DIRECTORIO / BIBLIOTECA DE VIOLONCELLISTAS HISTORICOS FAMOSOS

Apellidos empezando con O-P-Q

** Camillo Oblach
1895 – 1954
Italy
Important Activity:
Trio Pesarese. Professor Liceo Musicale of Bologna.  Professorship at the Liceo Paganini of Genoa. Nuovo Quartetto Bolognese.  Member of the Accademia Filarmonica (Teatro Comunale) of Bologna.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Cuccoli in Padua (Padova).
* teacher of Amedeo Baldovino
INFORMATION  BY  CARLOS FRUTUOSO

** Jacques Offenbach  (birth name: Jacob Eberst)
1819 – 1880
Germany (later France)
Important Activity:
Member Orchestra of the Opera Comique (Paris). Conductor Theatre Francais.   Decided to become Empresario of his own theatre -  Bouffes Parisiens Theatre on the Champs Élysées - and with his theatre began a successful career devoted largely to operetta and opéras comiques until his death. He composed many own original pieces for cello.
Anecdotes:
* he was a pupil of Norblin. 

** George Onslow
1784 – 1853
France (but with an English father)  
Important Activity:
The composer George Onslow was also an amateur and enthusiastic cellist. His works included 3 cello sonatas, Op.16, composed in 1819. According to the Onslow expert Ray Silvertrust, the cello writing, tastefully written, in his quartets (36!) and quintets (34!) would indicate that he had reached professional technical level!  This because it was known that he was actually able to play what he wrote! Frequently he employed arpeggiated melodic-harmonic cello part lines in his mature works. Also, it is now assumed that Schubert modeled his 2-cello quintet on Onslow’s similarly-scored work, and not those by Boccherini.

** Willem Van Otterloo
1907-1982
Holland
Important Activity:
Born in Winterswijk, Gelderland Province, Holland. Although originally destined for a medical career, he enrolled at the Amsterdam Conservatory where he studied the cello with Max Orobio de Castro and composition with Sem Dresden. He started his professional music career as a cellist with the Utrecht City Orchestra and gradually moved up to the position of principal conductor. His very busy conducting career precluded that much time devoted to composing but he did produce a Symphony No. 1 (1934-5), 3 Suites for Orchestra, Suite for String Orchestra and an Introduction and Allegro.

** Charles Ould
???? - ???? (at least mid-1920s)
Great Britain
Important Activity:
Musician in Ordinary to Her Majesty. Principal Cellist at the Richter Concerts.
Premieres:
Rosalind Ellicot – Piano Trio No.2
Bizet/arr.Cellier – Carmen (Grand Fantasia – Instrumental Noneto).
Music/Publications: 
some  own original works for cello and piano.
 Anecdotes:
* at first equally a flautist, cellist and singer, dedicating himself to the cello from 16 onwards.
* student of Belgian cellist Paque.
* His son Percy was an able violinist.

** Holocaust Victim - Micki Ovitz - cellist and accordionist, born in Rozavlea 01/07/1909, died in Haifa 01/08/1972

** Rowland (Sterling) Pack
1927 – 1964
Canada
Important Activity:
Toronto Symphony Orchestra 1948-57  (member, then principal cello). Assistant principal cello CBC Symphony Orchestra. Founder Pack Trio and Quartet (of unusual instruments). Conductor and choirmaster specializing in early music.
Anecdotes:
* he made dual organ and cello studies. Organist-choirmaster at 15 years old.
* studied cello with Isaac Mamott
INFORMATION  BY  THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

** Vilmos Palotai
1904 – 1972
Hungary
Important Activity:
Principal cello Bremen Orchestra. Professor Prague Academy.  New Hungarian Quartet (with Sandor Vegh), becoming quartet in residence at University of Siuthern California.   Hungarian Trio (with Solchany and Gerecz).  
Premieres:
Bartok – String Quartet No. 5.  Kodaly – Quartet No. 2. 
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Schiffer (Budapest Academy) and Becker (Berlin Hochschule).

