DIRECTORIO / BIBLIOTECA DE VIOLONCELLISTAS HISTORICOS  FAMOSOS

Apellidos empezando con B

** Lorenzo Balbi
???? - ????
(Italy)
Important Activity:
Cellist and composer active at beginning of 18th century

** Amadeo Baldovino
1916 - 1998
Egypt (of Italian family)
Important Activity:
While still a teenager, he played with such major orchestras as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Czech Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Trio Italiano d'Archi .  Trio de Trieste.  Professor  Rome Conservatory and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome
Anecdotes:
* teacher of Raphael Wallfisch
INFORMATION  BY  TERRY KING

** George Barati
1913 – 1996
Hungary (later USA)
Important Activity:
Member Budapest Concert Orchestra. Pro Ideale Quartet. Principal cello Budapest Symphony and the Budapest Municipal Opera Orchestra. Member San Francisco Symphony. California String Quartet. Founding conductor of the Barati Chamber Orchestra of San Francisco. Music director of the Honolulu Symphony and Opera. Executive director of the Villa Montalvo Center for the Arts and conductor of the Villa Montalvo Chamber Orchestra in Saratoga, California. Music director of the Santa Cruz County Symphony.
A distinguished cellist, conductor, and composer.  Wrote a Fantasie for Four Cellos.

** Sir John Barbirolli (born Giovanni Battista Barbirolli)
1899 – 1970
Italy (later Britain, USA)
Important Activity:
First came to London to study as a cellist (Trinity College of Music and Royal Academy of Music). He then played cello in the London Symphony Orchestra – indeed present at the premiere of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Later he developed an amazing conducting career – Covent Garden Opera, Hallé Orchestra, Manchester (for nearly 30 years), New York Philharmonic, Houston symphony Orchestra etc.

** Alexander Barjansky
1883 – 1961
Russia
Important Activity:
Soloist.
Premieres:
Delius – Cello Concerto (perf. 1923),
Bloch – Suite for Cello and Piano (trans. from viola)
Dedications:  
Bloch – Schelomo
Special friendships:  Ernest Bloch

** Camillo Barni
1762 – 1840
Italy (later France)
Important Activity:
Principal cello Milam Opera Orchestra. Member Paris Italian Opera Orchestra.
Music/Publications:  
Some own original compositions, including a cello concerto.  A number of his works were published in Paris between 1804 and 1809.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of grandfather David Ronchetti and Guiseppe Gadgi.
* Esteemed as a skilful player.

** (Alfred) Mathieu Barraine
1870 - ????
France
Important Activity: 
Co-principal cello Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra (1901)

** Jean-Baptiste Barrière
1707 (1705?) – 1747
France
Important Activity:
Member Academie Royale de Musique (Opera). Patronage by King Louis XV
Music/Publications:  
Many own original works
Anecdotes:
* one of the co-founders of the ‘French’ school of cello playing.

** Alexandre Batta
1816 – 1900? 1902?
Belgium (later France)
Important Activity:
cellist & composer
Music/Publications:  
Own original works
Anecdotes:
* Son of Pierre Batta.
* Studied with Platel at Brussels Conservatoire.

** Pierre Batta
1795 – 1876
Belgium
Important Activity:
Professor Brussels Conservatoire
Anecdotes :
* Father of Alexandre Batta

** Felix Battanchon
1814 - 1893
France
Important Activity:
Member Paris Grand Opera Orchestra.
Music/Publications:   
Own original works.
Anecdotes:
* Student Paris Conservatoire.
* He unsuccessfully endeavoured to bring into favour a small kind of 'cello which he called Baryton.

** Charles Nicolas Baudiot
1773 – 1849
France
Important Activity:
Member of the Court Chapel (Paris), Principal cello Opera Orchestra (Paris).  Professor Paris conservatoire.
Music/Publications:   
Own original pieces, and a Cello method
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Janson.

** Carl/Christian (Friedrich) Bauersachs
1767 – 1845
Germany
Important Activity:
Played cello and basset horn, with a good reputation. Many concerts as a touring artist, but did not succeed in gaining a good permanent post.
Anecdotes:
* Finally, left the cello – to become a miner !

