1 October

** 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)

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

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

2 October

** 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)

** 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

** 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}

 ** 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}

** 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

** 1974 - birth of Jiaxin Cheng (China)
cellist, orchestra principal {based London}

** 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

3 October

** 1710 - birth of Bartholomew Johnson (England)
cellist. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, in 1810, a banquet was held to celebrate the occasion, in Scarborough, North England with more than 70 VIPs.

** 1877 - birth of Beatrice Eveline (Llanbedr, Breconshire, South Wales)
cellist, soloist

** 1892 - birth of Maurice Maréchal (Dijon, France) d.1964
cellist, asrranger & teacher {Saint-Saens gave Maréchal permission to "arrange for cello anything you like" of his output!}

** 1896 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mr Barton McGuckin (vocal) and Herr Julius Klengel (cello).

** 1907 - Carl Fuchs was cello soloist in Robert Schumann - Cello Concerto in A minor {Cadenza by Cossman} Proms premiere, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1949 - An interesting recital given by Gaspar Cassadó with Eugenio Bagnoli, piano
Programme: Frescobaldi - Toccata [we now know to be by the cellist himself!] // C.P.E. Bach - Concerto No. 3 [A Major] // Haydn - Sonata in C [arranged by Piatti?] // Respighi - Adagio con variazioni // Debussy - Menuet // Fauré - Papillons // Ravel - Habanera // Weber-Christiansen - Introduzione, tema e variazioni

** 1957 - birth of Rami Be'er (kibbutz Ga'aton in Israel)
Dancer and a second study cellist (playing from an early age). He joined the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company as a dancer and choreographer in 1980 and now is artistic director of the organization  He was awarded the Contributor to Cultural and Educational Creativity Prize in 2000 (his choreographic style is influenced by Central European expressionism and American modern dance).
He is quoted as saying “Music is a very strong source of inspiration and I have a musical background – I played cello since I was 12 years old”

** 1985 - birth of Leyla Sarah McCalla (USA)
cellist (classical/folk)

** 1993 - Release date (premiere screened in U.S.A.) of the film “Short Cuts” (en español ‘Ciudad de ángeles’ o ‘Vidas cruzadas’)
directed by Robert Altman, starring a large ensemble cast including cellist/actress Lori Singer as Zoe Trainer
Short Cuts is a 1993 American comedy-drama film, based on a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. The film has a Los Angeles setting, which substitutes the Pacific Northwest backdrop of Carver's stories. Short Cuts traces the actions of 22 principal characters, both in parallel and at occasional loose points of connection. The role of chance and luck is central to the film, and many of the stories concern death and infidelity. Lori Singer plays a cellist in one of the stories.

 ** 1995 - Miguel Jiménez/cello and Alfonso Peciña/piano perform Gaspar Cassadó - Sonata nello stile antico spagnuolo for Cello and Piano (1925)
Foundation ‘Juan March’, Madrid

4 October

** 1749 - birth of Jean-Louis Duport (Paris) d.1818
cellist, teacher & composer (‘The Younger’)

** 1779 - birth of {Pamphile Léopold} François Aimon (L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France) d.1866
cellist, conductor, composer & writer of harmony treatises.

** 1910 - John Linden was cello soloist in Eugen Albert - Concerto for Cello in C major, Op 20, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1911 - Jacques Renard 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}

** 1924 - first performance of Karl Weigl - Cello Sonata
Joachim Stutschewsky/cello and Walter Kerschbaumer/piano (Saal der Sezession, Vienna)

** 1930 - Arturo Bonucci was cello soloist in Camille Saint‐Saëns - Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, with BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Last Night of the Proms, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1942 - Zara Nelsova performed a virtuoso programme at New York Town Hall, with pianist Mr. Baldwin. She presented Moor - Prelude, Haydn - Sonata in C Major, Beethoven - Sonata in A Major, Op.69, Stravinsky - Aria, Weber/Piatigirsky - Adagio y Rondo and Tchaikovsky - Rococo Variations. The tickets were quite expensive for the times!

** 1946 - birth of Susan {Abigail} Sarandon (New York City, U.S.A.)
an American actress, activist, and producer, and the recipient of numerous accolades. In the film ‘Witches of Eastwick’ she said:
“I initially was cast in Cher's part, and didn't find out till I got to LA — because I was living in Rome — that I was actually moved to a different part,” she recalled. “I had to learn suddenly to play the cello, and I had never played an instrument in my life!”

