first time was two days previously)
soloist – David Popper, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (St. Petersburg, Russia)

** 1894 – birth of Jasper Joseph Inman Kane (San Diego, USA) d.1975
cellist, film director, film producer, film editor and screenwriter, director of Western films

** 1896 – first performance of Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor
soloist Leo Stern (London)

** 1921 – birth of Harry Babasin (Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.) d.1988
Double bassist, cellist in jazz (working with Benny Goodman & Woody Herman)

** 1931 – Gregor Piatigorsky gave his first performances in Los Angeles. Billed as “The Russian Casals”, on 19th March Piatigorsky played chamber music with a local quartet made up of Los Angeles Philharmonic players at the Biltmore Hotel, which was just across the street from Philharmonic Auditorium. The next night, he was soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Haydn Concerto conducted by Artur Rodzinski.

** 1933 – cellist Maurice Maréchal performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both C.P.E. Bach – Cello Concerto in A Major and Honegger – Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Pierre Monteux

** 1942 – first performance of Bohuslav Martinu – Cello Sonata no.2
(New York)

** 1944 – on March 19, 1944, the Nazis invaded Hungary and – incredibly – stopped in mid-concert a Sunday performance, whilst firing and subsequently rounding up all Jewish musicians, including George Horvath (father of cellist Janet)

** 1944 – birth of Myung-Wha Chung (Seoul, South Korea)
cellist

** 1973 – cellist Thomas Igloi gave a recital including Bach – Solo Cello Suite No.1 and Beethoven – Sonata in F Major, Op.5/1
Bishopsgate Hall, London

** 1977 – on the 17th, 18th, 19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Lorne Monroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1990 – on this day cellist Janos Starker made a live recording of Martinu – Cello Concerto No.1 (in the third and final version), in Prague, with the Radio Czech Orchestra conducted by John Nelson

** 1991 – birth of Pablo Ferrandez (Madrid)
Cellist

** 1999- on this day cellist Janos Starker made a live recording of Alan Hovhaness – Cello Concerto, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Denis Russell Davis

** 1999 – Lito Iglesias/cello and Jordi Vilaprinyo/piano performed Joan Juinjoán – Duo for cello and piano (1970), and Manuel Oltra Ferrer – Sonata for cello and piano (1959) in the Sociedad General de Autores de España (SGAE), Barcelona, recorded live by Spanish National Radio.

** 1999 – Janos Starker recorded Alan Hovhaness – Cello Concerto, Op.17, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.

** 1740 – birth of Joseph Franz Weigl (Bavaria, Austro-Germany) d.1820
cellist, Esterhazy family orchestra member {father of Joseph Weigl}

** 1824 – birth of Louis Van der Wulp (The Hague, Holland) d.1850
cellist, director of music at Gouda

** 1849 – cellist Robert Lindley performed the continuo cello part to ‘Qui Tollis peccata’ (Handel), accompanying the great German oratorio singer Staudigle at the ‘Ancient Concerts’ (London)

** 1906 – a fine review on this day in 1906 for the Chaplin Trio (with Mabel Chaplin as cellist) appearing in The Times newspaper:
 “with just the right feeling, quite simply and straightforwardly, like everything else that these players gave us, and without the slightest pose or attempt at archaism…”

** 1906 – a series of “Five Historical Violoncello Recitals” was presented by Boris Hambourg at the Aeolian Hall, London. The performances were given ‘to illustrate the development of the cello literature from its earliest beginning to the present day’. On this very day he played the concert:
2. German Masters – 19 MAY

** 1908 – the Thibaud-Casals-Cortot (Pau Casals – cello) trio recorded Beethoven – Trio in Eb Major, Op.79/1 in Paris – some ten performances of the work by this trio were later given in concerts

** 1920 – birth of Eberhard Finke (Bremen, Germany) d.2016
cellist, orchestra principal cello (Berlin Phil Orch) 1950-85 & professor – member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’

** 1924 – Beatrice Harrison is credited as playing the cello alongside a nightingale singing in her garden at 10.45pm, and being recorded by the BBC!

** 1933 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Brahms Festival’ concert, Pablo Casals performed as cello soloist with Bronislaw Huberman – violin in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102.   Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1936 – first performance of David Diamond – Sonata for cello and piano
(Princeton, NJ, USA)

** 1940 – first performance of Martinu – Cello Sonata No.1
Pierre Fournier/cello & Rudolf Firkušný/piano (Paris)

** 1958 – the premiere took place in Hamburg, Germany, on today’s date of Giselher Klebe’s Cello Concerto No.1, Op.29, with solo cellist Arthur Troester, with the Symphonieorchester des NDR conducted by Jean Martinon.

** 1962 – first modern performance of Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major
soloist Milos Sadlo with Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras

** 1967 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a live recording of Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, in Munich, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Paul Kletzki

** 1988 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Concert in Oostenrijk, conducted by Riccardo Chailly

** 1796 – birth of Pièrre {Peter} Baumann (Lille, France) d.1872
cellist, professor at Lille Conservatoire

** 1807 – birth of George François Hainl (Issoire, Puy-de-Dome, France) d.1873
cellist, conductor at the theatre of Lyon, conductor of the Grand Opera of Paris; composer with 3 operas and pieces for cello

** 1837 – cello virtuoso Karl Ignaz Hemmerlein, the son of cellist Anton, was for one period of his life director of the court orchestra at Fulda (Germany). After his return to Bamberg he conducted for a number of years the opera at that town, and an amusing story is related in connection with that period of his musical career: On 19th November, 1837, he made the daring innovation to conduct the opera “Zampa” with a black lacquered baton instead of the customary ‘fiddle’ bow, and to assist the singers here and there by singing the notes of their entries. This upset the conservative Bamberg audience! Before long Hemmerlem found himself installed in a comfortable arm-chair, the four legs of which were SCREWED down to the platform!

** 1865 – at a Löwenberg Orchestra concert on this date David Popper was the cello soloist in the Molique Cello Concerto, Op. 45. Other featured music included Beethoven, Rubinstein, Gade and Wagner.

** 1887 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mrs Henschel (vocal) and Franz Neruda (cello), and included the first performance of Neruda, Concertstück for Violoncello and Orchestra, in C minor.

** 1913 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert titled “Historical Concert 20 Years Monuments of Musical Art in Austria”, Pablo Casals was cello soloist in Monn – Cello Concerto in G minor. Orchestral works of Muffat, Cesti, Kaiser and Cesti were also heard.
Conductor: Franz Schalk / Place: Konzerthaus, Mittlerer Saal, Vienna, Austria

** 1921 – Pau Casals performed as cello soloist in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) ( ? work ?)

** 1923 – birth of František Sláma (Hirálec, Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) d.2004
cellist, early music specialist who also played viola da gamba, active 1946 – 1997. He is recognized for being the first Czech cellist to specialize on Early Music.

** 1926 – Hungarian (British-adopted) cellist Dezso Kordy gave a BBC Radio broadcast on this day (probably featuring music of Chopin)

** 1936 – Gaspar Cassadó was cello soloist in a Reid Orchestral Concert – he performed a “Adagio and Rondo” for violoncello and orchestra by Dvořák (Silent Woods, and Rondo, Op.94?) and then together with Jelly D’Aranyi – solo violin they performed Brahms – Double Concerto, Op.102, with The Reid Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey. The violinist also performed Beethoven – Violin Concerto, and a piece of Mendelssohn.

** 1943 – Austrian born cellist Ernst (Peter) Friedlander made his U.S. solo debut at Town Hall, New York on this day.

** 1950 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist David Wells, with Anita Simkins/piano

** 1974 – on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Barenboim), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1994 – first performance of Wolfgang Rihm – Von Weit for cello and piano
(Stuttgart, Germany)

** 1998 – on the 19th, 20th and 21st of this month, cellist Carter Brey performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Thielemann), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1659 – birth of Domenico Gabrielli (Bologna, Italy) d.1690 [*alternative birthdate given as 15 April, 1651]
cellist, court & church orchestral musician & composer

** 1764 – birth of Charles Henry Plantade (Pontoise, France)
singer, composer and cellist; conductor of the Royal Orchestra (Holland)

** 1787 – birth of Count Mathieu Jürgeeitch Wielhorski (Volhynia, Russia) d.1863
cellist, director of the Imperial Musical Society at St. Petersburg, dedicatee of many cello works

** 1809 – birth of Johann Andreas Grabau (Bremen, Germany) d.1884
cellist & chamber musician

** 1846 – birth of Hermann Jacobowsky (Neustrelitz, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & teacher

** 1870 – birth of Mabel Chaplin (London, England) d.1960
cellist, viola de gamba player, chamber musician, one of ‘first ever’ early music specialists, and probably the first cello soloist to have ever performed at the London ‘Proms’ concerts

** 1888 – birth of Felix Salmond (London) d.1952
cellist & pedagogue

** 1893 – the important cellists Anatoly Brandukov and Yulian Poplavsky visited Tchaikovsky at Klin (near Moscow) on18th and 19th October 1893

** 1898 – William Henry Squire performed his own Sérénade, Op. 15 (which he wrote in 1892) on this day in 1898 for his first recording (for the new ‘Gramophone Company’). He had already performed the work at the London ‘Proms’ the previous year, and it could be said that this piece in particular was to become his ‘signature tune’

** 1905 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Carl Halir and Hugo Becker with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Steinbach

** 1924 – the singer (tenor) and cellist Rodolphe Plamondon worked as a cellist at the Casino de Paris. However, he was more famed as a vocalist. Indeed, Camille Saint-Saëns dedicated one of his last works, “À saint Blaise,” to this musician, who on 19th October, 1924 would premiere it in Montreal.

** 1930 – in a ‘Professor Tovey’s Sunday Concert’ in the Usher Hall (Edinburgh) Guilherminia Suggia – violoncello and Donald Tovey – piano gave performances of Beethoven – Sonata in A Major for pianoforte and violoncello, Op.69,  Fauré – Elégie,  Ravel – Pièce en Forme de Habanera, Saint-Saëns – Allegro appassionato, and  Brahms – Sonata in F Major for pianoforte and violoncello, Op.99 … Donald Tovey opened the concert playing Bach keyboard music.

** 1938 – Pau {Pablo} Casals gives his last concert in Spain, before exile. In February of that year, he began a tour of North Africa, passing through Rabat, Casablanca, Oran, Algiers and Tunis. Then, on 19th October he gave his last concert in Catalonia at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona for the benefit of the Children’s Aid Society. At the end of October he played in Belgium, in November he gave several concerts in Prague, Zagreb, Bucharest, Istanbul and Athens, and in December he played in Cairo and Alexandria.

** 1945 – Pau Casals was solo cellist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Sidney Newman, at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh).

** 1946 – Norina Semino participated as cellist of the Zorian String Quartet in the premiere of Michael Tippett – String Quartet No. 3, at the Wigmore Hall, London.

** 1949 – the Royal Philharmonic Society concert conducted by Thomas Beecham gave a concert featuring cello soloist Anthony Pini

** 1961 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev Symphony-Concerto for Cello, Op.125, with Erich Leinsdorf, conductor (October 19th and 20th).

** 1972 – the ‘belated’ debut of Janos Starker with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major

** 1984 – on this day, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Leinsdorf), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York) in a special “Pension fund Benefit Concert”

** 1991 – on the 17th, 18th,19th and 22nd of this month, cellist Natalia Gutman performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Masur), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1994 – first performance of Alfred Schnittke – Concerto for Three for violin, viola, cello, strings and piano & Minuet for violin, viola and cello
(Moscow)

** 1861 – birth of Jan Mulder (Amsterdam)
cellist, member of Sir Augustus Manns’s orchestra in Scotland, chamber musician; founder of successful ‘King Cole club’

** 1889 – the great Italian-Anglo cellist Alfredo Piatti had a fruitful friendship with Charles Villiers Stanford. The composer wrote his second sonata for cello and piano for him in 1889. According to a British newspaper report:
“The chief item at the Monday Popular Concert last night was a new sonata for pianoforte and violoncello by Professor Villiers Stanford. This work, which was composed by Professor Stanford during a visit recently paid by him to Signor Piatti in his Italian home, is in three movements”
We now know the ‘finishing dates’; the first movement is dated September 15; the second September 17, and the third, September 19. Worth investigating!