** Jörg Baumann
1940 – 1995
Germany
Important Activity:
Principal cello Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (1976-95).  Philharmonic Duo (Jörg Baumann and Klaus Stoll).
Anecdotes:
* was a firm favourite of Herbert von Karajan.
* a late recording of the 6 suites of Bach - very natural (almost rustic), not following the usually more  romantic interpretations from the 1980's.

** Johann Baptist Baumgarten
1723 – 1782
Germany
Important Activity:
cellist & composer
Music/Publications:  
Own original works, including various cello concertos. Also a cello method.

** Paul Bazelaire
1886 – 1958
France
Important Activity:
Professor Paris Conservatoire. Founder of Ensemble of 50 cellists.
Premieres:   
Maurice Emmanuel – Cello Sonata (1921). 
Music:  
Many own original pieces and arrangements, plus several cello methods.
Friendships: 
Pau Casals
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Jules Delsart.
* teacher of Pierre Fournier.
* was largely considered to be the finest exponent of the Saint-Saens Cello sonatas.
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Hugo Becker
1864-1941
Germany 
Important Activity:
Principal cello Frankfurt Opera Orchestra, Professor Frankfurt Hochschule, Heermann String Quartet, Trio with Busoni and Ysaÿe, Trio with Schnabel and Flesch, Professor Royal Academy of Stockholm, Professor Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin.
Premieres:  
Dohnanyi – Konzertstucke (also dedicatee).  
Reger – Sonata in F Major, Op. 78  (Becker gave 2nd performance of the work, with the composer at piano).  
Dedications: 
Reger – Suite No.2 in D minor, for solo cello. 
Piatti – Cello Sonata No.1 in C Major, Op.28
Robert Kahn – Cello Sonata, Op.56 (1911) 
De Lange - Cello Sonata No.2
Music/Publications:  
Own original works and studies, plus important treatise
Special friendships:  
Brahms, Clara Schumann, Joachim, Reger, R. Strauss
Anecdotes:
* Students included Grummer, Schuster, Piatigirsky and Harrison
* In the introduction to his Bach Suites edition Becker wrote: “The editor has not included the notorious errors contained in the so-called ‘original’ written by Bach’s wife”
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Jean Bedetti
1883 – 1973
France, later U.S.A.
Important Activity:
Principal cello Boston Symphony Orchestra (from 1919 – c.1945) 
Anecdotes:
* described by his students as an emotional player.
* had a couple of bad encounters with conductor Koussevitsky …

** George Bekefi
1922 – 1963
Hungary (later based U.S.A.)
Important Activity:
Assistant principal cello Chicago Symphony Orchestra (a member 1957-1963). Trio ‘Tre Corda Trip’.
Dedications: 
His friend Janos Starker wrote for him “An Organized method of String Playing” (to help him on problems of ‘nerves’)
Anecdotes:
* he gave many performances across all of North and South America.
* an early death (41 years old) cut off an artistic career

** Petrus Rudolf Bekker
1828 – 1873
Holland
Important Activity:
Professor in Utrecht. Granted the title of solo Violoncellist by the King of Holland.
Great promise cut off by an early death …

** Domenica della Bella
???? - ????
Italy
Important Activity:
cellist & composer
Music/Publications:  
Own original compositions (publ. In Venice 12 sonatas for two violins and cello)

** Richard Bellmann
1844 – c.1900
Important Activity:
Principal cello Grand Ducal Kapelle Schwerin, and shortly with title ‘chamber virtuoso’. Heckmann String Quartet.
Anecdotes: 
* Pupil of Kummer and Fr. Grutzmacherin Dresden.

**?.  Benazet
???? - ????
France
Important Activity:
cellist
Anecdotes:  
* Referred to as excellent French cellist; performed as soloist in 1823 at the ‘Societe Philharmonique’  (Paris).

** Friedrich Ernst Beneke
???? - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Employed Hannover Elector's Court and Chamber Music Society.
Anecdotes:
* Brother of Philipp Friedrich, and in same employment !
* Concert tour with Louis Spohr c. 1804.

** Philipp Friedrich Beneke
???? - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Employed Hannover Elector's Court and Chamber Music Society.
Anecdotes:
* Brother of Friedrich Ernst, and in same employment !

** Umberto (Giuseppe Giovanni) Benedetti
1886 – 1964
Italy
Important Activity:
Principal cello Monte Carlo Orchestra.
* was awarded first cello prize at Paris conservatoire in 1906.