** 1947 - on this day cellist Paul Tortelier recorded (live?) Strauss - Don Quixote, in the London Abbey Road Studios, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Thomas Beecham (with viola soloist Leonard Lubens)

** 1957- on this day cellist Janos Starker recorded Kodaly - Solo Cello Sonata, Op.8, at the London Abbey Road Studios

** 1959 - first performance of Shostakovich - Cello Concerto No.1 in Eb Major, Op.107        
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich with Lenningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky      

** 1980 - at Snape Maltings (England) Pierre Fournier and Rudolf Firkusny gave a cello recital, including cello sonatas of Beethoven (A Major) and Chopin (G minor)

5 October

** 1822 - birth of Louis Dreschler (Dessau, Germany) {son of cellist Karl} d.1860
cellist {based Edinburgh}

** 1870 - birth of Willy Benda (Vevey, Germany) d.1929
cellist, chamber musician and conductor {based Scotland}

** 1895 - Mabel Chaplin was cello soloist in Georg Eduard Goltermann - Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op 14 No. 2 Cantilena: Andante {Proms premiere of this arrangement}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1910 - Lionel E. Horton was cello soloist in Max Bruch - Kol Nidrei, Op 47, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1931 - in May 1931 on this very day, the French publication “Comoedia” review noted in its musical column:
“by mentioning the success obtained by Mme Adèle Clément, cellist, who has not been afraid lately to push a point as far as the Far East to make Western music known there. . Her evangelization must have been active if we judge by her recent concert, full of style and taste. […] Her playing is alive, her in-depth technique, lends itself to the most difficult evocations as to the performance of pieces where emotion prevails over prowess. Excellent sound that she uses judiciously and without emphasis”

** 1947 - Paul Tortelier was cello soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Society, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (London) - this was a special concert of works by Richard Strauss - and in the presence of the composer! The programme also included the first English performance of his Fantasy 'Die Frou Ohne Schatten'.

** 1952 - Martinu finishes writing his Cello Sonata No.3      

** 1988 - birth of Kevin Olusola (Owensboro, Kentucky, USA}
cellist, beatboxer, rapper, record producer & songwriter     

** 1999 - first performance of Julián Samuel Rodríguez - Estudio de Densidade No.3, for Three Cellos
cellists: G. Tanasescu, R. Solsona & V. Livik (Asociacion Galega de Compositores, Galicia, Spain)

** 1999 - first performance of Paulino Pereiro - Diferencias (1993)
cellists G. Tanasescu, R. Solsona, V. Livik and R. Lukaçi {Grupo Instrumental Siglo XX, conducted by Florian Vlashi) ’ (Galicia, Spain)

6 October

** 1815 - birth of François de Munck (Brussels) d.1854
cellist & composer {father of cellist-composer Ernst}

** 1898 - Viktor L Siemsen was cello soloist in Georg Eduard Goltermann - Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op 14 No. 2 Cantilena: Andante, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1906 - birth of Ernst (Peter) Friedlander (Vienna) d.1966
cellist, orchestra principal cello [Canada]

** 1909 - Percy Such was cello soloist in Karl Yulievich Davydov - Concerto for Cello No. 2 in A minor, Op 14, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1930 - birth of Ottomar Borwitzky (Hamburg, Germany)
cellist, orchestra principal cello (Berlin Phil Orch) - member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’ 

** 1971 - cellist Daniil Shafran records two Suites of Bach on this day:
Suite for Cello solo No.3 in C Major, BWV 1009 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite for Cello solo No.5 in C minor, BWV 1011 by Johann Sebastian Bach

** 1980 - Rafael Ramos/cello and Carlos Ibarra/piano made a live recording for Spanish National Radio of Gaspar Cassadó - Requiebros for Cello and Piano (pub.1931)
Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, Basque Country

** 1987 - Yo-Yo Ma played a concert for the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan in the US White House, which also happened to be the day before the cellist’s thirty-second birthday. But this was not his first visit to the White House. In the autumn of 1962, at age seven, Bernstein introduced Yo-Yo Ma to President Kennedy in “The American Pageant for the Arts”, playing Jean-Baptiste Bréval’s Concertino in A Major

7 October

** 1758 - birth of Paul Anton Wineberger (Mergentheim, Germany) 
cellist & composer

** 1798 - birth of Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Mirecourt, France) d.1875
French luthier (workshop made over 3,000 instruments), businessman, inventor and winner of many awards