** Guillaume Paque
1825 – 1876
Belgium
Important Activity:
Member Royal Theatre Orchestra Brussels. Principal cello Italian Opera at Barcelona. Professor Music School of Barcelona. Principal cello Royal Italian Opera, London. Professor Royal Academy of Music, London.
Music/Publications:  
Several own original compositions.
Anecdotes:
* teacher of the London-based cellist and theatre producer Auguste van Biene
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** ?.  Parasisi
???? - ????
Italy
Important Activity:
Member Italian Opera Orchestra at Breslau
Anecdotes:
* Contemporary reports speak of ‘extraordinary artist’ (1727)

** Marc’Antonio Pasqualini
1614 – 1691
Italy (later Britain)
Important Activity:
Cellist & composer.
Music/Publications:  
Own original compositions
Anecdotes:
* Valued as a concert artist of repute around 1645

** Étienne Pasquier
1905 – 1998
France
Important Activity:
Principal cello Paris Opera Orchestra (during 40 years).  String Trio Pasquier (formed by 3 brothers!).
Dedications: 
some 75 works were dedicated to the string trio mentioned above  (including by Françaix, Jolivet, Martinu, Milhaud, Roussel and Schmitt. Pierné even wrote a piece for trio based on the names of the 3 brothers.
Anecdotes:
* pupil of J.L. Loeb (Paris Conservatoire; first cello prize at 16 !).
* Pasquier was captured by Germans in the war (as member of the French armed forces) and sent to Siberia. There Messaien wrote ‘Quartet for the end of time’, premiered by 4 prisoners including Pasquier and Messaien.

** Rudolf Pavlata
1873 – 1939
Czech
Important Activity:
Cellist and conductor.
Premieres:  
Janacek – Pohadka (original version)

** William Paxton
1737 – 1781
Britain
Important Activity:
Cellist & composer.
Music/Publications:  
Many own original pieces
Anecdotes:
* Celebrated cellist in London.

** Michel Penha
1888 – 1982
Holland (later USA)
Important Activity:
Member of the San Francisco Symphony (1925-1930); Tollefsen Piano Trio; Principal cello of The Philadelphia Orchestra (1920-1925); California String Quartet (1925-1940s); Abas String Quartet ; NeahKah-Nie String Quartet (Oregon, 1930s); San Francisco String Quartet; Roussel Trio (flute, vla and vlc)1952; MGM Studio Orchestra in Hollywood (1950s). He taught at the Curtis Institute (1924-1925) and was on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Anecdotes:
* Studied under Mossel at Conservatory of Music, Amsterdam; later with Hugo Becker and Joseph Salmon. Debut in Amsterdam at the age of 9, Toured Europe, South America and North America
* Appeared repeatedly as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Orchestra.

** Giovanni Perroni
1688 – 1748
Italy
Important Activity:
Service Parma ducal court. Milan – Court orchestra (‘maestro di cappella’) at St. Maria delle Grazie. 
Music/Publications:  
Own original works

** Albert Petersen
1856 - ????
Germany
Principal cello private orchestras of Dresden, Ereuznach, and Cassel. Principal cello Magdeburg Orchestra. Professor Magdeburg Musical Institute.

** Alessandro Pezze
1835 – 1914
Italy
Important Activity:
Principal cello Teatro della Scala (Milan). Musician Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Member of the orchestras of the Philharmonic Society and Covent Garden (London). Professor Royal Academy of Music (London).
Anecdotes:
* pupil of V. Merighi in Milan.
* succeeded Piatti in the Royal Academy of Music.
* pupils included Leo Stern and May Mukle

** Harvey Phillips   
???? - ???? 
Great Britain
Important Activity:
Respected English cello professor.
Anecdotes:
* teacher of Anna Shuttleworth, Charles Tunnell, Elizabeth Angel, Jennifer Ward Clarke.
* played cello duos with the English cellist Antonia Butler
* organized his own free-lance orchestra at one point(?!)