** 1901 – birth of Rudolf Matz (Zagreb, Croatia) d. 1988
cellist, composer & pedagogue

** 1930 – birth of Muhal Richard Abrams (Chicago, USA) d. 2017
educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist. His birth name was Richard Lewis Abrams. He wrote in a style of free jazz and post-.bop.

** 1959 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (today and tomorrow), Emanuel Brabec was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Dimitri Mitropoulos / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1772 – birth of Ignaz Franz Edler von Mosel (Vienna)
cellist, violinist, director of the concerts of the Imperial Riding School, court councillor, director of the opera, and court librarian. Also a composer (but, alas, nothing for cello!)

** 1802 – on this day Ignace Pleyel wrote to Muzio Clementi (then in London):
“I have three superb concertos for violoncello by Lamar {Jacques Michel Hurel de Lamarre}, who is a young Rode on the bass”. However, these three concertos were NOT by Lamarre, but four concertos in all appearing under his name were actually composed by Auber! What happened is that Auber was an intimate friend of Lamarre, and as a young professional beginner was anxious to make his name wider known with the help of a well-established name. The concerto in A minor is still occasionally played.

** 1821 – birth of Emile Norblin (France) d.1880
cellist & especially professor {son and pupil of the cellist Louis Pierre Martin Norblin}

** 1848 – birth of Cesare Casella (Malaga, Spain – but possibly in Oporto, Portugal)
cellist, chamber music player & composer {later based in Paris}

** 1881 – birth of Diran Alexanian (Constantinople, Turkey) d.1954
cellist & professor {based France & USA}
Diran Alexanian (1881-1954) was one of the most controversial cello teachers of his time. He was born in Constantinople, but his parents came from Armenia. In Leipzig he studied with Grutzmacher, and played chamber music with Brahms and the violinist Joseph Joachim. He was an accomplished cellist at a young age. When he was 20 he settled in Paris, where he met Pablo Casals, and both discovered that they had similar ideas with regard to general technique and the interpretation of music. In 1937 Alexanian moved to the United States, and taught at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

** 1902 – on this day German cellist Paul Grümmer made a successful debut as soloist in London, where he had the honour to appear before the King and Queen.

** 1903 – birth of Gabriel Cusson (Roxton Pond, Quebec) d.1972
composer, music educator & cellist

** 1916 – cellist Juan Ruiz-Casaux gave his first performance as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, in Spain with the Orquesta Sinfónica of Madrid conducted by Fernández Arbós – he went on to perform it on countless occasions!

** 1922 – first performance of original works by cellist/composer Paul Bazelaire – ‘Les yeux d’Or de la Nuit’ for voice and orchestra, Op.93, and the first performance of his ‘Villanelle’ (also) for voice and orchestra, Op.98, in the Concerts Lamoureux of Paris
Soloist in both works: Mme Pritter Ciampi

** 1925 – Adele Clement, French cellist, performed tours in Morocco and Algeria in 1923 and 1925; the newspaper Oued-Sahel reported on April 2nd, 1925:
“For two hours, the public was literally taken by the talent of two artists, Melles Adèle Clément and Sandra-Mario”.
A few days before the music critic had already predicted:
“With Melle Adèle Clément, it will be the exquisite, sentimental intoxication of the cello, this divine instrument whose sounds enchant and touch the most refractory”

** 1927 – cellist Judith Bokor performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1932 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Haydn Centenary Concert’, Pablo Casals performed as cello soloist in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major, in an all-Haydn programme.  Conductor: Clemens Krauss / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1969 – Jacqueline Du Pré performed Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major, with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, at the Royal Festival Hall (London).

** 1846 – birth (*) of Eliza Try (Cambrai, France) d.1922
important French woman cellist // (*)according to other sources 1847 or 1848

 ** 1886 – birth of Cesare Sodero (Naples, Italy) d.1947
An Italian conductor from a young age, who also toured Europe as a performing cellist. His later conducting work was almost exclusively in the United States.

 ** 1900 – birth of Gertrud Hindemith {nee Rottenberg} (Frankfurt, Germany) d. 1967
cellist {wife of the famous composer!}

** 1919 – on this day young New Zealand cellist Harold Beck gave a recital at the London ‘Opera House’, with piano accompanist Gordon McBeth, and extra vocal items from Madame Emily Briggs. The Wanganui Chronicle (New Zealand) reported the day before the concert:
“Harold Beck – N.Z.’s Gifted ‘Cellist….There is every evidence of a very large attendance, the highly eulogistic notices from the press in other centres having created a general interest in the merits of the clever young ‘cellist of whom Wanganui may be proud”.

** 1916 – Dutch cellist Philip Abas, settled in the UK, gave his last concert in England on this day before permanently emigrating to the United States (the performance was at the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne, England)

** 1923 – birth of Don {Donald Richard} Whitton (London, Ontario, Canada) d.2018
cellist, recording musician, classical-jazz-rock fields, viola de gamba & teacher

** 1934 – birth of Josef Luitz (Vienna)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, cello teacher & co-founder of the international chamber music festival ‘Allegro Vivo’

** 1975 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op.107, with Lawrence Foster, conductor (Ravinia Festival)

** 1989 – Raphael Wallfisch was cello soloist in William Walton – Cello Concerto, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Downes {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1781 – birth of Louis Pierre Norblin (Warsaw) d.1854 {father of cellist Emile}
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello, theatre orchestra musician & professor {based in France}

** 1893 – it is quite unusual to find a cellist publicly apologizing for playing wrong notes (have you?!) but coming from someone as fantastic as Alfedo Piatti it is even more unusual – but there was a reason for this admission! It referred to a “Monday Popular Concert” and this letter from the Italian maestro himself was reproduced in ‘The Times’ on 2nd December, 1893 like this:
“It is only right that I should add that I am the only person to be blamed for it, and that want of rehearsing, which would have been an unpardonable negligence, and not in accordance with the respect we all feel for the composer, was not the cause of those imperfections, as your musical critic (very likely out of kindness) inclines to think, but the unfortunate accident of having broken my spectacles a short time before the concert, and the impossibility of finding at the moment a pair that would suit me.”
One cannot complain at honesty!

** 1897 – the last performance of David Popper in London (and also his last performance of Volkmann – Cello Concerto). The programme included Humperdinck – Overture ‘Konigskinder’, conducted by the composer.
soloist – David Popper with London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Alexander Mackenzie (Crystal Palace, London)

** 1899 – birth of Sir John Barbirolli (London) d.1970
conductor & cellist

** 1900 – cello performance in London – Senor Paoli with Monsieur Hollman (cello)
unclear as to whether orchestral or chamber concert

** 1901 – first performance of Rachmaninov – Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.19
Anotoli Brandukov/cello with composer at piano (Moscow)

** 1902 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in the Vienna Konzert-Verein by soloists Felix Berber and Julius Klengel

** 1910 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35, on today’s date but the programme notes did not even include the names of the cello or viola soloist!

** 1910 – the Russian/American cellist Sara Gurowitsch performed the d’Albert – Cello Concerto in C major with the New York Symphony Orchestra, as reported on this date by The New York Times

** 1914 – on this day cellist Percy Such played alongside violinist Henriette Schmidt (from Brussels) and Donald Francis Tovey (piano) in an intense trio concert in the University of Edinburgh (Reid Concerts):
Trio in F major, Op.80 … Schumann // Trio in C minor, Op.101 … Brahms // Trio in B flat major, Op.97 … Beethoven

** 1924 – first performance of Webern – 3 Little Pieces for cello and piano
cellist – Maurits Frank / pianist – Eduard Zuckmayer (Mainz, Germany)

** 1938 – Alma Rosé (Friedrich Buxbaum’s daughter) had the intention to revive the Rosé Quartet in London, with Buxbaum playing the cello and she herself the second violin, offering an attractive career prospect to both of them. On December 2nd, 1938 Alma Rosé presented her proposal to Adrian Boult, who welcomed the idea enthusiastically. In a labour market that was quite bleak for musicians, Alma’s plan provided a potential lifeline for Buxbaum.
The re-established “Rosé Quartet “became the most important mainstay of Rosé and Buxbaum’s musical lives in London exile; there they played alongside the two Englishmen Ernest Tomlinson (viola) and, after Alma Rosé had been trapped in the Netherlands in November 1939, Walter Price (second violin). The members of the group changed several times and Buxbaum’s part was sometimes taken over by the cellist May Mukle.

** 1941 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Mozart Week’ concert, Richard Krotschak performed as cello soloist in Monn – Cello Concerto in G minor. Music of Mozart, Stamitz, Dittersdorf and Wagenseil was also heard. Conductor: Leopold Ludwig / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

 ** 1944 – only a few months before the end of the war, German cellist Ludwig Hoelscher performed in Krakow with the Philharmonie des Generalgouvernements, an orchestra of Polish players founded by Hans Frank for propaganda purposes. Indeed, Frank noted in his diary: “Krakow concert with Prof. Hoelscher”. This concert, conducted by Hans Swarowsky, featured the premiere of Pfitzner’s Krakauer Begrüßung, which was dedicated to Hans Frank. Hoelscher spent the last days at the end of World War II at his house in Tutzing, Bavaria.

** 1945 – Maurice Gendron‘s London debut was a public affair and dazzling. On 2nd December 1945 he shared the platform of the Wigmore Hall with Pierre Bernac, Poulenc and Benjamin Britten, with whom he played Debussy and Faure.

** 1949 – birth of Sharon Robinson (Houston, Texas, USA)
cellist

** 1954 – on this day cellist Enrico Mainardi made a live recording, in Frankfurt (Germany), of Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major, with the Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, conducted by Karl Böhm

** 1962 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under (guest) conductor Howard Hanson, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33 by Camille Saint-Saëns, with Lorne Munroe, cellist

** 1972 – in the Purcell Room (London South Bank), a solo recital (the second of two in autumn of that year) of music of J.S. Bach was given by cello soloist Thomas Igloi

** 1975 – Pedro Corostola/cello and Luis Rego/piano performed Félix Obarrondo Ugarte – Au bord d’Abimes, for cello and piano (1975), and the premiere of Claudio Prieto Alonso – Fantasía para cello y piano, in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Teatro Real, Madrid

** 1980 – birth of Bartosz Koziak (Zakopane, Poland)
Cellist

** 1986 – birth of Emanuel Graf (Swiss-German)
cellist, orchestral principal cellist, teacher. Son of orchestral principal cellist Daniel Robert Graf.
While still studying, Graf became principal cellist at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. Since 2014 Graf has been engaged as principal cellist at the Bavarian State Orchestra (Munich) under Kirill Petrenko. With the aim of promoting young cellists, Graf took over the management of ‘Cellifamily’, an ensemble of 12 international musicians which seeks to create cross cultural bridges through music.

** 1987 – a ‘Stradivaruis Gala Concert’ took place on this day at the Barbican Centre, London. Of special interest was the cello soloist Robert Cohen performing the Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major on the ‘Bonjour’ Stradivari of 1692.

** 1990 – in Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts (today and yesterday), cellist Franz Bartolomey was invited soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: André Previn / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1691 – birth of Martin Berteau (Valenciennes, France) d.1771
cellist, teacher & composer (‘founder of the French cello school’)

** 1761 – the Italian cellist Carlo Graziani (1st half of the 18th century-1787) gave his debut performance in Paris, a concert which was favourably reviewed in the ‘Mercure de France’

** 1768 – cellist Jean Louis Duport (‘the younger’) makes his debut at the “Concert Spirituel” (Paris), which the musical critic of the “Mercure de France” wrote:
“M. Duport, the Younger, a pupil of his brother, played a sonata, which ‘the latter accompanied, His execution is brilliant and amazing, certainty characterise his playing, and predict the greatest talent.”

** 1792 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed a concerto as cello soloist in the ‘Professional Concerts’ series in London – it is not known which work was performed but it was under the direction of Pleyel.