** Willem van den Berg
1886 – 1970 (? dates unsure)
Holland (later USA)
Important Activity:
Principal cello Philadelphia Orchestra. Principal cello San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Principal cello Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. American Chamber Players (with Ingolf Dahl, Milton Thomas, and his wife Doroithy Wade). Guarnerius Quartet.
Music/Publications:  
wrote cello training pieces – “67 etudes on the Beethoven Quartets” !
Anecdotes:
* for 9 years principal cello in Philadelphia.

** Otakar Berger
1873 – 1897
Czech
Important Activity:
Founder Czech String Quartet.
Anecdotes:
* Studied with Hegenbarth and Wihan. A student of Dvorak in composition
* pupil and great friend of Hans Wihan. Wihan helped him form the Czech String Quartet. He did not play with them at first, but instilled in them his own ideas and managed their appearances. In 1892 the name Czech String Quartet was adopted. Wihan filled the void when Otakar Berger fell ill in 1893 and joined the ensemble permanently after Berger's death in 1897.

** Christian Bernhard
1673 – 1751
Germany
Important Activity:
Cellist and court musician, Berlin. Service of Chapel Margrave Christian, Cöthen.

** Martin Berteau      Founder of the French cello school
1709 — 1771
France
Important Activity:
Important teacher, and also composer
Music/Publications:   own original music, including 4 cello concertos, and sonatas
Anecdotes:
* from Valenciennes
* Said to have abandoned the viola da gamba after having heard the cellist Francischiello, for the good fortune of future generations of cellists !
* was the teacher of Cupis, Tilliere, Ernest A. Janson and Jean-Pierre Duport
INFORMATION BY DOROTA PUKOWNIK

** Agustín Bethancourt Mendoza
1826 – 1885
Spain (Canary Islands), later Venezuela
Important Activity:
Physician, amateur orchestral conductor and cellist who helped develop the cultural life in Venezuela. Haydn, Schubert, Mozart and Pleyel were introduced to the native population!

** Dominique Bideau
???? - ????
France (?)
Important Activity:
cellist & pedagogue
Music/Publications:  
published an esteemed method for the violoncello, and some other instrumental works, since the year 1796.

**?.  Biedel
???? - ???? (at least 1740)
Important Activity:
Instructor of the Emperor Peter II (St. Petersburg). Member Russian Court Band.
Anecdotes:
* Also a fencing expert – instruction to Emperor included both cello and fencing !

** August Bieler
1863 - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Principal cello Sonderhausen Orchestra. Professor Sonderhausen Conservatoire.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Sebastian Lee. 
* Bielerwas  described as a distinguished cellist, experienced as a quartet player.

** Auguste Van Biene     the ‘Magician of the cello’
1850 - 1913
Holland (later Britain)
Important Activity:
Member Rotterdam Opera Orchestra.  Royal Opera Orchestra, London (later Principal cello). Principal cello Gaiety Theatre Orchestra, London. Later conductor and theatrical management.
Music:  
produced own ‘music hall’ compositions, which he successfully staged.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Servais (at Brussels conservatoire).
* Found playing (busking) in streets of London by Michael Costa – conductor of Royal Opera Orchestra, and soon after was playing in the orchestra !
* The most successful show he produced – ‘The Broken melody – passed over 6000 performances.
* known as the "Magician of the Cello" for the fullest  emotion he put into his concerts
* a great sense of humour.  Also he was quite possibly the first cellist ever to make a cellist recording …
* High credit should be given to Dr. Brenda Scott, of the Music Dept. of Duke University (U.S.A.)  for her  most impressive investigative work on this artist today

** Julius Bietz
1812 – 1877
Germany
Important Activity:
Member Royal Stadt-Theatre Berlin (aged 16 !). Assistant-director (to Mendelssohn) at the Dusseldorf Theatre, later opera conductor. Kapellmeister at Leipzig Theatre. Later life dedicated to conducting and artistic direction.
Music/Publications:  
Own original works, including 2 cello concertos.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Ganz and Romberg.

** Henri Billet
???? - ????
France
Important Activity:
'Premier violoncelle de la musique privée de l'Empereur de Russie'
* made a tour of Canada in 1842
INFORMATION BY THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

** Heinrich August Birnbach
1782 – 1840
Germany (later Austria)
Important Activity:
Member Vienna Opera Orchestra.  Member Count Lubomirski’s Private Orchestra in Galicia. Principal cello Orchestra of Pesth.  Patronage Hofkapelle at Berlin.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Anton Kraft. 
* Also a guitarist, and seriously experimented with the “Chitarra coll’ arco” invented by a certain Stauffer – Birnbach wrote a concerto for it, and played it publicly.