** 1855 - birth of Reinhold Hummer (Linz, Austria)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & professor

** 1857 - birth of Jean Tolbecque (Niort, France) d.1890
cellist, member of the Opéra-Comique Orchestra of Paris {son of the more famous cellist Auguste Tolbeque}

** 1898 - birth of Alfred Wallenstein (Chicago, USA) d.1983
cellist & conductor

** 1945 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a performance was given by cellist Felix Salmond, with Leonid Hambro /piano

** 1955 - birth of Yo-Yo Ma (Paris)
cellist

** 1956 - birth of Dong-Oo Lee (South Korea)
cellist, orchestral principal cello, professor of cello & chamber music

** 1957 - this was the day that Donald White, a young African American cellist, first took his seat in the cello section of the internationally acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio. The orchestra was celebrating its 40th anniversary and had just returned from a triumphant European tour. This was a childhood dream of his, and now he was going to be joining one of the greatest symphony orchestras in America at a very significant time in history, the Civil Rights Era. One has to remember that before 1957, there were no African-Americans hired as full-time members in any of the five major U.S. symphony orchestras. So White’s hiring was a real historic moment in the midst of the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. His tenure in the orchestra spanned from 1957 – 1995; giving him the distinction of being the longest-serving African American member of one of the top five orchestras.

** 1969- on this day cellist Janos Starker made a live recording with violinist Christian Ferras of Brahms - Double Concerto in A Minor, with the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française conducted by Jean Martinon

 ** 1995 - José María Mañero/cello and Gerardo López Laguna/piano recorded Federico Mompou - El Pont (1982), for cello and piano for Spanish National Radio
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid

8 October

** 1898 - William Henry Squire was cello soloist in David Popper - Tarantella, Op 33, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1946 - first performance of Villa-Lobos - Fantasia for cello and orchestra W454 (written Jan 1945)
soloist - Iberê Gomes Grosso, with the Orquesta do Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, conducted by the composer (Rio de Janeiro) 

** 1982 - birth of Maja Bogdanovic (Belgrade, Serbia)
cellist

** 1987 - birth of Andreas Brantelid (Swedish-Danish)
cellist

9 October

** 1903 - Karl Piening (though it is not clear from the BBC archives!) was the cello soloist in Ewald Straesser - Concerto for Cello in D major (a UK premiere) with the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}. The work probably received several performances in the few following years (Cologne, Breslau, etc.) but appears never to have been performed after World War I.

** 1904 - The Victor Herbert Orchestra gives its first ever performance at the Majestic Theatre, New York
(Herbert was a cellist, composer & conductor)

** 1916 - James Richardson (cellist) and Edith L. Webster performed in the Memorial Hall, Manchester a programme including the Debussy - Cello Sonata, which had just been finished by Debussy, and so was very probably the British premiere of the work; there was a brief review in the Manchester Evening News, which simply mentioned that ‘[a]n excellent performance was given’.

** 1958 - birth of Jonathan May (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) d.2010
cellist and conductor

** 1971 - cellist Daniil Shafran records two Suites of Bach on this day:
Suite for Cello solo No.2 in D minor, BWV 1008 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite for Cello solo No.4 in Eb Major, BWV 1010 by Johann Sebastian Bach

** 1973 - at Carlisle Cathedral (England) Nona Liddell/violin, Jennifer Ward Clarke/cello, and John Constable/piano offered a recital centred around works of composer Robert Gerhard; both his Piano trio and Cello Sonata were heard.

** 1981 - first performance of Gulda - Concerto for cello and wind ensemble (1980)
soloist - Heinrich Schiff, with the composer conducting /Vienna Konzerthaus, Austria)

** 1983 - first performance of Wolfgang Rihm - Monodram for cello and orchestra
(Graz, Austria)

** 1992 - first performance of Wolfgang Rihm - Augenblick, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Philharmonie, Berlin)

** 1996 - Carlos Prieto/cello and Chiky Martín/piano performed Rodolfo Halffter - Sonata for cello and piano, Op.26, and Xavier Montsalvatge - Evocación for cello and piano (1994), recorded live by Spanish National Radio.
Foundation ‘Juan March’, Madrid

10 October

** 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 performs 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).