** 1845 – birth of Emil Boerngen (Verden, Germany)
cellist, theatre & orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & teacher

** 1874 – at the London ‘Popular Concerts’ Alfredo Piatti performed his own version of Francesco Maria Veracini – ‘Aria Schiavona’ for cello with piano accompaniment

** 1884 – birth of Adèle Clement (Saint-Gengoux-le-National, France)
cellist, a woman cellist with the chance to play in orchestral concerts with the Chevillard Orchestra in Paris, and the Blüthner Orchestra in Berlin; member of a touring piano trio

** 1894 – first performance of Charles Martin Loeffler – ‘Fantastic’ Concerto for cello and orchestra
Soloist – Alwin Schroeder, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Emil Paur. He then performed it in Washington DC, Cambridge, Worcester (1894), and New York (1895). Schroeder and the BSO reprised the concerto in 1898 (Boston, Baltimore, Brooklyn), and in 1907 Schroeder chose it for his solo debut with the Museum Orchestra of Frankfurt, Germany. In fact, between 1894 and 1908, Schroeder performed the work nearly a dozen times! It appears that Alwin Schroeder was the only cellist ever to perform the work, and the current whereabouts of the score and orchestral parts are unknown. The only other concerto that Schroeder played with similar frequency was the Saint-Saens No. 1.
Loeffler was the assistant concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 21 seasons, from 1882 to 1903. He was a popular soloist with the orchestra who introduced works such as Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole to US audiences. Loeffler’s orchestral works of the 1890s helped establish his reputation as a leading composer.

** 1894 – a solo performance was given by French cellist Marguerite (Anastasie) Baude in the Salle Erard in Paris

** 1896 – the solo debut of English cellist May Campbell Taylor happened on today’s date; a review reported in the ‘Musical Standard’ said:
“Miss May Taylor, a daughter of the organist of New College, made a very successful début here as a violoncellist in Popper’s E minor Concerto and some smaller pieces”

** 1900 – in her diary on 2nd February, 1900, Alma Mahler reports on a chamber music evening with Adele Radnitzky-Mandlick, at which the young composer performed Robert Schumann’s piano quartet in E flat major op.47 with Anton Steeber, Franz Radnitzky and the Austrian cellist Josefine Donat.

** 1926 – having debuted in America in 1921, Hungarian cellist Rozsi Varady was invited to perform at a State Dinner at the White House before President and Mrs. Harding on this day in 1922.

** 1934 – Portuguese cellist Madalena Sá e Costa made her debut as a soloist in the Concerto in A minor for cello and orchestra Op. 33 by Camille Saint-Saëns, under the baton of Pedro Blanch and alongside the ‘Orchestra of the Academy of Amateurs of Music’, at the São Carlos National Theatre (the national opera house of Portugal) Indeed, she returned every decade until the 1960s.

** 1941 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed a recital at New York Town Hall with Albert Hirsch, piano. The programme included Beethoven – Cello Sonata No.5 in D Major, Op.102/2.

** 1972 – birth of Zoë Keating (Guelph, Ontario, Canada)
‘modern’ cellist & composer

** 1989 – cellist Natalia Gutman performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schnittke – Cello Concerto No.1. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (2nd and 3rd February), conducted by Claus Peter Flor

** 1993 – Mstislav Rostropvich receives the “Medal Defender of a Free Russia” on 2nd February 1993, for courage and dedication shown during the defence of democracy and constitutional order of 19–21 August 1991

** 1837 – birth of Mily Balakirev (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) d.1910
important Russian composer, but also orchestrated Chopin’s E-minor Piano Concerto, and assisted Grutzmacher in editing Chopin’s Trio and the Cello Sonata.

** 1857 – birth of Oskar Bruckner (Erfurt, Germany) d.1930
cellist, orchestra principal cello & teacher

 ** 1859 – birth of {Frederic Karl Edouard} Fritz Giese (The Hague, Holland) d.1896 {son of cellist Joseph Giese}
cellist, orchestra principal cello, king’s cellist {based Holland-USA}

** 1896 – those who knew 15-year cellist old Francesca Vidal Puig recalled that her life turned upside down the day the 19-year-old Casals came first time into the Vidal i Puig home to give cello lessons to her. Indeed, it was stated that, from that day on, nothing would be the same for Francesca.

** 1913 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Henry P. Schmitt & Leo Schulz with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stransky

** 1933 – birth of Hisao {Isao} Oma Suzuki (Tokyo, Japan) d.2022
A Japanese double bassist and cellist. He learned to play bass on American military bases. He had his own ensemble in Tokyo from 1965–1969, and also performed with Hampton Hawes in 1968. He moved back to New York City from 1969 to 1971, and played with Ron Carter, Paul Desmond, Ella Fitzgerald, Jim Hall, Wynton Kelly, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Bobby Timmons. Later in the 1970s, he began to expand his instrumental repertoire, playing cello and piccolo bass. He co-founded the Japanese Bass Players Club with Hideto Kanai, and opened a jazz club in Osaka in 1987. He was awarded the Fumio Nanri Prize in 2008. Isao Suzuki fell victim to COVID-19 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, in March, 2022.

** 1948 – birth of Kerry Churchill Minnear (Shaftesbury, Dorset, England)
cellist/multi-instrumentalist

 ** 1989 – birth of Benedict Kloeckner (Neuwied, Germany)
cellist – mainly a soloist activity. He has taught at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, gives occasional masterclasses around the world. He is artistic director and founder of the “International Music Festival Koblenz” (IMUKO), Germany. From September 2025 onwards, Benedict Kloeckner will be a professor at the École Normale de Musique Paris.

** 1763 – birth of Peter Ritter (Mannheim, Germany)
virtuoso cellist – legend has it that he went with his father to Berlin and played before the Crown Prince (later Frederic William II), an enthusiastic amateur of the violoncello. Peter was greeted with unbounded admiration, especially when he played a concerto by Duport at ‘sight’ from a copy which was placed upside-down on his desk! He had to appear and again at the court, and the Princess Royal was so delighted with his own cello concerto that she handed him a poem and asked him to compose something for her. When she came to Mannheim, about twenty years later, she sent for Ritter and told him that she still sang his aria with great pleasure!

** 1808 – birth of Marius André Gueit (Hyères, France) d.1862
cellist, organist & composer. His important posts were as an organist. He was blind from only 15 months old.

** 1889 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Manchester by soloists Lady Hallè and Alfredo Piatti

** 1906 – birth of Thelma Reiss (Plymouth, England) d.1991
cellist

** 1931 – birth of Rudolf Weinsheimer (Wiesbaden, Germany)
cellist, member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1956-1996 – and it was thanks to his initiative and enterprising spirit that the famous ‘12 Cellists’ group was founded!

** 1955 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals performed J.S. Bach – Solo Cello Suite No.3, in a live performance that was recorded

** 1957 – the second of 2 consecutive recitals in the York Festival (England) was given by Antonio Janigro, cello, and Veyron-Larcroix, harpsichord.

** 1970 – birth of Henri Demarquette
a French contemporary classical cellist, and has been a long-time concerto soloist.
Henri Demarquette performs an eclectic programme in duo with the French accordionist Richard Galliano. In 2015, he founded a string quartet with Augustin Dumay, Svetlin Roussev, and Miguel da Silva. Demarquette created Vocello, an original ensemble for cello and choir a capella together with L’Ensemble Vocal Sequenza 9.3.

** 1987 – birth of Andrea Battistoni (Verona, Italy)
cellist, composer (including a cello concertino) and conductor, director of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

** 1999 – composer and renowned Catalan opera conductor Miquel Ortega i Pujol finished writing what was to become the second of two small pieces for Cello Quartet; ‘Danza de las Tierras Altas’, with a pronounced Keltic flavour (the ‘first’ piece was completed two days later)

** 1822 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed with his son, and the double bassist Dragonetti on this day (in London)

** 1926 – first performance of Zoltan Székely – Polyphon et Homophon, given by Paul Hermann (cello) and the composer on piano, at a concert of the ‘Gesellschaft für neue Musik’, Cologne, Germany

** 1933 – birth of Pedro Corostola (Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country) d.2020
cellist, orchestral principal cello, chamber musician and professor

** 1950 – It had been five years since Pau Casals had last performed in public and he now did so on 2nd June in the church of San Pedro de Prades, in the new Prades Festival, interpreting Bach’s “Suite No. 1”. The festival was a great worldwide success

** 1953 – first performance of Ginastera – Variaciones concertantes in the “Asociación de Amigos de la Música” of Buenos Aires
The Concertante Variations consist of a lengthy theme played only by the principal cello and the harp; each of the variations that follow is intended to highlight the possibilities and tonal beauty of a different solo instrument.

** 1963 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, cellist Pierre Fournier played as soloist in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102 (with Zino Francescatti – violin), in an all-Brahms programme. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

** 1965 – premiere of the short animation film “The Lady and the cellist”
Directed by Jean-François Laguionie / Original title: “La demoiselle et le violoncelliste”
A cellist attempts to rescue a woman swept out to sea, only to find he must battle a series of overly possessive sea creatures.

** 1982 – cellist Janos Starker and Dénes Koväcs (violin) made a live recording of Kodaly – Duo, Op.7, in the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy in Budapest.

** 1861 – birth of Anton Hegner (Denmark) d.1915
cellist & composer {based Denmark-USA}

** 1887 – Julius Klengel (cello) and Miss Emily Winant (vocal) were invited soloists with the London Symphony Orchestra

** 1892 – the famous George Bernard Shaw wrote a review in ‘The World’ (London) with the now well-known phrases: “The inevitable Popper …” “… elegant and fanciful in its lighter phases, and elegiac on its sentimental side”

** 1895 – Dvorak had made a version of Waldesruhe (Silent Woods), Op. 68, No. 5, for cello and piano that he and Hans Wihan performed on Dvorak’s farewell tour of Bohemia before the composer left for a stint as director of the National Conservatory in New York City (1892-5). Then, in 1894, Dvorak’s orchestration of the piano part was published, and Alwin Schroeder was perhaps the first cellist to perform this new version in the U.S.A. when he paired it with an orchestrated version of Julius Klengel‘s Capriccio, Op. 3, on 1st and 2nd March, 1895 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

** 1899 – cellist/composer Paul Bazelaire wrote (or completed) the ‘Danse égyptienne’ for violin and piano, Op.14, on this day (this was one of two dances)

** 1899 – birth of Harald Søltoft Agersnap (Denmark) d.1982
composer, conductor, cellist, and pianist

 ** 1917 – on this date the premiere was heard of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Élégie, Op.87 (written 1915), in version with piano accompaniment, in Rio de Janeiro, Salão Nobre do Jornal do Commercio, with Alfredo Comes (cello) and Lucilia Villa-Lobos (piano)

 ** 1922 – birth of Eric Feldbush (Grivegnée, Belgium) d.2007
cellist, conductor and composer
He studied cello at the Liege Conservatoire (1934–39), and later took courses in composition with Quinet and Legley (1947–48). He was director of the Mons Conservatoire (1963–72) and of the Brussels Conservatoire (1974–87).
Of special interest to cellists is that he wrote a cello concerto in 1988 that was premiered by Edmond Baert. He also adapted the ‘Concerto Militaire’ by François Servais for cello and strings or small orchestra, and wrote an original  work for three cellos and string orchestra.

** 1936 – birth of Buell Neidlinger (New Yprk City, U.S.A.) d.2018
cellist – pop, jazz and classical session musician. Also a double bassist.

** 1937 – in the Meister-Saal (Berlin) a “Sonaten-Abend” took place with Hans Andreae (cello) and Renata Borgatti (piano)

** 1950 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (1st and 2nd March), conducted by Rafael Kubelik

** 1956 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording with violinist David Oistrakh the Brahms – Double Concerto, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo Galliera, at the Kingsway Hall, London (started on 29th February ’56)

** 1963 – at the Maison Francaise, Oxford (England), the Oxford University Musical Club and Union organized a recital with Moray Welsh (cello) and Roger Vignoles, (piano), including Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata, Op.60

** 1967 – Joan Dickson was cello soloist in a Reid Orchestral Concert – she performed Kenneth Leighton – Cello Concerto with The Reid Orchestra, conducted by Sidney Newman

 ** 1984 – Felix Schmidt was cello soloist with the London Concert Orchestra, conducted by Edward Heath, at the London Barbican (this was first of a tour programme, 2-11 March 1984).