** Edward (Russell) Bisha
1927 – 1991
U.S.A., later Canada
Important Activity:
Member American Chamber Orchestra. Member of the ‘Harp Trio’ (New York). Principal cello Halifax Symphony Orchestra. Member Halifax Trio (later renamed Brandon University Trio). Professor Brandon University, and at the University of Saskatchewan. Cellist Amati String Quartet, and Canadian Arts Trio.  Member National Arts Centre Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, and the CJRT Orchestra.
Anecdotes:
* studied with Felix Salmond, Bernard Greenhouse and Janos Starker.
* won the Piatigorsky award in 1949
INFORMATION  BY  THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Johann Christoph Bischoff
1748 - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Principal cello Hofkapelle, Dessau. 
Anecdotes:
* Described as a very fair cellist.

** Peter Bitter 
1760 - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Cellist and conductor. Direction of Opera at the theatre of Mannheim.

** Charles Henri Blainville
1711 – 1769
France
Important Activity:
Maitre de Musique in Paris.
Music/Publications:  
Own original works, including 2 symphonies (but no cello repertoire).
Anecdotes:
* Gave musical tuition to the Marquise de Villeroy.

** Boris Blinder
1898 – 1987
Russia/Ukraine   (later USA)
Important Activity:
Principal cello San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. San Francisco String Quartet.
Principal cello post in San Francisco lasted more than 20 years.

** Julien Paul Blitz 
1885 - 1951
Belgium    (later USA)
Important Activity:
cellist in the Kursaal Orchestra in Ostend. In 1913, Blitz founded and became the first music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. 1917 - 1922 conductor of the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra. Director of the Chaminade Choral Society (San Antonio). Head of the music department at Texas Technological College (later Texas Tech University) in Lubbock. guest cellist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Anecdotes:
* he was the son of violinist and martinist Edouard E. Blitz (1860–1915) and pianist Mattie Louise Miller (1865–1904). He moved to the United States with his family at the age of two.
* he later returned to Belgium at the Ghent Conservatory, where he studied with Paul-Henri-Joseph Lebrun, Joseph Lampens, Joseph Jacobs, Leon Rinskoph, and Edouard Jacobs.
* he had one child, Edouard Marquis Blitz, also an important cellist, who became the assistant principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony.

** Luigi Boccherini  
1743 — 1805
Italy (later Prussia, Spain) 
Important Activity:
Composer - Cellist
Royal Patronage from The Emperor of Prussia, patronage from the Ambassador of the République Français in Madrid.
Music/Publications:  
Many own original works, prolific composer. Many tens of quintets and quartets. Numerous cello concertos and cello sonatas.
Anecdotes:
* When he left Italy he first tried to establish himself in Paris, where the critics spoke of his somewhat ‘harsh’ tone – however, to the contrary, in later years he prided himself in lightly bowed, ornamented rococo style cello writing!
* Towards the end of his life he found it very difficult to maintain regular aristocratic patronage. He died in great poverty. 

** Martin Bochmann
1914 – 1983
Germany (later Turkey and Britain)
Important Activity:
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 Reading University.
Anecdotes:
* Was one of the last students of Hugo Becker.
* Father to violinist Michael and composer Christopher. 
* Influential teacher of David Johnstone.

** Ferdinand Bockmann
1843 – 1913
Important Activity:
Principal cellist of the Dresden Court Orchestra.
Dedications:
Strauss - the shortened version of the Romance with piano accompaniment.
Music/Publications:  
Bockmann made many editions of old music. 
Anecdotes:
* Pupil Sebastian Lee, Magnus Klitz and Kummer.   
* Bockmann played Strauss – Cello sonata with the composer at piano.

** Robert Emil Bockmuhl
1822 – 1891
Germany
Important Activity:
cellist, arranger & composer
Dedications:
Popper - Sarabande and Gavotte, Op.10 (early 1870s)
Music/Publications:
Prolific output of own original works for cello. His studies (in 5 volumes) were incorporated into the programmes of the Brussels and Munich Conservatoires. 
Anecdotes:
* A competent soloist, he lived in Dusseldorf - Schumann (also based there) sought his advice (on technical questions) when writing his Cello concerto (however, he gave ‘excuses’ as to why he could not rehearse/perform the work!).