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

** 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.

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

** 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)

11 October

** 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

** 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).

** 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}

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

** 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)

12 October
** 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

** 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.

** 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)

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

13 October

** 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

** 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}

** 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

** 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

14 October

** 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 - first performance of Glazounov - Cello ‘Concerto Ballata’  
soloist - Maurice Eisenberg (Paris)

** 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)

** 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   
soloist Mstislav Rostropovich with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by compose

** 1971 - birth of  Anne Gastinel (Tassin-la-Demi-Lun, France)
cellist and professor

15 October

** 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 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 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

** 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}

** 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

** 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

 16 October

** 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.

** 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’)

** 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

** 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

17 October
** 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.”

** 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 - first performance of Reger - Cello Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.5
composer at piano (Wiesbaden, Germany)

** 1896 - birth of Jacobus Hendrikus Bastiaan "Jaap" Spaanderman jr. (Gouda, Holland) d.1985
pianist, cellist, conductor and piano and conducting pedagogue

** 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}

** 1930 - Martinu finishes his first version of Cello Concerto No.1 (later fully revised in 1939 and 1955)

** 1959 - first performance of Martinu - Variations on a Slovakian Theme, for Cello and Piano
Sasha Vectomov/cello & Vladimir Topinka/piano

** 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 ‘Concertofor 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.

** 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
soloist - David Johnstone (Gobierno de Navarra ciclo de música del siglo veinte, Auditorio del Conservatorio Pablo Sarasate, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain)

18 October

** 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 )

** 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.

** 1998 - first performance of Wolfgang Rihm - Styx und Lethe for cello and orchestra
(Donaueschingen, Germany)

19 October

** 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 (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

** 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

** 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} gives his last concert in Spain, before exile
on behalf of the Children’s Aid Society, Barcelona, Gran Teatre del Liceu

** 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).

** 1949 - the Royal Philharmonic Society concert conducted by Thomas Beecham gave a concert featuring cello soloist Anthony Pini

** 1972 - the ‘belated’ debut of Janos Starker with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Haydn - Cello Concerto in C Major

** 1994 - first performance of Alfred Schnittke - Concerto for Three for violin, viola, cello, strings and piano & Minuet for violin, viola and cello
(Moscow)

20 October

** 1904 - Mr Herbert Withers was cello soloist in the first English performance of Fr. D'Erlanger - Andante Symphonique 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

** 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

** 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.

** 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.

** 1991 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Joel Krosnick, with Gilbert Kalish /piano

21 October

** 1841 - birth of Anna Ludwika Kull (Klausenberg/Cluj, Rumania) d.1923
cellist {her father Jakob Kull, 1817–1886, was a professional conductor}

** 1889 - 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 Patey, Mr Edward Lloyd and Mr Barrington Foote (vocal) with Madame Neruda (violin), Mr Leo Stern (cello), Dr Louis Engel (harmonium) and Miss Kuhe (piano)

** 1899 - William Henry Squire was cello soloist in David Popper - Tarantella, Op 33, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert ‘Last Night of the Proms’, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1913 - Charles Warwick-Evans was cello soloist in Richard Strauss - Don Quixote, Op 35, with Henry Wood Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1968 - birth of Giovanni Ricciardi (Genoa, Italy)
cellist

** 1972 - in the Purcell Room (London South Bank), a solo recital (the first of two in autumn of that year) of music of J.S. Bach was given by cello soloist Thomas Igloi

** 1977 - first performance of Brian Ferneyhough - Time and Motion Study II for cello and electronics
(Donaueschingen, Germany)

22 October

** 1826 - birth of Guglielmo Quarenghi (Casalmaggiore, Italy) d.1882
cellist, principal cello of the Scala Theatre Orchestra, cello professor at Milan Conservatoire, maestro de capilla at Milan Cathedral, composer of cello didactic material

** 1883 - first performance of Edvard Grieg - Cello Sonata in A minor, Op.36
Friedrich Ludwig Grützmacher/cello and the composer/piano (Dresden, Germany)

** 1892 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Clara Samuell (vocal) and David Popper (cello), including the first performance of Barclay Jones, Concert Overture in C minor

** 1893 - orchestral version completed of Antonín Dvořák - Rondo, Op.94 

** 1899 - in the series of the Sunday Afternoon Orchestral Concerts given at the Queen's Hall, Langham Place, London, featured soloist was cellist Mr W.H. Squire with  Ellison van Hoose

** 1901 - Adele Clement, French cellist, received glowing reports in the French press at the beginning of the 20th century; on this day in 1901 she was highly noticed by “The XIXe Siècle” and a few years later (1908) “Le Magasin Pittoresque” spoke of an ‘astonishing Trio’ composed of Geneviève Dehelly, Juliette Laval, and Adèle Clément

** 1903 - Herbert Withers was cello soloist in Joachim Raff - Concerto for Cello No. 1 in D major, Op 193 {London premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1910 - Jacques Renard was cello soloist in Antonín Dvořák - Rondo in G minor, Op 94, with The New Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert - Last Night of the Proms, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1913 - 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}

** 1930 - the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Queen's Hall (London) gave a performance conducted by Adrian Boult, featuring the soloist Guilhermina Suggia (cello).