** 1989 – the premiere of Karel Husa’s Cello Concerto was performed by Lynn Harrell, with the USC Symphony was conducted by Daniel Lewis (the work underwent a certain revision, reaching its definitive form in November 1991)

** 1707 – birth of Jean-Baptiste Barrière (Bordeaux, France) d.1747
cellist and composer
A notable French cellist and composer, considered one of the first in France to publish solo music for the cello, during a time when the cello was gaining popularity over the viol in France. In 1731, he went to Paris and secured a position at the Académie Royale de Musique.  In 1733, King Louis XV granted him special privileges to compose and publish several instrumental works. He was a virtuoso cellist who composed four books of sonatas for cello and basse continue, along with other instrumental works. Despite his significance, much of his music is now rarely performed. 

** 1814 – Bernhard Romberg makes his first appearance on British soil, playing a string trio of Beethoven, and participating in his own string sextet alongside the British cellist Frederick William Crouch.

** 1853 – first performance of Bernhard Molique – Cello Concerto
soloist – Alfredo Piatti (Philharmonic concert, London)

** 1894 – first performance of d’Indy – Lied, Op.19 in version for cello and piano
Parisian private concert – ‘Séance de Musique’ by cellist Cornélis Liégeois and Vincent d’Indy

** 1899 – cellist May Mukle, just 19 years old, gave a recital including the cello sonata in F major Op.6 by Richard Strauss and Léon Boëllmann’s Variations Symphoniques on her programme, the “Times” already emphasized, “how fully the young artist realizes the necessity of bringing forward interesting music” (Times May 2, 1899)

** 1901 – Hugo Becker (cello) and Andrew Black (vocal) were soloists with the Queen’s Hall Concert Orchestra, conducted by Herr Weingartner. The programme also included the first English performance of Weingartner – Symphonic Poem ‘Das Gefilde der Seligen’ Op.21.

 ** 1907 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Op.47 and Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1911 – first performance of Holst – Invocation, for cello and orchestra
soloist – May Mukle with New symphony Orchestra, conducted by Landon Ronald (Queen’s Hall, London). The music was not published until 1983.

** 1913 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (17th and 20th April) and Paris (2nd May), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1927 – birth of Anna Shuttleworth (Bournemouth, England) d.2021
cellist and professor
She studied cello at the Royal College of Music, London, and later became a professor at the same college. Her pupils have included A. Baillie, N. Clein and F. Brikcius. A founding member of the Vivien Hind String Quartet. She was once affectionately referred to as “The Swellest Cellist” by Vaughan Williams!

** 1931 – The great affection and respect which Casals formerly had for his prize student was most clearly displayed on 2nd May, 1931, when the the Orquesta Pau Casals featured the Spanish premieres of two of Gaspar Cassadó‘s works. Casals conducted the Rapsodia Catalana, and Cassadó was the soloist in ‘his’ Arpeggione concerto

** 1965 – birth of Matthew Barley (Sheffield, England)
cellist, improviser and contemporary/electronic

** 1966 – birth of Kristin (Gräfin) von der Goltz (Würzburg, Germany)
cellist, specialist baroque music {based Germany-Norway}

** 1974 – birth of Martin Rummel (Linz, Austria)
cellist and professor {based New Zealand}

** 1976 – “Hommage à Paul Sacher” – 12 Hommages à Paul Sacher premiered in Zürich, 12 pieces for cello or cello ensemble composed to celebrate cellist Sacher’s 70th birthday: Puneña no. 2 by Alberto Ginastera; Thema und Variationen für Violoncello solo by Wolfgang Fortner; Capriccio by Hans Werner Henze; Drei Epigramme für Violoncello solo für Paul Sacher by Conrad Beck; 3 strophes sur le nom de Sacher by Henri Dutilleux; Sacher-Variationen by Witold Lutoslawski; Les mots sont allés by Luciano Berio; Variationen über das Thema eSACHERe by Cristóbal Halffter; Tema “Sacher” by Benjamin Britten; Transpositio ad infinitum für ein virtuoses Solocello by Klaus Huber; Chaconne für Violoncello solo by Heinz Holliger & Messagesquisse pour 7 violoncelles by Pierre Boulez
(Tonhalle, Zürich, Switzerland)

** 1980 – on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 29th of this month, plus the 2nd May, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1985 – on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1880 – birth of John Herbert Foulds (Hulme, Manchester, England) d.1939
composer & cellist / orchestral principal cello

** 1892 – birth of Paul Abraham (Apatin, Austro-Hungarian Empire, today Serbia) d.1960
composer & cellist – he wrote a youthful cello concerto before moving into the opera/operetta world

** 1894 – birth of Mischel Cherniavsky (Russia?)
cellist, cello in Cherniavsky Trio

** 1931 – birth of Mihaly Virizlay (Budapest) d.2008
cellist, orchestral principal cello & composer {based USA} – his works include a Cello Concerto

** 1936 – birth of Marta Casals Istomin, nee Marta Montañez (Humacao, Puerto Rico) {wife of Pau Casals]
cellist and cello teacher, music school principal and cultural organizer

** 1947 – first performance of Maurice Duruflé – Requiem {the work features an important cello solo in the Pie Jesu}
Paris {concert broadcast on French radio}
Note: the ‘Pie Jesu’ has been arranged by David Johnstone for eight solo cellos ….

** 1955 – Daniil Shafran (Cello) and Emil Gilels (Piano) record ‘The Swan’ (‘Carnival of the Animals’ No.13) by Camille Saint-Saëns

** 1960 – cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Two concerts in Amsterdam (2nd and 3rd November), conducted by Pierre Monteux

** 1960 – birth of Martti Rousi (Piikkiö, Finland)
cellist & artistic director

** 1962 – birth of Graham Waterhouse (London)
cellist & composer {based Germany}

** 1962 – birth of Ramón Jaffé (Riga, Latvia, now based in Germany)
cellist, soloist, founder of the Hopfgarten Chamber Music Festival in Tyrol – artistic director of the Middelburg Festival in the Dutch province of Zeeland, and the Chamber Music Festival of Oberlausitz. An innovative cellist – as given concerts with the jazz singer Bobby McFerrin and the sitar virtuoso Pradeep Ratnayake as well as with the Lebrija- born flamenco guitarist Pedro Bacan (1951–1997), continuing his flamenco concerts with the dancer Miguelete and the guitarist Johannes Hoffmann as the Ramón Jaffé Trio. Professor at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden

** 1976 – birth of Daniel Müller-Schott (Munich, Germany)
cellist

** 1982 – on the 27th, 28th and 29th of October plus today’s date 2nd November, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Nelson), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1982 – birth of Rob Lewis (London, England)
An Emmy nominated English composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He gained critical acclaim for his compositions for looping cello, which formed the basis of his album “Momentum” released in 2018. His main instruments are cello, piano, and guitar. As a session musician and artist, Lewis has performed and collaborated with artists including Noel Gallagher, Anna alvi, Dave, SBTRKT, Ghostpoet, Beardyman, Jason Mraz, Massive Attack and many more. He is endorsed by Yamaha Music.

** 1984 – cellist Natalia Gutman performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (2nd, 3rd and 4th November), conducted by Hans Vonk

 ** 1985 – in a series of four Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, cellist Mischa Maisky was invited soloist today in Schumann – Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1800 – a large orchestral concert took place entitled “Worcester Music meeting” – the vocal soloists were Mr Bartleman, Mr Knyvett, Mr Nield, Master Elliott, Miss Tennant and Madame Mara (wife of an infamous cellist!) – the instrumental concerto performers were: Franz Cramer (violin), Mr Boyce (oboe) and Robert Lindley (cello)

** 1808 – birth of Franz Limmer (Austria) d.1857
Austrian composer, conductor and musical performer.
His father originally meant for him to take over the business, but as Franz was more interested in music than anything else, he was permitted to choose a musical career. From age 10 he studied the violin and guitar with a teacher named Klein, and when he left school, he entered the Vienna Conservatory, where he studied the cello with Josef Hartinger (1811–1878) and the clarinet with Joseph Friedlowsky (ca. 1777–1859). In 1834 at age 26 Limmer was invited to accept the post of conductor at the German Theatre in Timișoara by its director, Theodor Müller – the theatre ran up to 15 opera productions a year.  A year later he was appointed choir director of the Timișoara Cathedral as the successor of the late Joseph Kratochwill. Limmer stayed in Timișoara until his death.

He wrote his Grand Quintuor for piano, violin, viola, violoncello and double bass, Op.13 (his most well-known work) in the Timisoara period, amongst many other works. He was an accomplished cellist. His works include a trio for three cellos and a quartet for four cellos besides a string quartet and the piano quintet with double bass.

** 1861 – birth of Wilhelm Jeral (Czech)
cellist, principal cello of the German Opera (Rotterdam) and of Landesthreater orchestra (Graz), principal cello Imperial Opera Orchestra of Vienna; pianist & composer

** 1872 – birth of Hugo Schlemüller (Könidsburg, Prussia)
cellist, performed in Kaim Orchestra in Munich, Winderstein Orchestra in Leipzig; teacher at the Gotha Conservatoire; cellist in quartet of the Popular Chamber Music Society in Frankfurt, and the Trio Association at Coburg; composer of cello works

** 1904 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Volkmann – Serenade in D minor (part of ‘obligato cello’). Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1907 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1919 – Felix Salmond was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1921 – cellist Judith Bokor performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Volkmann – Cello Concerto, Op.33. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1929 – May Mukle was cello soloist, along with Marjorie Hayward/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1933 – news was published in The Musical Art, October 2nd, about the progress of a new cello concerto by Henri Gagnebin, where the composer himself writes:
“I have finished a Suite for small orchestra, in which each instrument plays a solo in turn. It will be premiered this winter in one of the radio concerts of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande, under the direction of Ernest Ansermet. Then I wrote three pieces of a Suite for piano, and the first two movements of a Concerto for cello and orchestra, intended for my friend Fernand Pollain“

** 1966 – first live recording of Rodrigo – Sicilienne (1929) for cello and piano
Carlos Prieto/cello and Chiky Martín/piano (Foundation Juan March, Madrid – recorded by RNE Spanish National Radio)

**1969 – birth of Ricardo del Carmen Fortuny (Cuidad de Guatamala, Guatamala)
cellist, soloist and orchestral principal, university professor, teacher, music writer and musical event organizer

** 1972 – on this day cello Zara Nelsova performed as invited soloist in Walton’s Cello Concerto with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Berhard Haitink.

** 1974 – birth of Jiaxin Cheng (China)
cellist, orchestra principal {based London}

** 1976 – in Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts, cellist Robert Scheiwein was invited soloist with violinist Rainer Küchl in the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102. Conductor: Horst Stein / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1983 – cellist Helga Winold performed a recital at Indiana University Music Department, that featured: Debussy – Cello Sonata; Schuller – Fantasy for solo cello; Martinu – Rossini Variations; and Ibert – Concerto for Cello and Wind instruments – the concert was recorded.

** 1987 – on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th of this month, cellist Antonio Meneses performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Sanderling), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – Carlos Prieto/cello and Coqui Martín/piano made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Manuel Castillo Navarro-Aguilera – Alborada for Cello and Piano (1994). They also performed Roberto Gerhard – Sonata for cello and piano (1956) and Joaquín Rodrigo – Siciliana (1929)
Foundation ‘Juan March’, Madrid

** 1865 – Hungarian cellist Rosa Suck declined an invitation from the English conductor Alfred Mellon to spend three months in London at the Covent Garden Concerts, for lack of courage and language skills (according to her personal diary, on the entry dated 2nd September, 1865). However, she did shortly after play in musical events in Paris.

 ** 1873 – birth of Walter Lenck (Berlin) d.1952
versatile German artist – sculptor, draftsman, painter, architect, cellist, composer and dramatist {escaping Nazi persecution he emigrated in 1936 to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was from there on based}. Later in his life he did not neglect his activity as a musical composer and dramatist, although he had to stop playing the cello for medical reasons.

** 1899 – William Henry Squire was cello soloist in (Carlo) Alfredo Piatti – Awake! awake! / David Popper – Scenes from a Masked Ball, Op 3 / William Henry Squire – Serenade/ and Giuseppe Verdi – Il trovatore, Grand Fantasia (arranger unknown) at the Queen’s Hall, London (Prom concert)
not clear whether with piano or orchestral accompaniment

** 1924 – the Brahms – Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Margaret Fairless & May Mukle at the London Proms

** 1943 – birth of Gayle Smith (U.S.A.)
cellist – and a former ballet dancer! Finalist at the Third International Tchaikovsky Cello Competition in Moscow 1970. Latterly she has described herself as an “entertainment cellist”

** 1946 – Peers Coetmore was cello soloist in Ernest John Moeran – Cello Concerto, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1954 – in a Promenade Concert – during the Diamond Jubilee Season – at the Royal Albert Hall, London, the soloist was William Pleeth (cello) in Joseph Haydn – Concerto for Cello in D major, Hob. VIIb:2 (arr. François-Auguste Gevaert) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent and John Hollingsworth.