** Carl Leopold Boehm
1806 – c.1859
Germany
Important Activity:
A court musician to the Prince of Fiirstenburg. Strasburg Theatre Orchestra. Prince of Fiirstenburg private Orchestra.
Music/Publications:   Own original compositions, including a cello concerto.

** Emel Boerngen
1845 - ????
Germany
Important Activity:
Principal cello Theatre Orchestra Helsingfors. Principal cello Strasburg Theatre Orchestra. Mozarteum Salzburg. Professor Royal Music School at Wurzburg.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Fr. Grutzmacher.

** Maxmilian  (Max) Bohrer
1785 – 1867
Germany
Important Activity:
Member Bavarian court Orchestra. Principal cello Stuttgart Orchestra. Duo with brother Anthony Bohrer. Bohrer Quartet (this group premiered the late-Beethoven String Quartets in Paris in the 1830’s). Important tours of St. Petersburg, Italy, America, Northern European countries.
Friendships:
Berlioz
Music/Publications: 
Own original works, including virtuoso pieces.
Anecdotes:
* A pupil of Schwarz. 
* Brother of Anthony Bohrer (violinist who studied with Kreutzer) – they made regular, and long tours, as a violin-cello duo.  Max wrote jointly with brother a double concerto.
* Lost a great deal of his power of execution in later years
* Teacher of Julius Griebel.
* acclaimed in Europe as a cellist, and was very popular in Vienna in the 1820s. Music admirers used to say that Romberg played for immortality, whilst Borer played for the drawing-room.

** Ennio Bolognini 
1893 – 1979
Argentina (later USA)
Important Activity:
Principal cello Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Founder Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra.
Friendships: 
Casals, Feuermann.
Anecdotes:  
* with Saint-Saens (played The Swan with composer), Strauss (played Sonata with composer). 
* Bolognini's cello is now at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. It is unique, in that there are 51 signatures inscribed on it, including those of Kreisler, Heiftz, Stern, Szigeti, Liberace, Jack Dempsey, Bruno Walter, Janos Starker, Eugene Ormandy, Miklos Rozsa, etc. Everywhere he went, he asked his friends to sign his cello.

** Henry William Bonner
1807 - ????
England
Important Activity:
cellist with the London Philharmonic Concerts in performances in the 1840s.

** Giovanni Maria  Bononcini   ‘Buononcini’
1642 – 1678 
Italy (later Austria)
Important Activity:
Cellist Imperial Kapelle (Vienna). Later involved in Operatic productions in Vienna.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of father, then Colonna (Bologna).

** Arturo Bonucci
1894 – 1964
Italy
Important Activity:
Professor Bologna Conservatoire.  Professor Academia Chigiana d  Sienna.  Professor Santa Cecila Academy, Rome. 
Solo work in Italy and abroad. Active chamber music artist.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Serato in Bologna.
INFORMATION BY CARLOS FRUTUOSO

** Alexander Porfir’yevich Borodin
1833 – 1887
Russia
Important Activity:
As a youth he developed parallel interests in music and chemistry, teaching himself the cello and qualifying in medicine (1856).  In 1862 he became lecturer at the Medico Surgical Academy in St. Petersburg. However, chiefly known today as an important Russian romantic composer.

** Valentino Bortoja
c.1760 - 1818
Italy
Important Activity:
Second cellist (sub-principal) to Anton Kraft in Esterhazy Orchestra (occasionally playing soloist) in 1780’s. Later worked in Venice.
Anecdotes:
* Brother of a professional cellist.

** Hendrik (Henri) Bosmans
Holland
???? – 1894
Important Activity:
 (Sub-orincipal cello?) ‘Orchestre of Paleis voor Volksvlijt’ in Amsterdam. Co-founder of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Principal cellist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Trio with violinist Willem Kes, wife Sara Benedicts on piano and Henri at the cello. 
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of J.Giese at the Royal Conservatory at The Hague.
* Back in 1884, Henri got to know the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Together they played his Cello Sonata op.36 
* he had a great love for chamber music generally
* he died of tuberculosis before his daughter Henriëtte (important Dutch composer) was a year old. 