** 1930 - in the Triennial Norfolk and Norwich Musical Festival at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich (England) the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, conducted by Sir Henry Wood, gave a performance with special soloists Myra Hess and Frederic Lamond (piano) and Arturo Bonucci (cello) [22-25 October 1930]

** 1936 - Emanuel Feuermann gave a recital for the “Civic Music Series” (Aycock Auditorium, U.S.A.), performing an ample programme consisting of : Beethoven - Sonata in A Major, Op.69, Stravinsky - Suite Italienne, Grieg - Sonata in A minor, Bloch - Prayer, Granados - Spanish Dance, and Popper - Spinning Song. He was accompanied by Wolfgang Rebner.

** 1949 - cellist Guilhermina Suggia gives one of her last ever concerts, at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens on 22nd October, 1949 (by this time her health had dramatically declined and she was suffering abdominal pains). This was probably her last appearance in Great Britain, important in that it had been her adoptive country.

** 1963 - birth of Svante Henryson (Stockholm, Sweden)
cellist, bass guitarrist & composer

** 1987 - first performance of Wolfgang Rihm - Protokoll-ein Traum for six cellos
(Graz, Austria)

** 1989 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Truls Mork, with Juhani Lagerspetz /piano

23 October

** 1715 - birth of Czar Peter II Alexeyevich (St. Petersburg, Russia) d.1730
Emperor, amateur cellist, fencer & hunter!

** 1856 - birth of Albert Petersen (Lübeck, Germany)
cellist, principal cello in orchestras at Dresden, Kreuznach, Cassel and Magdeburg; professor at Conservatoire of Magdeburg

** 1865 - birth of F. Ronchini (Fano, Italy)
cellist, professor at instituto of ReggioEmilia (Bologna?), principal cello in various orchestras & composer

** 1883 - Victor Herbert performs as soloist in his Suite for cello and orchestra Op.3, probably the world premiere of the work (Stuttgart, Germany)

** 1898 - William Henry Squire was cello soloist in Wilhelm Bernhard Molique - Concerto for Cello in D major, Op 45 No. 2 Andante {Proms Premiere}, with The New Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1909 - 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 - Last Night of the Proms, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1941 - on this day the Spanish composer Ricard Lamote de Grignon wrote a ‘Canción’ para cello and piano (a piece from 3 ‘Bagatelas de fin de siglo’)

** 1949 - birth of Tristan Honsinger (Burlington, Vermont, USA)
cellist (free jazz-free improvisation)

** 1950 - Milton Prinz (1903-1957) performed as cello soloist Ernest Bloch’s “Voix dans le desert” with the Little Orchestra Society in one of the first ever performances of the work

** 1963 - birth of Lori Goldston (Long Island town of East Meadow, U.S.A.)
touring and session cellist for Nirvana. A member of Earth, the Black Cat Orchestra, and Spectratone International, and also performs solo. Also plays guitar, voice and is a songwriter.

** 1966 - on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the Bloch - Schelomo, and the Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, in Berlin, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alfred Wallenstein (the recordings in all took about three days)

** 1968 - birth of Patricio Villarejo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
cellist, composer, arranger and conductor (classical, folk, tango, jazz, rock, pop)

** 1973 - at the Purcell Room (London South Bank) Nona Liddell/violin, Jennifer Ward Clarke/cello, and John Constable/piano offered a recital centred around works of composer Roberto Gerhard; both his Piano trio and Cello Sonata were heard.

24 October

** 1850 - Schumann finishes his Cello Concerto in A minor after working on it for only two weeks (though he later has difficulties finalizing a definitive orchestrated version) 

** 1862 - birth of Fritz Espenhahn (Berlin)
cellist, member of the Bilse Orchestra (Berlin), royalchamber musician and royal chamber virtuoso in the Royalm Chapel of Berlin; member of the Dessau Quartet.