** ?. Piarelli
???? - ????
Italy
Important Activity:
Cellist & composer.
Music/Publications:  
Own original compositions (Music published in Paris).
Anecdotes:
* Mentioned as a cello virtuoso – active in 2nd half of 18th century.

** Gregor Piatigorsky
1903-1976
Russia (Ukraine),  (later U.S.A.)
Co-principal cello Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (under Furtwangler). Head of cello department at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Professor Tanglewood, Boston University, and the University of Southern California. Chamber music groups with Artur Runbinstein (piano), William Primrose (viola) and Jascha Heifetz (violin).
Dedications: 
Hindemith – Cello Concerto,
Hindemith – Cello Sonata,
Prokofiev – Cello Concerto in E Minor (No."1"),
Stravinsky – Suite Italienne,
Walton – Cello Concerto, 
Martinu – Variations on a theme of Rossini, for cello and piano.  
Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Cello  Concerto and Figaro Concert Fantasy) .
Artur Schnabel – Sonata for Solo Cello (1931), 
Ernst Toch – Impromptu (3 mts), Op.90/c (1963).
Alexandre Tansman – Fantasie (1936),
Miklós Rózsa – Toccata Capricciosa, Op.36 (1979 – dedicated to the memory of Piatigorsky, fp by Jeffrey Solow) 
Premieres:
Webern – Cello Sonata, 
Webern – 2 Small pieces Vlc & pno.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco – Cello Concerto,
Walton – Cello Concerto (1957),
Hindemith – Cello Concerto (1941)
Shostakovich – Cello Sonata (first recording)
Own Music/Publications: 
Wrote/arranged several cello works, including ‘Variations on a theme of Paganini’, and working with Stravinsky on the Pulcinella Suite to form ‘Suite Italienne’.
Anecdotes:
* Performed Strauss – Don Quixote with composer conducting.

** (Carlo) Alfredo Piatti
1822 – 1901
Italy (later Britain)
Important Activity:
Bergamo Civic Orchestra. Principal cello ‘Her Majesty’s Theatre’ Orchestra (London). Joachim Quartet (occasional cellist), Professor Royal Academy of Music (London)
Dedications:     
Molique – Cello Concerto, Op.45 (1853)
1st movement of  Mendelssohn Cello Concerto probably in cello and piano reduction (but unfortunately it got lost in the post by train, and there was no copy!). 
Sullivan – Cello Concerto (and he gave premiere in 1866).
William Sterndale Bennett -  Sonata Duo, Op.32
Rosalind Ellicot – Piano Trio No.2 (but premiered with Charles Ould – cello).
Cossmann – 5 Concert Etudes for solo cello, Op.10 (pub.1876)
Neruda – Andante et Allegro de Concert, Op.40 (vlc and piano)
Stanford – CelloSonataNo.2 in D minor, Op.39
Popper - Cello Concerto No.4 in B Minor, Op.72 (1900)
Music/Publications:  
Own original pieces and arrangements
Friendships: 
Ernst, Joachim, Wieniawski, Liszt, Mendelssohn

** Hanns Pick
1883 – 1957
Germany (later USA)
Important Activity:
Principal cello Philadelphia Orchestra. Professor University of Michigan.
Anecdotes:
* only lasted one season in the Philadelphia Orchestra.

** (Charles) Anthony Pini
1900 – 1989
Argentina (later Britain)
Important Activity:
Member Carla Rosa Opera Company. Member Scottish Orchestra. Queen’s Hall Light Orchestra, London. Kinsey Piano Quartet. Principal cello London Philharmonic Orchestra. Brosa String Quartet. Principal cello Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  Philharmonia Quartet. Principal cello Philharmonia Orchestra. Principal cello Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Trio (with Pougnet and Morrison). String trio (with Pugnet and Riddle). London String Quartet. Principal cello Royal Opera Orchestra, London. Professor Guidhall School of Music (London), and Royal College of Music (London).
Premieres: 
Rawsthorne – Cello sonata (also the dedicatee).
Virgil Thomson – Cello concerto.
Anecdotes:
* son of French father and Scottish mother.
* virtually a self-taught cellist.
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** (Joseph Marcel) Rodolphe Plamondon
1876 – 1940
Canada
Important Activity:
Principally a concert and operatic singer, but also a fine cellist. Indeed he worked as a cellist in Folies-Parisiennes (c.1896)., and a little later as cellist in the Casino of Paris. His son was also a noted cellist.
INFORMATION  BY  THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