** Hans Bottermund
1892 - 1949
Germany
Important Activity:
Principal cello (Berlin Philharmonic), professor in Frankfurt
Anecdotes:
* studied with Klengel, Becker & Schröder
* Had significant problems on being half-Jewish during the Nazi era (Furtwängler tried to stand up for him).
* he played a Guarneri , which was stored in Denmark during World War II on account for being married to a Danish lady, which finally became in her possession after Bottermund’s death in 1949

** Anton Johannes Bouman
1855 – 1906
Germany
Important Activity:
Cellist and composer

** (Joseph Charles) Rosario Bourdon
1885 - 1961
Canada, later U.S.A.
Important Activity:
Conductor, cellist, arranger, composer, record company executive.  Member 1901-3 of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (1901-03).  Member Philadelphia Orchestra (1904-08).  Member St Paul Symphony Orchestra (Minnesota) as cellist and assistant conductor.  Victor Talking Machine Co (the company’s house cellist). Music director for Victor, sharing the position with Joseph Pasternak. Conductor Victor Concert Band, the Victor Salon and Symphony Orchestras, Sousa's Band.
Music/Publications:
Own works, generally of lighter style, but including a ‘Poeme Elegiaque’ for cello and orchestra (premiered in 1943).
Anecdotes:
* At nine he began to study the cello with J-B. Dubois (later to become his stepfather).
* played cello obbligatos on records made by such singers as Frances Alda, Enrico Caruso (1917, Sancta Maria by Jean-Baptiste Faure), Mabel Garrison, John McCormack, and Alma Gluck
* performed piano accompaniments for many Victor artists including his fellow cellist Victor Herbert.
* a pioneering conductor for the cinema, and participated in the production of Mickey Mouse and Laurel and Hardy films.
INFORMATION BY THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

** Gaetano Braga
1829 – 1907
Italy
Important Activity:
Mayseder String Quartet.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil Naples conservatoire. 
* Principal activity as an opera  composer, secondary as cellist. Own original works for cello include 2 cello concertos. Composer of stage compositions.

** Johannes Brahms
1833 – 1897
Germany
Important Activity:
Great German composer.  As a youngster took cello lessons (at his father’s insistence !)   Reached the level to ‘more-or-less’ play the Romberg concertos!!!

** Anatoly Brandukov
1856 – 1930
Russia
Important Activity:
Moscow Philharmonic School of Music and Drama. Professor Moscow Conservatoire. Played chamber music with Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Rubinstein and Rachmaninov. After revolution, member Bolshoi Theatre, organizing the symphony orchestra
Premieres:
Tchaikovsky – Pezzo Capriccioso, Op.62 (also dedicatee),
Rachmaninov – Trio elégiaque No. 1
Dedications: 
Rachmaninov – Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op.19
Fitzenhagen – Gavotte No.2, Op.42
Moor – Cello Sonata No.2, Op.55 (joint dedication with his wife!)
Friendships: 
Rachmaninoff  (Brandukov was his best man at his wedding!).
Anecdotes:
* A student of Fitzenhagen. 
* He performed Saint-Saens – Concerto in A minor with composer conducting.
* Among his students number Gregor Piatigorsky.

** Jean-Baptiste Bréval
 1753 — 1823? 1825?
France
Important Activity:
Professor Paris conservatoire. Member of the Société Académique des Enfants d'Apollon, Orchestra of Concert Sprituel (member), Orchestra of Théâtre Feydeau (member).  Administration team of ‘Concerts de la rue de Cléry’. Paris Opera Orchestra (member).
Music/Publications:
Many own original pieces, studies, and cello method
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Cupis.
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Horace Britt
1881 – 1971
Belgium (later France, U.S.A.)
Important Activity:
Principal cello Lamoureux Orchestra (1897), Cologne Orchestra (1898). Principal cello Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Principal cello Philadelphia Orchestra. Principal cello Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Principal cello Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Cellist of Letz Quartet.  Cellist of Elman String Quartet. He formed the Britt Trio in the 40s.
Professor Curtis Institute, Philadelphia. Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas, Austin
Anecdotes:
* studied in Antwerp with Gustav Faes, with Jules Delsart at the Paris Conservatoire
* As a conductor he led a number of Federal Music Project concerts. He left New York in the 1940s and taught cello at the University of Texas from 1948 to 1965.
* A New York Times critic had praised his “warm and beautiful tone.”