** 1981 – first performance of Zulema de la Cruz – Alternancias, for cello and piano
Peter Meyes/cello and Sebastián Mariné/piano (Capilla Real del Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain) – this piece was joint award-winner in the Luis Coleman Compositon Prize at the XXIV Curso Internacional de Música Española de Santiago de Compostela.

** 1717 – on this day the governors of the Capella del Tesoro di San Gennaro (Italy) felt obliged to replace cellist Rocco Greco with Francesco Alborea, on account for Greco’s failing health, with the stipulation that Alborea would be given the post indefinitely upon the death of Greco; and this is the last mention of the older cellist so maybe he didn’t survive for very much time after that (?)

** 1838 – birth of Fritz Albert Christian Rudinger (Copenhagen) d.1925
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber music & teacher

** 1895 – first known concerto performance of William Henry Squire as concerto soloist, performing the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor at the Crystal Palace Concerts (London)

** 1946 – birth of Philippe Muller (Mulhouse, France)
Cellist

** 1959 – Gwyneth George was cello soloist in Edmund Rubbra – Soliloquy Op.57, with the Fogell Ensemble conducted by Martin Fogell, at the London Wigmore Hall.

** 1975 – birth of Caroline Stinson (Edmonton, Canada)
cellist, chamber musician – traditional & contemporary repertoire

** 1983 – birth of Guillermo Pastrana (Granada, Spain)
Cellist

** 1985 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a cello recital was given by Lowri Blake (cello) and Caroline Palmer (piano).

** 1986 – first performance of the ‘reconstructed’ Sullivan – Cello Concerto in D Major (previous orchestral material destroyed by fire in May 1964)
soloist – Julian Lloyd Webber with London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras (Barbican, London)

** 1998 – Juan Enrique Sainz/cello and Alberto Gómez/piano premiered Enrique Igoa Mateos – ‘Manifiesto I: la mirada interrumpida’, Op 33, for cello and piano, in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid

** 1868 – birth of Luigo Forino (Rome) d.1936
cellist; he edited Boccherini’s sonatas and wrote a history of the cello and cellists; professor of harmony and counterpoint at the National Conservatory in Buenos Aires, returning to Italy as professor at Rome’s Academia Santa Cecilia.

** 1899 – a Pau Casals private recital for Queen Victoria of Great Britain
Osborne House, Isle of Wight

** 1915 – Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist, along with Arthur Beckwith/violin, in Johannes Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1926 – birth of Alice Marian Robertson Wilson (Morgan, Utah, U.S.A.) d.2013
An American cellist, linguist and a teacher. In 1947 she became a cellist of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. She was notably the music editor of the Coptic Encyclopedia (8 volumes). She received Ph.D.s in fields of French, music and Arabic, and was fluent in other languages!

** 1948 – James Whitehead was cello soloist, along with Leonard Hirsch/violin and Harry Isaacs/piano in Beethoven – Concerto for violin, cello and piano in C major, ‘Triple Concerto’, with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Basil Cameron {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1955 – birth of Jiří Hošek (Prague)
Czech musician, cellist and pianist – musical pedagogue at the Faculty of Music of the Prague Academy of Music. His daughter is a professional cellist.

** 1988 – cellist Lynn Harrell performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.2, Op.126. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (20th August), Salzburg (30th August) and London (3rd September) conducted by Riccardo Chailly

** 1989 – birth of Patricia Cimpoiasu (Buzau, Romania)
cellist of Amadeus Quartet

** 1680 – Domenico Gabrielli is appointed cellist at S. Petronio, Bologna (Italy)

** 1857 – birth of Emile Blume (Hanover, Germany)
cellist, member of Hanover Court Orchestra (at aged 15!), ‘Royal chamber musician and the Order of the Crown’, principal cello Royal Theatre of Hanover, member of Hänflein String Quartet (during 15 years), member Riller Quartet, professor & cello music composer

** 1874 – cellist Gabrielle Platteau was heard – alongside Marie Monbelli – in Arnhem; indeed this was the last known concert of Gabrielle Platteau. Shortly afterwards, the Belgian “Guide Musical” reported that the cellist was “en ce moment très-dangereusement malade” (“currently dangerously ill”)

** 1882 – birth of Arnold Földesy (Budapest) d.1940
cellist, orchestra principal cello, recording artist

** 1886 – first performance of Brahms – Trio in C Minor, Op.101 (programme also featured Brahms – Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major, Op.99)
with David Popper – cello, Jenö Hubay – violin and composer at piano (Budapest)

** 1899 – the cello soloist Hans Wihan performed the Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor on this date with the composer conducting. Although Dvorak wrote the great work for Wihan, the cellist was unable to give the world premiere (seemingly for professional diary commitments that he was unable to cancel) and therefore this concert in Budapest was the first time that cellist and composer shared stage together with this work. However, it should be mentioned that Wihan had performed the work months earlier (January, 1899) at The Hague to great acclaim.

** 1901 – The Cello Sonata of Edvard Grieg was written in 1883. The cellist Alwin Schroeder performed the Grieg sonata in Germany as early as 1885. He returned to the work after having moved to the United States, including “an uncommonly beautiful reading” in December 1901 with pianist Arthur Whiting that inspired this poetic description: “…as though the writer had visited the Norwegian fjords and tried to represent to the ear their frowning precipices in a piercing gale, and then descended to the green and peaceful valleys below…” (Musical Courier, Dec. 1901). The same month he performed it with Helen Hopekirk in Boston, putting, according to the Boston Herald on 20th December, 1901, “notable warmth and depth of feeling into the Grieg andante.”

** 1903 – birth of János Scholz (Sopron, Hungary) d.1993
cellist, orchestral principal, chamber music player. Also an art collector.
principal cellist Budapest Symphony Orchestra (under Dohnányi), Budapest Opera Orchestra, from 1932 the cellist of the Roth Quartet (they took up US residence the following year) – In addition to being a cellist, Scholz was an accomplished viola da gamba performer and is credited as the first performer to record the Bach Gamba Sonatas (Columbia 1938) on this instrument.

** 1907 – cellist Sara Gurowitsch (from a Russian family living in the Bronx) made her Berlin debut after finishing her education in Berlin at the Hochschule and receiving a Mendelssohn Prize stipend in 1906. Critics of her December concert found her sound inadequate for a large hall, however she shortly afterwards made her American debut playing the d’Albert Cello Concerto, which was very popular at this time, and other solo performances with orchestras before the First World War. After her solo career, she taught for many decades (d.1981).

** 1991 – first performance of Peter Sculthorpe – Threnody for solo cello
(Sydney)

** 1999 – first performance and live recording of Carmelo A. Alonso Bernaola – Ofrenda, for Spanish National Radio, by Pedro Corostola/cello and Manuel Carra/piano
Teatro Real, Madrid (a concert in honour of Félix Hazen).

** 1853 – birth of Amanda Röntgen-Maier (Landskrona, Sweden) d.1894
Swedish violinist and composer, who also played the cello!

** 1890 – cellist Hugo Becker performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Raff – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.193. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Kes

** 1899 – on this date the premiere was heard of Michele Esposito’s Cello Sonata in D Major with Henry Bast (also the dedicatee), cello, and the composer on piano, for the Royal Dublin Society

** 1900 – cellist Hugo Becker performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in both Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op.33, and Eugen d’Albert – Cello Concerto, Op.20. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1901 – cellist Anton Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in the Brahms – Double Concerto and also performed Bruch – Kol Nidrei. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1912 – historical concert of Pau Casals and Eugene Ysaye playing Brahms – Double Concerto in the Great Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein

** 1923 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert dedicated to the figure of pianist Elly Lüttmann, Rudolf Hindemith was cello soloist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto (with Ludwig Wittels – violin, and Elly Lüttmann – piano). Orchestral works of Mozart and Dvorak were also heard.
Conductor: Ernst Bachrich / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1927 – first performance of Julius Chajes – Cello Concerto (written 1926), which took place in Vienna. Julius Chajes was a highly accomplished virtuoso concert pianist as well as conductor who settled in America as a refugee from the Third Reich in the wake of the Austrian electorate’s vote for annexation to Germany in the infamous plebiscite of 1938.

** 1957 – on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording Honegger – Cello Concerto, in Paris, with the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française conducted by Georges Rzipine (the other recording day was 15th February ’57)

** 1957 – Leonard Rose was special invited cello soloist in two performances, where he played by the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, and in the Brahms Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102 alongside Yehudi Menuhin, on the 19th and 20th February 1957. Howard Mitchell was conducting the National Symphony Orchestra in the Constitution Hall of Washington D.C. as a dedication to the ‘National Brotherhood Week’.

** 1964 – Peers Coetmore (Cello) and Lee Kum Seng (Piano) appear to have recorded together on today’s date, but exact details are scarce

** 1973 – Peter Racine Fricker completes his Gigue for solo cello (F144)

** 1976 – first performance of Iannis Xenakis – Retours-Windungen, for 12 cellos
(Bonn, Germany)

** 1976 – on the 19th, 20th and 24th of this month, cellist Lynn Harrell performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Levine), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1984 – birth of Johannes {“Jo”} Alisch (Mannheim, Germany)
classical cellist and jazz bassist

** 1987 – on the 19th, 20th, 21st and 24th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Shostakovich and Penderecki), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1783 – birth of Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer (Haselrich, Germany) d.1860
cellist, composer and pedagogue

** 1862 – birth of Jan Van Unen (Zwille, Holland)
cellist, second cellist at the “Paleis for Volks vlijt’; principal cello of the Orchestral Union at Arnheim, chamber musician and teacher.

** 1868 – Alfredo Piatti performed in the Monday Popular Concerts in London, in a programme including Mendelssohn – Cello Sonata No.1 in Bb Major

** 1870 – birth of Heinrich Apunn (Frankfurt, Germany)
cellist, teacher Frankfurt School of Music, member of quartet ‘Frankfurter Quartet Vereinigung)’, occasional composer of cello pieces

** 1873 – birth of Christian Bertram (Heddesdorf, Germany)
cellist, principal cello at the Elberfeld Opera, principal cello in the court orchestra at Biickeburg, member of Sahla String Quartet

**1886 – birth of Philip Robert Abas {occasionally spelt Abbas} (Amsterdam, Netherlands) d.1945
cellist, orchestra principal cello, viol player and music teacher

** 1901 – the first London performance Eugen d’Albert – Cello Concerto in C major, Op.20, with soloist W.H. Squire (? conducted by Mr Thomas Meux)

** 1906 – on this date the premiere was heard of Carl Reinecke’s Romanzero (Romanzero in Form eines Concertstücks) in A minor, Op.263, by cello soloist Julius Klengel (also the dedicatee) conducted by Winderstein (?). The music was probably written in 1902, and published in Leipzig the following year.

** 1917 – on this date the premiere was heard of Granville Bantock’s Celtic Poem (‘The Land of the Ever Young’) in Edinburgh. There are two performance possibilities; cello and piano, or cello and orchestra.

** 1918 – Reading Symphony Orchestra (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), under conductor Harry Fahrbach, programmed a concert on this day featuring the Variations Symphoniques for Violoncello and Orchestra, Op. 23 by Léon Boëllmann, with soloist Victor de Gomez, violoncello. The soloist also performed in the same concert the “L’Arlequin” of David Popper accompanied by piano, and the “Andante cantabile” from the First String Quartet,Op. 11 by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky [arr. for cello and strings].

** 1920 first performance of Bridge – Morning Song for cello and piano
(Royal College of Music, London)

** 1951 – Lorne Munroe gave a soloist performance of Strauss – Don Quixote, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux, in Carnegie Hall, New York.  There was unanimous positive reaction; Virgil Thomson wrote the title line in the Herald Tribune: ‘Lorne Munroe, the cellist, impressed”

** 1963 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Luis Garcia-Renart, with Marta Garcia Renart/piano

** 1972 – Moray Welsh was solo cellist, in Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.1 in Eb Major, Op.107, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Leighton, at the Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh). Also, in the programme were works of Dorward and Tchaikovsky.