** Nicolas Platel
1777 – 1835
Belgium (later France) (founder of the Belgium Cello School)
Important Activity:
Member of the orchestra of the Theatre Feydeau.  Principal cello Antwerp Opera orchestra. Principal cello Brussels Opera Orchestra.  Professor Brussels Conservatoire. 
Music/Publications:  
Own original works, including 6 cello concertos.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Duport and Lamare.
* In 1801 was considered best living cellist in Paris.
* Teacher of Batta, Servais, and DeMunck 

** William Pleeth
1916 – 1999
Great Britain
Important Activity:
Professor Guildhall School (London), Allegri String Quartet, close association with Amadeus String Quartet, duo with wife Margaret Good & soloist.
Premieres and dedications: 
Rubbra – Soliloquy,
Rubbra – Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op.60 (1946) – dedicated jointly with his wife Margaret Good. 
Rubbra – Improvisation for solo cello, Op.124. 
Gordon Jacob – Cello Sonata in D minor (1957, perf. with his wife)
Music/Publications:  
Own book ‘Cello’ (Menuhin Music Guides)
Article in JOHNSTONE-MUSIC

** Ciccio Poliari
???? - ????
Italy
Important Activity:
Italian Orchestra of Araia in St. Petersburg.
Anecdotes:
* probably born in Rome
* substituted Dall’Oglio in the Araia orchestra in 1764.
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** Arved Poorten
1835 – 1901
Latvia
Important Activity:
Member Russian Imperial Orchestra. Professor St.Petersburg Conservatoire.
Music/Publications:  
own original pieces for cello (a few published)
Anecdotes:
* pupil of Kummer (Dresden). Also attended Brussels conservatoire.

** David Popper   ‘the old maestro’ (Casals)
1843 – 1913
Czech  
Important Activity:
Chamber Virtuoso in the court of Prince von Hochenzollern-Hechingen in Löwenberg. Principal cello Vienna court Orchestra. Hellmesberger Quartet. Professor Budapest Conservatory. Budapest Quartet (with Hubay).
Premieres : 
Volkmann – Cello Concerto (maybe it was the 2nd performance?),
Brahms – Piano Trio Op.101 (with Hubay and Brahms).
Brahms – Piano Trio in Bb Op.5.
Rubinstein – Cello Concerto.
Karl Eckert – Cello Concerto.
Gave the second performance of Brahms – Cello Sonata in F, Op.99.
Dedications:      
Rheinberger – Cello Sonata in C Major, Op.92
Hans Huber – Two Pieces, Op.30 (vlc and piano)
Neruda – Mazurka and Ungarisch, Op.38 (vlc and piano)
Van Goens – Cello Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.30
Own music/Publications:
Many own original pieces (over 100) and transcriptions. The 40 Studies (‘High School of Cello Playing’ are invaluable teaching aids in conservatoires worldwide. Concert music includes 4 cello concertos.
Friendships:  
Special friend of Clara Schumann. Liszt.
Anecdotes:
* Pupil of Julius Goltermann (note: NOT  Eduard Georg Goltermann !).

** Domenico Porretti
1720 – 1783
Important Activity:
Cellist Capilla Real (Madrid)
Italy (later Spain)
Music/Publications:  
Own original works, including 24 cello concertos. 
Anecdotes:
* Domenico Porretti was the father of Joaquina, Boccherini’s second wife.
* His playing was admired by the famous singer Farinelli.