** 1886 - Victor Herbert and his wife, the soprano Therese Förster, move to the US where both are offered work with the Metropolitan Opera in New York as cellist and singer respectively

** 1905 - at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (England) featured soloists were Mr Clarence Whitehill and Madame Mary Conly (vocal) with ‘Senor Pablo Casals’ (cello).

** 1929 - 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 Toscanini

** 1935 - cellist Alexander Barjansky performed with Renata Borgatti on the Aeolian Hall, London

** 1935 - Thelma Reiss was solo cellist in Dvorak - Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Donald Tovey, at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh). She also performed an Adagio and Gigue by Sammartini. Also in the programme were works of Beethoven, Respighi, and Tchaikovsky.

** 1962 - birth of Giovanni Sollima (Palermo, Sicily, Italy)
cellist and composer

** 1977 - on this day a photo of Mstislav Rostropovich appeared on the front cover of TIME magazine!

** 1983 - first performance of György Ligeti - Sonata for cello 
(Paris)

** 1986 - first performance of Dmitri Shostakovich - Moderato for cello
(Hamburg, Germany)

** 1987 - birth of Sebastian Bru (Vienna)
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello 

25 October

** 1721 - birth of Pierre Talon (Reims, France) d.1785
cellist & composer

** 1753 - birth of Philipp Schindlocker (Mons, Hennegau, Belgium)
cellist, orchestral first cellist

** 1809 - birth of Julius Griebel (Berlin) d.1865
cellist, orchestra first cellist, chamber musician

** 1834 - birth of Charles Ernest Appy (The Hague, Holland)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & professor; played for six months at the Crystal Palace in London, returning to Amsterdam as violoncellist in the St. Cecilia Orchestra; in 1862 he joined the Franz Coenen string quartet for 9 years; Later to New York as solo violoncellist of the Thomas Orchestra; he went to Haarlem as teacher of the violoncello and pianoforte, but re-moved again to Amsterdam in 1882 when he founded a prosperous school of music.

** 1845 - birth of Boleslaw Moniuski (Warsaw) d. c1902-03 {son of an important composer}
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello, theatre orchestra musician

** 1853 - birth of Philipp Roth (Tarnowitz, Upper Silesia, Poland/Czech)
cellist, teacher & publication of cello literature

** 1881 - cellist/composer Victor Herbert (22 years old) is given a solo opportunity with the Court Orchestra of Stuttgart when the scheduled pianist becomes ill. He plays the A minor concerto of Georg Eduard Goltermann. The audience is appreciative!

** 1931 - birth of Maria de Macedo (Vila Nova de Gaia, Oporto, Portugal)
cellist, teacher

** 1957 - birth of Colin Carr (Liverpool, England)
cellist

** 1962 - birth of Andrzej Bauer (Łódź, Poland)
cellist, teacher, composer and conductor.

** 1964 - cellist Fritz Magg offered a full and difficult unaccompanied recital at the Indiana University School of Music, with the works: Hindemith - Solo Cello Sonata (Op.25/3), Reger - Suite No.3 in A minor (Op.131c/3), and J.S. Bach - Solo Suite No.6 in D Major (BWV 1012)

** 1971 - in the Purcell Room (London South Bank), a recital was given (under the auspices of the Kirkman Concert Society) by Thomas Igloi (cello), with Peter Pettinger (piano)

** 1975 - at the Town Hall, Leeds (England) the Janacek Chamber Orchestra performed with Jan Haliska as cello soloist.

** 1979 - a New Reid Concert took place on today’s date at the Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh) featuring George Kennaway - cello and Michael Turnbull - piano. They performed Beethoven - 12 variations on 'Ein Mädchhen oder Weibchen', Schubert - Sonata in A minor 'Arpeggione' D821, Janácek - Fairy Tale, Kodály - Adagio, and Britten - Sonata in C, Op. 65

** 1987 - Anthony Pleeth (cello) and Melvyn Tan (piano) gave a recital in Oxford at Wolfson College Hall.

26 October

** 1738 - birth of Louis-Charles-Joseph Rey (Lauzerte, France) d.1811 {brother of Jean-Baptiste Rey}
cellist, especially in French opera/theatre orchestras

** 1758 - birth of Carl Siegemund Schönebeck (Lübben, Germany) d.early 1800s
cellist, organist, composer, teacher…and periodic farmer! His compositions (or those attributed to him) are said to contain originality, even having been compared to those of Beethoven….