** 1977 first performance of Berio – Il ritorno degli snovidenia, for cello and 30 instruments
(Basle, Switerland)

1999 – In a letter to ‘The Times’ on 20th January 1999, co-signed by Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, William Pleeth, Mstislav Rostropovich and Pinchas Zukerman, Julian Lloyd Webber wrote in protest at the film Hilary and Jackie which was based on conversations on which these signatories did not see as reliable:
“Hillary and Jackie … concentrates heavily on an affair which Jacqueline had with her sister’s husband and portrays her as selfish, spoilt and manipulative. This is not the Jacqueline du Pré that we, as her friends and colleagues, knew. Jacqueline possessed a wonderful joy in making music, and a unique ability to bring joy to her audience. This is the Jacqueline du Pré that we remember.”
Indeed, “Jackie’s Song” is a composition by Julian Lloyd Webber himself for cello and string orchestra or cello and piano, composed in 1998 in protest at the film

** 1744 – birth of Johann Baptiste Mara (Berlin) {son of cellist Ignatz}
cellist

** 1849 – birth of Franz Fischer (Munich, Bavaria)
cellist, principal cellist in National Theatre Orchestra of Budapest, principal cello in Munich Orchestra, court capellmeister at Mannheim, latterly an opera conductor

** 1866 – birth of André Hekking (Bordeaux, France) d.1925
cellist & professor

** 1873 – birth of Jacob Louis von der Mehden (San Francisco, U.S.A.) d.1954
An American cellist, conductor and composer. He was a principal cellist in San Francisco before moving to New York in 1907, working both as cellist and conductor in theatre and commercial orchestras. He was a regular contracted musician in the recording industry. Howwver, after the mid-1920s he greatly eased off working as cellist and conductor, though playing piano and giving tuition.
There is a concert hall in his memory on the University of Connecticut’s main campus in Storrs.

** 1900 – Danish cellist Agga Fritsche received glowing words from her teacher Julius Klengel in her graduation certificate:
“Fräulein Fritsche is leaving the [Conservatory] as a cellist with unusual skill, after having strived to perfect herself with exemplary diligence and the greatest conscientiousness during her three years of study. She succeeded in doing this in the most pleasing way.…”
Also, the Leipzig Musical Archives gave a testimony (musical critic?) comment: “Although she doesn’t have a very big tone, she has a very likeable, soft tone, a technique that can handle even the most difficult problems, and she phrases with as much taste as intelligence”

 ** 1901 – after a successful concert tour / holiday in Australia, solo Belgium cellist Jean Gérardy left on the SS Westralia sailing to New Zealand for a few concerts more.

 ** 1917 – birth of Dietrich Erdmann (Bonn, Germany) d.2009
A German composer and university lecturer, who played the cello from aged 14 onwards (notably taking lessons with Pál Hermann). Erdmann was co-founder of the Arbeitskreis für Neue Musik at the Berlin University of the Arts. From 1947, Erdmann was based in Berlin, where he taught at the Pädagogische Hochschule becoming head of the music seminar two years later, and appointed associate professor in 1954. He retired in 1982, and died in Berlin at the age of 91 (2009).
For the cello he wrote a Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra (1985), Dialoghi for cello and piano (1969), ‘Mouvements’ for cello (or double bass) and guitar (1978), ‘Essay on a theme by JS Bach’ for cello and piano (1984), and ‘Aspects’ for Violoncello solo (1991) – all have received premieres in Germany.

 ** 1918 – cellist Juan Ruiz-Casaux performed as soloist playing in one sole concert with orchestra Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto in A minor, and Boellman – Variations Symphoniques – (no more details at present – orchestra? city?)
He repeated the concert on 24th July.

** 1938 – In 1937 cellist Paul Hermann had settled in Paris, where he performed regularly as a soloist; however, the musical life of Holland remained important to him on account of his marriage to a Dutch lady. On this day in 1938 he played a concert for the French radio in Paris with a programme exclusively of Dutch music (cello works of Andriessen, Badings, Hijman, Van Lier, Pijper and Vredenburg).

** 1948 – Douglas Cameron was cello soloist with the Chelsea Symphony Orchestra (? work ?). Ernest Frank also gave vocal solos in the same concert.

** 1956 – first performance of Kenneth Leighton – Cello Concerto
(Cheltenham, England)

** 1958 – last public concert performance of Beatrice Harrison
(Coventry Cathedral Festival of the Arts, England – performance televised)

** 1958 – birth of Knox Chandler (U.S.A.)
An American guitarist, who also plays cello, double bass, and other instruments. Famed as a session musician.

** 1974 – Thomas Igloi performs the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Proms
with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Charles Grove

** 1984 – release date / premiere, in U.S.A., of the film “Electric Dreams”; American-British science fiction romantic comedy film set in San Francisco that depicts a love triangle among a man, a woman, and a personal computer. It was directed by Steve Barron and stars Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and the voice of Bud Cort. A love triangle soon develops among Miles, his computer (who later identifies himself as Edgar), and Miles’s neighbour, an attractive cellist named Madeline Robistat (Virginia Madsen). Upon hearing her practising the Minuet in G major (BWV Anh. 114 from Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach) on her cello through an air vent connecting both apartments, Edgar promptly elaborates a parallel variation of the piece, leading to an improvised duet. Believing it was Miles who had engaged her in the duet, Madeline begins to fall in love with him though she has an ongoing relationship with fellow musician Bill.

** 1819 – birth of Jacques Offenbach (Cologne, Germany) d.1880
composer, cellist & impresario

** 1849 – an English cello soloist with the name Hancock performed on this day the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.5, by Kraft at The Philharmonic Society (London).

** 1872 – birth of Louis Feuillard (Dijon, France) d.1941
cellist, chamber music specialist & professor

** 1897 – a solo performance was noted by French cellist Marguerite (Anastasie) Baude in Meaux on this day

** 1935 – birth of Jennifer Ward Clarke (Yateley, England) d.2015
cellist, baroque cellist

** 1954 – at the Casals Festivals at Prades (France), Pau {Pablo} Casals (cello) played in a live performance that was recorded of Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 5 No. 1 and Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major, Op. 102 No. 2

** 1964 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concerts (on 20th, 21st and 22nd June), cellist Emanuel Brabec played as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1964 – cellist Pierre Fournier performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (19th June) and Scheveningen (20th June) conducted by George Szell

** 1982 – at The Stables, Wavendon (England) a cello recital was given by Clare Deniz (cello) and Susan Bradshaw (piano). The concert was for the British Music Society, and the unusual and original programme included works by Eugene Goosens (predominantly his Rhapsody) along with some of his smaller works; also the Arnold Bax Cello Sonata, and a sonata by Peter Racine Fricker.

** 1768 – Luigi Boccherini makes his official Parisian debut
(Salle des Suisses in the Palais des Tuileries)

** 1912 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring Pablo Casals cello and Elly Ney piano

** 1914 – birth of Martin Bochmann (Großdeuben, nr. Leipzig, Germany) d.1983
cellist, orchestra principal cello, professor {later based England} – father of composer/cellist Christopher and violinist Michael.
Principal cello Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Principal cello NWDR Orchestra. Professor Cologne and Düsseldorf conservatories. Member The Collegium Pro Arte. Professor Turkish State National Conservatoire, Ankara. Professor of cello, Reading University. Principal cello Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra.

** 1915 – birth of Sviatoslav Richter (Zhitomir, Russian Empire, now Ukraine) d.1997
Russian famed pianist who was also – according to ‘Cello Musuem’ – a “passable” cellist!

** 1920 – Arthur Williams was solo cellist, with violinist Jelly D’Aranyi in Brahms – Double Concerto for violin and violoncello, Op. 102, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Professor Donald Francis Tovey, at the McEwan Hall (Edinburgh). Also, in the programme were works of Dvorak, Beethoven and Mozart.

** 1920 – Mila (Mildred) Wellerson made her official solo debut at the Carnegie Chamber Music Hall on this day, as well as giving several other important concerts that year, including at Aeolian Hall and at the main auditorium of Carnegie Hall, in which she played her own composition Lullaby (The Cranky Baby).

** 1920 – Felix Salmond gave the second performance of the new Elgar – Cello Concerto in Manchester on 20th March 1920, with the Hallé Orchestra being conducted by Albert Coates, the same conductor as in the supposed first performance failure (but this is now put into question thanks to grand investigative work by Tully Potter)

** 1924 – cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33. Five concerts, in Amsterdam (18th and 20th March, and 9th October(^^)), in Den Haag (11th October(^^)) and Rotterdam (15th October(^^)), conducted by Karl Muck and Pierre Monteux(^^)

** 1931 – Gregor Piatigorsky gave his first performances in Los Angeles. Billed as “The Russian Casals”, on 19th March Piatigorsky played chamber music with a local quartet made up of Los Angeles Philharmonic players at the Biltmore Hotel, which was just across the street from Philharmonic Auditorium. The next night, he was soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Haydn Concerto conducted by Artur Rodzinski.

** 1932 – a ‘Professor Tovey’s Sunday Concert’ at Edinburgh University featured Guilhermina Suggia – cello and D.F. Tovey – piano. They performed a mammoth all-Beethoven programme consisting of: Sonata in G minor, Op.5, No.2, Sonata in C Major, Op.102, No.1, Sonata in D Major, Op.102, No.2, and Sonata in A Major, Op.69

** 1938 – Maurice Maréchal (cello) and Irmgard Mietusch (piano) gave a recital in Berlin.

** 1940 – in the National Gallery, London, a recital was given by Florence Austral (vocal) and Mischel Cherniavsky (cello), accompanied by Gerald Moore.

** 1959 – Martinu finishes (in the space of one week) his ‘Variations on a Slovak folk melody’, for cello and piano

** 1963 – at the Bishopsgate Institute (London) the City Music Society concert invited William Pleeth (cello), Owen Brannigan (bass) and Edmund Rubbra (piano) to give a recital that included works of Rubbra – Cello Sonata, Op.60 and ‘Three Psalms’, Op.61

** 1994 – cellist Heinrich Schiff performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Concert in Paris, conducted by Mariss Jansons

** 1998 – at Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra subscription concerts (on 20th and 21st March), cellist Wolfgang Herzer played as soloist in Bruch – Kol Nidrei, Op.47. Orchestral music of Haydn and Franz Schmidt was also heard. Conductor: Franz Welser-Moest / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1850 – English cellist Robert Lindley performed, with Lucas (2nd cello) and Howel (double bass), a sonata of Corelli – Lindley’s last known performance of a Corelli work (his favourite bassist, Dragonetti, with him he had closely collaborated, had died in 1846).

** 1859 – birth of William Edward Whitehouse (London) d.1935
cellist and pedagogue. Professor Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, both in London, and at King’s College, Cambridge.  Cellist of The London Trio, and performed regularly with violinist Joseph Joachim.

** 1868 – (probable) London debut concert of Friedrich Grützmacher
(Philharmonic, London)

** 1899 – London debut concert of Pau Casals
Lalo – Cello Concerto, at the Crystal Palace

** 1905 – cellist Alwin Schroeder gave many performances of the Locatelli – Cello Sonata in D Major (version Piatti) from coast to coast of the U.S.A. during the 1904-1907 period, and the reception of both the work and Schroeder’s playing was even warmer. In Los Angeles Schroeder’s rendition purportedly – according to the Los Angeles Herald, on 20th May 20, 1905:
“drove the great audience quite mad with enthusiasm; especially exquisite was his rendition of the adagio movement with its profound passion and depth of sadness. Eight times the dignified little man, faintly smiling at the shaking clamor of the house, bowed his thanks. Louder and louder grew the applause, finally forcing an encore.”

** 1917 – birth of Eleanor Aller {Slatkin} (New York City) d.1995
cellist, orchestra principal cellist, principal cellist of the Warner Brothers Orchestra, chamber musician, film and session musician
Her mother, Fannie Altschuler, was a pianist, and her father, Gregory, was a cellist. He came to the United States from Russia around the turn of the twentieth century with his brothers Joe and Simeon. Their original family name was Altschuler, but they changed the name to Aller when they came to America.