** Thomas Powell
1776 – 1846
Britain
Important Activity:
Teacher in Dublin, then Edinburgh.
Own original compositions, including a ‘Grand Duo’ (violin & cello)
Anecdotes:
* Also played piano and harp.

** Jacqueline Du Pré
1945 – 1987
Great Britain
Important Activity:
Soloist.
Friendships:
Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta, Pinchas Zukerman.
Anecdotes:
* Married the pianist Daniel Baremboim.
* gave televised masterclasses.
* Multiple schlerosis ended her playing, then later her teaching career. 

** August Christian Prell
1805 – 1885
Germany
Important Activity:
Chamber music player at Meiningen. Principal cello Hannover Court Orchestra.
Anecdotes:
* Hamburg cellist, son of Johann Prell.
* Pupil of Romberg.
* Esteemed as teacher – his pupils included Georg Goltermann.

** Johann Prell
1773 – 1849
Germany
Important Activity:
The leading Hamburg cellist of his time.
Anecdotes:
* father of August Christian Prell (1805 – 1885)

** Paul Prill
1860 – 1930
Important Activity:
Principal cello Berlin Symphony Kapelle. Orchestra of Italian Opera (Berlin). Principal cello Bilse Orchestra, Berlin. Conductor Belle Alliance Theatre (Berlin).
Deputy Conductor at Wallner Theatre (Berlin). Principal cello German Opera Orchestra  at Rotterdam. Second Kapellmeister of the Rotterdam Opera.
* various teachers, including Hausmann.
* despite a glittering cello career, he aspired to be a ‘better’ conductor !

** PRINCE Christian von Wittgenstein-Berleberg
1753 – 1800
Germany
Important Activity:
In his youth occupied himself eagerly with singing and clavier playing. In more advanced years he learnt the violoncello and succeeded so well that he was heard with the greatest applause publicly at a concert in Wetzlar. He maintained towards the end of his life a private band. 

** PRINCE Frederick, Prince of Wales (Great Britain)
1707 – 1751
(House of Hannover)
Important Activity:
Frederick, who became Prince of Wales in 1729, was a genuine lover of music who played the cello. He is depicted as a cellist in an oil portrait by Philip Mercier of Frederick and his sisters, now part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.  He, for example, commissioned the Scottish poet James Thomson to write Rule, Britannia, which was later set to music by Thomas Arne!

** PRINCE Marie Joseph Anatole Elie,  Prince de Caraman-Chimay
1858 – 1937
Belgium (France)
Important Activity:
He was the 19th Prince de Chimay from 1858 to 1937. He was a French Olympic fencer. He married Clara Ward, an American heiress in 1890, but she later ran away with a Gypsy violinist (indeed she gained more fame than he in the American ‘gossip’ columns!). He later re-married in 1920.  The prince was an excellent cellist and was a pupil of Servais. He was also a collector of instruments.

** Milton Prinz
1903-1957
U.S.A.
Important Activity:
Member of the NBC Symphony (1937- c1950); Voice of the Firestone Orchestra; the Little Orchestra Society; the Metropolitan Trio in New York; The Philadelphia Orchestra (1924-1930). He was also a member of the 1930s New York String Quartet. In the early 1950s he played with the New York Philharmonic and was a New York City session musician.
Anecdotes:
* He studied with his father Arthur Prinz, who was an amateur cellist, and at the Institute of Musical Art in New York.
* As a child prodigy he toured South America at age 13.

** Gagliemo Quarenghi
1826 – 1882
Italy
Important Activity:
Maestro di cappella of Milan Cathedral. Principal cello La Scala Opera Orchestra, Milan.  Professor Milan Conservatoire (of cello and double bass!). Music/Publications:   Own original works, including an opera, and a cello methodDedications:Piatti – Capriccio on a theme from Niobe (of Pacini)Anecdotes:* pupil of V. Merighi in Milan.* was the teacher of Cristofori Merighi, Luigi Cerri and Andrea Guarnieri.
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