** Oskar (Oscar) Bruckner
1857 – 1930
Germany
Important Activity:
Member Grand Ducal Court Theatre in Neustrelitz.  Neustrelitz – received title of ‘chamber virtuoso’. Principal cello Theatre Royal, Wiesbaden. Professor Wiesbaden Conservatoire. Composer. 
Premieres:  
Reger – Cello Sonata No.1 (Op.5, 1892) – but even the performing cellist (and dedicatee)  called the sonata a unsuccessful work !
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Herlitz, and Fr. Grutzmacher.

** Nerio Brunelli
1898 – 1965
Italy
Important Activity:
Professor Fiume and Pesaro Conservatoires. Professor (chamber music) in Rome Conservatoire.  Chamber music groups.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Francesco Serato and Bonucci in Bologna
INFORMATION BY CARLOS FRUTUOSO

** Ferdinand Buchler
1817 – 1891
Germany
Important Activity:
First cellist in Darmstadt Orchestra. 
Music/Publications:  
Own original pieces and studies (formerly in many music schools). Also cello transcriptions.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Menter. In the ‘Romberg’ school of cello playing. 
* Received an injury to an arm, which took toll in solo playing, though he continued as a chamber music musician.

** Jasha Bunchuk
1896 – 1944
Ukraine
Important Activity:
Member of the New York Symphony Orchestra (1921-1922); New York Chamber Music Society 1922-1923; he played with the New York Symphony Orchestra and became principal cellist in the orchestra of the Capitol Theatre, the Broadway movie palace, of which he later became musical director. He was also soloist in radio broadcasts from that theatre and the Roxy Theatre, and later conducted the orchestra between 1927-1936 for the popular radio program Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour.
Anecdotes:
* He began his studies at the Petrograd Conservatory, where he was a protégé of the composer and conductor Alexander Glazunov.
* He performed throughout Europe and Asia before moving to the United States, where he made his Town Hall debut in New York in 1921.
* After the advent of sound in motion pictures, Bunchuk moved to Los Angeles to work in as a musical director for Columbia Pictures, under the name Sacha Bunchuk.

** Jan Burian
1877 – 1942
Czech
Important Activity:
Professor Tiflis (Russia).  Professor Prague conservatoire (succeeded Wihan) . Professor Czech Academy (High School).
Anecdotes:
* Student of Wihan.

** Hermann Busch
1897 – 1975
Germany (later Switzerland, USA)
Important Activity:
Member Brussels Symphony Orchestra. Principal cello Bochum Orchestra. Principal cello Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Professor Essen Conservatory. Trio (with brothers Fritz and Adolf). Trio Busch-Serkin. Busch String Quartet (successor to Paul Grümmer). Member Adolf Busch Chamber Orchestra. Co-founder Marlboro School of Music. Professor Miami University.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Fr. Grutzmacher (Cologne Music Conservatoire).

** Zygmunt Butkiewicz
1872 – 1935
Poland
Important Activity:
Soloist
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Klengel
* winner of the A. Rubinstein Competition.
INFORMATION  BY  DOROTA PUKOWNIK

** Antonia Butler   
1909 – 1997
Important Activity:
Cellist Kamaran Piano Trio. Duo performances with violinist Arthur Catterall. Duo with husband, the pianist Norman Greenwood. Professor at the Royal College of Music, the Birmingham School of Music, and the Menuhin School.
Friendships:
Casals.  Feuermann. 
The composer Arthur Honegger was a personal friend and Butler played his cello sonata in Paris with Honegger's wife as her partner on the piano.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Julius Klengel at Leopzig Conservatoire, and of Diran Alexanian at Ecole Normale in Paris.
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Friedrich Buxbaum
1869 - 1948
Germany(Austria
Important Activity:
Glasgow Symphony Orchestra, Co-principal cello Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Rose String Quartet. Fitzner String Quartet.
Anecdotes:
* Was the first influential teacher of Feuermann. Buxbaum and Schmidt, the Vienna Phil. two principal cellists had a rather stormy relationship – Mahler (conducting) usually preferring Schmidt, but Rose, the concert-leader, preferring Buxbaum !
* He was to participate in premieres of works by Johannes Brahms, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern.
* Given highest award by the Vienna Phil - the Nicolai Silver Medal in 1947
USEFUL INFORMATION BY TERRY KING