** 1932 – birth of Ricardo Roberto Francia (Buenos Aires, Argentina) d.2021
Argentine musician, cellist and musical arranger.

** 1973 – a seventieth birthday for Gregor Piatigorsky was celebrated by a Carnegie Hall (New York) concert at which eleven musicians performed. Piatigorsky performed with seven of his students (who were all outstanding young artists in their own right), the soprano Beverly Sills, and with the pianists John Browning and Charles Wadsworth

** 1973 – first performance of Gian Carlo Menotti – Suite for two cellos and piano
(New York)

** 1975 – first performance of David Diamond – Solo Cello Sonata

** 1975 – first performance of Werner Thärichen – Hommage aux Douze, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Philharmonie, Berlin)

** 1982 – cellist Anthony Ross, principal cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra, recorded live the Victoria Jagling – Solo Cello Suite (written the same year, as a compulsory piece for the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition). However, as a reel-to-reel tape, it has never been released commercially.

** 1987 – Demetri Motatu/cello and Sebastián Mariné/piano performed Jesús María Legido González – ‘Fantasia’ for cello and piano (1984) and ‘Confidencias’ for cello and piano in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio [note: the Fantasia is a second version of Elegíaca for viola and piano (1980)]
Paraninfo de la Universidad, Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain

** 1987 – Felipe Alfonso Temes Hinojosa/cello and Juan Padrosa/piano performed José María Usandizaga – ‘Fantasía’ for cello and piano, in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Iglesia Capuchinos, Renteria, Basque Country

** 1759 – birth of Nikolaus Paul Zmeskall (Leštiny, Hungary) d.1833
cellist & composer. Hungarian diplomat.

** 1897 – the ‘Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts’ (South London) included the soloists Mr Edward Lloyd (vocal) and Herr Robert Hausmann (cello) in the orchestral performance

** 1899 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Hugo Becker was cello soloist in D’Albert – Cello Concerto in C Major. Orchestral works of Beethoven and other music of D’Albert were also heard.
Conductor: Josef Hellmesberger Jnr. / Place: Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1915 – birth of Madalena Sá e Costa (Porto, Portugal) d.2022
cellist and noted professor (pupil of Suggia, Grümmer & Caslas, and teacher of important later Portuguese cellists)

** 1932 – cellist Gregor Piatigorsky performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Dvorak – Cello Concerto, Op.104. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1934 – in a chamber music concert at the Banbury and District Musical Society (England) a chamber recital was given by Isobel Baillie (vocal) and Thelma Reiss (cello).

** 1951- Arthur Troester was cello soloist with the Hamburg Radio Symphony, conducted by Dr. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt at the Free Trade Hall Inaugural Festival of Concerts, Manchester, England

** 1959 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier made a recording with violinist Dino Francescatti of the Brahms – Double Concerto, with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter, at the American Legion Hall, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

** 1966 – first performance of Bassett – Music for cello and piano
(California State University at Fresno, USA)

** 1970 – birth of Iagoba Fanlo (San Sebastián, Basque Country)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, professor (Madrid, Barcelona, masterclasses etc.), chamber musician

** 1976 – first performance of Iannis Xenakis – “Retours-Windungen”, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Bonn, Germany)

** 1998 – on the 19th, 20th and 21st of this month, cellist Carter Brey performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Thielemann), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1904 – Mr Herbert Withers was cello soloist in the first English performance of Fr. D’Erlanger – Andante Symphonique in D Major, Op.18 for Violoncello and Orchestra, at a London Proms concert. The programme also featured Miss Maria Philippi and Mr Harold Wilde (vocal), Mademoiselle Tosta de Benici (piano) and Mr Albert Fransella (flute), including the first English performances of Christian Sinding – Concerto in Db Major for Pianoforte and Orchestra. The Queen’s Hall Orchestra was conducted by Henry Wood.

** 1909 – on this day a performance took place at the Wigmore Hall, London, featuring Marie Soldat violin, Pablo Casals cello, and Leonard Borwick piano

** 1912 – birth of Giuseppe Gagliano (Palermo, Italy) d.1995
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer, pianist and conductor; professor in the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini de Bolonia

** 1917 – in the Klindworth-Scharwenka-Saal (Berlin), a recital was given by Paul Grümmer (cello) and Wanda Landowska (piano)

** 1931 – birth of Jules Louis Eskin (Philadelphia, USA) d.2016
cellist, orchestra principal cello. A member of the Bostin Symphony Orchestra from 1964 to 2016.

** 1955 – Pau Casals and Francesca Vidal married on this day in a most intimate ceremony – for, three months later she passed away. A Spanish police guard accompanied Casals from the Spanish-French border to Catalonia to lay her body alongside her mother, in Vendrell – and this was the last moment that Casals stepped on Spanish soil during his lifetime.

** 1960 – Joan Dickson was solo cellist in Hans Gal – Cello Concerto, Op.67, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Sidney Newman, at the Reid School of Music (Edinburgh). Also, in the programme were works of Brahms and Beethoven.

** 1961 – cellist Janos Starker performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev Symphony-Concerto for Cello, Op.125, with Erich Leinsdorf, conductor (October 19th and 20th)

** 1966 – the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist Paul Tortelier (cello), conducted by Walter Susskind, gave a performance in Oxford.

** 1982 – first performance of Sofia Gubaidulina – The Seven Words for cello, bayan and strings
(Moscow)

** 1987 – Faith Wilson (mezzo-soprano) and Olga Hegedus (cello) were soloists in the concert ‘A Celebration of Elgar’ with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donald Fraser.

** 1987 – on this date the premiere was heard of Charles Villiers Stanford’s Irish Rhapsody No.3 in D Major, Op.137. The music had remained unplayed with orchestra since its composition in 1912.

** 1991 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Joel Krosnick, with Gilbert Kalish /piano

** 1869 – birth of Georg Wille (Greiz, Germany) d.1958
cellist, principal cello of Gewandhaus Orchestra, principal cellist Dresden Opera Orchestra, Dresden court ‘concertmeister’ and professor of cello; member of Petri Quartet, member Anno Hilf Quartet of Leipzig. He played with Johannes Brahms and Arthur Rubinstein, amongst others.

** 1879 – birth of Kato van der Hoeven (Amsterdam)
cellist, woman cellist playing in the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

** 1942 – Eduard Rose was deported on this day by the Nazi regime to Weimar, Germany.
Died 24th January 1943, murdered in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, Bohemia, aged 83 – he was a brother-in-law of Mahler; a founder member of the Rose Quartet; cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; and principal cellist of the State Orchestra of Weimar

** 1950 – in the press on this date in history the big news was reporting on the ‘Mme. Suggia Memorial Concert’. The Times (London) reported it as:
“To memorialize the beloved artist upon her death in 1950, conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent and the London Symphony Orchestra gave a performance in her honor at the Royal Academy of Music. With the John portrait hanging in the entranceway, the orchestra performed a program that included the slow movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, a selection of Elgar’s Enigma Variations, and the slow movement Elgar’s cello concerto. A young Zara Nelsova played the solo part from within the cello section with the solo chair left empty in the center of the stage.”

** 1958 – on Sunday 20th September 1958 (8pm) Pau (Pablo) Casals, then very nearly 80 years old, performed J.S. Bach – First Suite in G Major, BWV 1007, at Beethoven House, Bonn.

** 1959 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert (today and yesterday), Emanuel Brabec was cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35 in an all-Richard Strauss programme. Conductor: Dimitri Mitropoulos / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1965 – Pierre Fournier finished recording today, with pianist Rudolf Firkusny, the two Brahms Cello Sonatas in Berlin (they had used several recording days of that week)

** 1983 – Danish cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson made a live performance recording of Niels Viggo Bentzon’s Cello Concerto No. 3 Op.444 (1981-1982) on this day, in Idrætshallen, Aabenraa.

** 1855 – birth of Heinrich Grünfeld (Prague) d.1931
cellist, court solo cellist {based Germany}

** 1888 – at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were ‘Nikita’, Madame Carlotta Recoschéwicz and Carl Formes (vocal), Hans Wessely (violin) and Monsieur E. Gillet (cello). This was billed as a ‘Mr Manns’s Benefit Concert’.

** 1901 – cello performance in London – Madame Kirkby Lunn with Mr Clyde Twelvetrees (cello)
unclear as to whether orchestral or chamber concert

** 1931 – birth of John Tseng-Hsin Hsu Shantou (China) d.2018
viol player, barytonist, cellist, and conductor – specialist in French baroque viol music and a professor of music at Cornell University {based in U.S.A.}

** 1932 – in the Saal Bechstein (Berlin) a programme titled “Cello-Abend” was given by Emanuel Feuermann.

** 1934 – birth of Jascha Silberstein {birth name: Hannes Bruno Willer} (Stettin, Germany, now Poland) d.2008
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello {based USA}

** 1956 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed on tour in Takarazuka (Takarazuka Theatre) with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102.

** 1962 – the premiere took place of Günter Bialas – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (composed the previous year) in Stuttgart, Germany.
Cellist ? The work was later published by Bärenreiter Kassel

** 1989 – on the 21st, 22nd and 25th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Herbig), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

Birthday Greetings ** birth of Gabriel Faur (Bucharest) / cellist, orchestral principal, soloist {based in Switzerland}

** 1698 – birth of Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù (Cremona, Italy) d.1744
expert luthier of string instruments {known as Guarneri del Gesù}

** 1812 – birth of Julius Schapler (Grandenz, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, opera principal cello, and composer

** 1895 – birth of Camillo Oblach (Padua, Italy) d.1954
cellist

** 1909 – Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Eugen Albert – Concerto for Cello in C Major, Op 20, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1936 – Florence Hooton was cello soloist, along with Frederick Grinke/violin and Dorothy Manley/piano (The Grinke Trio), in Paul Juon – Episodes concertantes, Op 45, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1940 – the “Paris-Soir” (n° 61, 6th edition, 08/21/1940”) reported that Adele Clement, the French cellist, was giving concerts in China and Japan, maybe even in Hanoi as the details on her suitcase suggested. This would appear to be very dangerous given the raging world war, but it is known that she knew that part of the world; she had previously toured there in 1924, and probably on other occasions as well….
This is the very last mention of her made in the press, a formerly most important French cellist who tended to attract attention in her younger career, although she was to live to the late 1950s.…

** 1957 – Erling Blöndal Bengtsson was cello soloist in William Walton – Cello Concerto {Proms premiere}, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent {Prom Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London}

** 1989 – birth of Cremaine Booker {aka ‘That Cello Guy’} (Texas, U.S.A.)
cellist, social media artist, orchestra principal cello

** 1992 – Erkki Rautio, cellist, performed (the probable premiere?) the Charles Camilleri Cello Concerto (written 1992), with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä.  In Finlandia Hall, as part of the Helsinki Festival.

** 1827 – at a Private Concert, in Birmingham (England) an unusual concert programme featured Madame Puzzi and Mr Phillips (vocal), with Signor Puzzi (horn), Mr W. Lindley (cello) and Mr Mori (violin).

** 1861 – birth of Otto Köhler (Neuhaldensleben, Mereseberg, Germany)
cellist, orchestral principal cello in Neustrelitz.

** 1904 – Richard Strauss accompanied cellist Carl Fuchs, in a performance of his Cello Sonata in F Major, Op.6
(Manchester, Great Britain)

** 1913 – cellist Francesca Vidal Puig, by now a real specialist in the piano trio repertoire, gave a concert in the Sala Granados (Barcelona) with Perelló and Granados performing trios by Beethoven and Schubert.

** 1914 – birth of Francesc {‘Gabby’} Gabarró Solé (Verdú, Urgell, Catalonia) d.1990
cellist and trombonist, member London Symphony Orchestra  (1949-54), Hirsch String Quartet, Trio Virtuosi, Philharmonia Orchestra, The Alan Drew Otchestra, The Freddie Alexander Cello Orchestra, Ther London Jazz Chamber Group, The Patrick Halling String Quartet, Bill Le Stage Directions in Jazz Unit. He collaborated as cellist in the recording of the Beatles song “Yesterday”

** 1919 – birth of Nelson Ripley Cooke (Bellbird, New South Wales, Australia) d.2018
cellist, orchestral principal cello London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Pholharmonic Orchestra, Florida Orchestra; head of Strings Canberra School of Music, Australia {largely based England}

** 1921 – birth of Joan Dickson (Edinburgh) d.1994)
cellist, chamber musician & professor

** 1931 – birth of David Nathaniel Baker Jr. (Indianapolis, USA) d.2016
jazz composer, conductor, trombonist & cellist

** 1939 – on this day a famous recording was made! Jascha Heifetz and Emanuel Feuermann were soloists in the Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy. Incredibly, everything was made and set down in a little over two hours, yet it has been in the RCA catalogue for over eighty years!

** 1946 – birth of Étienne Péclard (Deux-Sèvres, France)
cellist, orchestra principal cello

** 1963 – on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the Couperin – Pièces en Concert (version Bazelaire) with the Lucerne Festival Strings, conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner (the other recording day was the previous day)

** 1963 – first performance of Khachaturian – Cello Concerto-Rhapsody
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich, with London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Hurst (London Royal Festival Hall)

** 1974 – Benjamin Britten composed his Third Suite for Cello Solo in a very short space of time; he started composing on the 23rd February 1971, and had finished the entire composition by 3rd March. This may well come as a welcome relief, because he was rather ill, and with handicap and depression. The music was a present for the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who had hoped to have given the world premiere at the Aldburgh Festival that summer, before the cellist was faced by censorship by the Russian government and the impossibility of leaving Russia at that moment. Therefore, the first performance was delayed until 21st December 1974, when finally he could perform it at the ‘Snape Maltings’ centre, close by Aldburgh.

** 1982 – Pedro Corostola/cello and Manuel Carra/piano recorded Antón Larrauri Riego – Soiñua, for cello and piano for Spanish National Radio [the work is also possible for cello and orchestra, tenor and orchestra, and tenor and piano]
Estudio Música I, Madrid

** 1984 – Release date (premiere screened in U.S.A.) of the film “Micki and Maude”
directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore, Amy Irving, Ann Reinking, Richard Mulligan, George Gaynes & Wallace Shawn
Micki & Maude is a 1984 American comedy film. Rob (Dudley Moore) interviews a young cellist, Maude Guillory (Amy Irving). He is smitten with her and begins a relationship with her. Rob prepares to confess to Micki and get a divorce. The film ends with the women pursuing their careers: Micki as a judge presiding in a courtroom, Maude playing cello in a symphony orchestra. Amy Irving took cello lessons for the film and learned cello to a passable degree!

** 1795 – birth of Francisco Manuel da Silva (Rio de Janeiro) d.1865
songwriter, teacher, singer & cellist {writer of the Brazilian national anthem}

** 1854 – The publishing of Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto took place amidst dramatic circumstances just when Schumann’s mental instability erupted for the final time. The very night when he started having auditory hallucinations, he tried to calm the voices in his head by burying himself in the proof-reading of the Cello Concerto; and he did indeed finish it and sent it off on the 21st February 1854. Disaster was to strike – just six days later he threw himself in the Rhine from Düsseldorf. It therefore may be said that while the Concerto was not the absolute last piece he wrote (that honour seems to go to an Andante and Variations for 2 pianos, 2 cellos and french horn!) it is certainly one of the very last he was able to see all the way to its publication.

** 1857 – at a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Karl Schlesinger was cello soloist in the Beethoven – Triple Concerto (with Josef Hellmesberger Jnr., and Julius Epstein – piano). Orchestral works of Schubert, Berlioz and Mozart were also heard.
Conductor: Otto Dessof / Vienna Court Opera, Vienna, Austria

** 1891 – birth of Teodoro Kotzarew (Hunsach, Dagestán, Caucaus región of old U.S.S.R.) d.1991
cellist, orchestra principal cello, professor {later based in Argentina}

** 1906 – the first reviews of cellist Serge Barjansky (but he should not be confused with Alexander Barjansky!) are to be found on reporting his debut concert on this day:
in the ‘Neue Zeitschrift für Musik’ on 21st February we could read “A young pupil of Klengel’s, the Eussian Serge Narjansky, made his debut on 17 February very happily in front of the Leipzig aydience ….natural-fesh grasp, genuine musical temperament, earmth of feeling and an already highly developed technique, the good geniuses have laid at his feet…one had to be grateful to him for his acquaintance with the cello concertos of Davidov and Lalo”
And on 22nd February 1906 in the ‘Musikalisches Wochenblatt’ the critic Paul Merkel wrote: “The artist, who possesses an excellent bowing technique, praiseworthy dexterity and an easily movable temperament, played the A minor concerto for violoncello by Ch. Davidoff and the D Minor concerto by E. Lalo, as well as the Notturno in D Major and Variations in A minor by Julius Klengel….his tone formation and tone treatment are very promising”

** 1920 – first performance of Delius – Double Concerto in A minor (1915)
soloists May Harrison/violin and Beatrice Harrison/cello, conducted by Henry Wood (London – Queen’s Hall)

** 1920 – Guilhermina Suggia was solo cellist in Dvorak – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey, at the McEwan Hall (Edinburgh). She also performed J.S. Bach – Solo Suite No.6 in D Major.

** 1925 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra “Ravag Concert”, Walter Klenecke performed Monn – Cello Concerto in G minor. Music of Michael Haydn, Wolf, Bittner, Korngold and Schmidt was also heard. Conductor: Rudolf Nilius

** 1951 – cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (21st and 22nd February), conducted by Josef Krips

** 1956 – birth of Richard John Campbell (London) d.2011
cellist, viola da gamba, early music specialist

** 1957 – on this day in 1957 in Tübingen, the cellist Günther Johannes Paetsch (then 28 years old) met the young 26-year-old American violinist Priscilla McClure Johnson, who was on a world tour at the time, and they fell in love!

** 1958 – a recital at Queensbury Place, South Kensington (London) was given by Amaryllis Fleming (cello) and Margaret Kitchen (piano), entitled ‘Musiciens Anglais et Francais d’Aujourd’hui’ and included the first performance of Searle – Suite, Op.29.

** 1960 – in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Ana Drittelle, with Anthony Makas /piano

** 1961 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed in Paris (Théatre des Champs-Elysées, Paris), with cellist Pierre Fournier as soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan

** 1965 – Lynn Harrell gave an ample recital for The Violoncello Society of New York (at New York Town Hall), performing: Francoeur – Sonata in E Major, Schumann – Fantasy Pieces Op.73, Beethoven – Sonata in A Major, Op.69, Koch – Sonata for Cello and Piano, and Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme. He was accompanied on the piano by Brooks Smith

** 1967 – birth of Michael Sanderling (Berlin)
conductor, cellist & teacher

** 1987 – on the 19th, 20th, 21st and 24th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Shostakovich and Penderecki), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1766 – birth of Vincent Houška {Hauschka} (Mies, Bohemia) d.1840
cellist, Kapell orchestra musician, mandolin player & composer

** 1786 – Luigi Boccherini is appointed chamber composer to Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.

** 1847 – on this day Joseph Moralt (born in 1775) makes a ‘belated’ debut as a cello soloist in the Gewandhaus Concerts on Leipzig

** 1892 – birth of Ernst Cohn (Cologne, Germany)
cellist, trombonist & banjo (light music) {Nazi holocaust victim}

** 1905 – on this day Guillherminia Suggia was invited soloist at the Curtius Concert Club – she was said to have given a ‘brilliant’ rendering of Dvorak’s (then new) Cello Concerto, and also performed the Piatti Tarantella, Svendsen – Romance, and Victor Herbert’s Serenade [Alfred Curtius, was a German-British classical music impresario who was active primarily in continental Europe and the United Kingdom from the 1870s until the 1910s]

** 1911 – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Herbert – Cello Concerto No.2, in E minor, Op.30, on today’s date with the cello soloist Boris Hambourg

** 1918 – birth of Antonio Janigro (Mila, Italy) d.1989
cellist & conductor
Antonio Janigro was a renowned Italian cellist, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Milan. He began his career as a cello virtuoso, studied under figures like Pablo Casals, and later developed a distinguished second career as a conductor. A significant portion of his career was spent in Zagreb, where he founded the chamber orchestra I Solisti di Zagreb and influenced a generation of cellists.

** 1940 – cellist Emanuel Feuermann performed Reicha – Concerto in A Major, Op.4 No.1, with the National Orchestral Association, conducted by Leon Barzin

** 1949 first performance of Rawsthorne – Cello Sonata in C Major
Anthony Pini/cello and Wilfred Parry/piano (Wigmore Hall, London)

** 1951 – on the 14th and 21st January of this year, Mstislav Rostropovich gave his first ever performances of the complete six cello suites of J.S. Bach. These were important occasions, taking place in the Small Hall at the Moscow Conservatory.

** 1957 – Ernest Bloch completed writing his Suite for Solo Cello No.3

** 1979 – cellist Ulla Rönnborg had already given the premiere of Erik Højsgaard’s Concerto for cello and orchestra in 1976 in Aarhus, Denmark, but on 21st January 1979 cellist Gerhard Hamann gave the first performance of the revised version at the Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, with the Danish Radio Sinfonietta (Danish Radio Concert Orchestra) conducted by Michael Schønwandt. The composer has spent over a year in making his definitive version.

** 1982 – birth of Silver Ainomäe (Estonia)
cellist, orchestral principal cello (Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and Guest Principal with Concertgebouw Orchestra); based in the U.S.A.

** 1986 – Andrés Ruiz/cello and Gonzalo Moreno/piano recorded for Spanish National Radio the work: Emilio Molina Fernández – ‘Oh Tempora’ for cello and piano
Casa de la Radio, Madrid

** 1987 – cellist Antonio Meneses performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in C Major. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (21st, 22nd and 23rd January), conducted by Herbert Bychkov

** 1847 – birth of Victor (Alexander Marie) Mirecki Larramat (Tarbes, France) d.1921
cellist, chamber music & professor {based Spain}

** 1848 – birth of Domenici Tescari (Vicenzo, Italy)
cellist, cello teacher at the Instituto Musicale of Genoa & composer {later based in the U.S.A.}

** 1867 – an interesting review appeared on today’s date, detailed as ‘London Music Halls’ Era (London); interesting because later in his career the same performer was famed for doing exactly the opposite!  It said:
“The concert introduced a very young, but very good, violoncellist, Herr Auguste Van Biene. He plays very smoothly, and with thoroughly unaffected expression.”

** 1899 – birth of Ernest Miller Hemingway (Oak Park, Illinois, USA) d.1961
writer & amateur cellist

** 1935 – birth of Pierre Cullaz (Paris, France) d.2014
Musician and arranger, playing both cello and guitar. He also taught at the CIM of Paris, and wrote a treatise ‘Methode de Guitare’.

** 1938 – In his letter to the Ministry of Education of July 21, 1938 Austrian principal cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra until March of this year, Friedrich Buxbaum, requested that his pension entitlement (after 38 years’ service as a Jewish cellist) be cumulated (“Kumulierung”) as long as it was not paid out and he was still receiving a salary due to his position as professor at the State Academy (i.e. till September 1st, 1938). He was hoping to be granted an exemption from the prohibition of cumulation (“Kumulierungsverbot“), basing his arguments on his medical condition and even sending a medical certificate annexed to the letter. Since ‘leaving’ the country was illegal unless the emigrant was ready to pay a large amount of money, Buxbaum probably also attempted to raise the sum required for his departure. The response Buxbaum received consisted in an outright denial of his request and furthermore, was backed up by anti-Semitic arguments.

** 1943 – first performance of Marrhijs Vermeulen – Cello Sonata No.2 (written 1927/1938)
performed by Paul Tortelier & Lia Pala (Paris)

** 1962 – Marlboro Music Festival – performance of Mendelssohn – Cello Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 45, featuring the cellist David Soyer and Ruth Laredo, Piano
(Marlboro, Vermont, U.S.A.)

** 1990 – this day marked the 70th birthday of famed violinist Isaac Stern, and to mark the occasion in a decidedly unique way, cellist Mstistav Rostropovich secretly had a tutu made for him – complete with ballet shoes of his ‘43’! At the precise moment he was made up, donned a tiara and appeared to play ‘The Swan’ from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns – luckily this magic and humorous moment was captured on photo!