** 1765 - birth of Jacob Johann Ryba Przesstiez (Bohemia)
cellist, violinist & organist. Prolific composer.

** 1822 - birth of Guglielmo Quarenghi (Italy) d.1882 {birth often mistakenly given as 22 Oct 1826}
cellist, opera orchestra principal cello, composer, maestro di cappella & professor

** 1852 - birth of Joseph Holmann (Maastricht, Holland) d.1927
cellist, orchestral cellist {based Paris}

** 1901 - Jacques Renard was cello soloist in August Lindner - Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op 34 {Proms premiere}, with The New Queen’s Hall Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood {Prom Concert, Queen’s Hall, London}

** 1939 - in the National Gallery, London, a cello recital was given by Gaspar Cassado (cello) and Gerald Moore (piano).

** 1942 - birth of David {Charles} Johnson (Edinburgh)
cellist, composer, musicologist and scholar with a special interest in 18th century Scottish music

** 1958 - birth of Xenia Jankovic (Niš, Serbia)
cellist & teacher {based Serbia-Russia}

** 1973 - first performance of Boris Blacher - Blues.Espagnola-Ruma Philharmonica, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Tokyo)

** 1978 - a Reid Chamber Concert took place on today’s date at the Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh) with Raphael Wallfisch - cello and Richard Markham - piano. The most interesting programme consisted of Brahms - Cello Sonata in D Major, Op.78, Kenneth Leighton - Solo Cello Sonata, Op.52, Faure - Theme and Variations in C# minor, Op.73 for piano solo, and Martinu - Cello Sonata No.1

27 October

** 1871 - soloist Bernhard Cossmann performed the Schumann Cello Concerto in a Frankfurt on 27th October, 1871, probably still one of the first ever performances world-wide of this work.

** 1883 - second performance of Grieg - Cello Sonata, Op.36
Julius Klengel/cello with composer at piano (Germany - Leipzig)   

** 1883 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Patey (vocal) with Mr Edward Howell (cello).

** 1903- at the Liverpool Philharmonic Society (England) featured soloists were Dr Theo. Lierhammer (vocal) and Mr Jean Gerardy (cello) who gave the first performance of Joseph Jongen - Cello Concerto.

** 1919 - first performance of Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85  
soloist Felix Salmond with London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by A. Coates  

** 1919 - first performance of Hindemith - Cello Sonata No.1, Op.11/3
(Frankfurt-am-Main)

** 1939 - in the Manor Hall, Sidmouth (England), a recital was given by Cassado (cello) and Ernest Lush (piano).

** 1957 - first performance of Einojuhani Rautavaara - Two Preludes and Fugues for cello and piano
(Helsinki)

** 1958 - birth of Felix Wurman (Chicago, Illinois, USA) d.2009
cellist and composer

** 1969 - birth of Nina Kotova (Moscow)
cellist, composer, arranger…and former photographic model!

** 1975 - birth of Max Lilja (Vantaa, Finland) 
‘modern’ cellist (Apocalyptica)

** 1987 - birth of Kílian Jornet Burgada (Sabadell, Catalonia)
elite Spanish athlete competing in mountain skiing, mountain running and trail running - and a cellist….(he studied with Lluis Claret!)

28 October

** 1682 - birth of Gregor ChristophEylenstein (Gelmroda, near Weimar, Germany)
cellist, bass viol player, chamber-musician to Duke of Saxe-Weimar {father of an instrument maker}

** 1728 - birth of (Elector) Maximilian Joseph d.1788
violinist, cellist and viola da gamba

** 1807 - birth of Cyprian Romberg (Germany) d.1865 {nephew of cellist Bernhard Romberg}
cellist

** 1854 - birth of Richard Seitz (Gera, Saxony, Germany)
cellist, solo cello of the Royal Chapel of Stuttgart, cello professor Stuttgart Conservatoire, member of Stuttgart Trio

** 1888 - premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite, Op.35 {the work features - in places - an important orchestral principal cello line}
first performance conducted by the composer (St. Petersburg)

** 1891 - on this day a positive review for Jean Gérardy, but an abysmal review of the composition he played! The ‘Liverpool Mercury’ newspaper   reported of the ‘Liverpool Philharmonic Society’ concert:
 “The so-called violoncello concerto of Volkmann is not a thing even of transient beauty. So far from being in concerto form, it is an elaborate solo with a feeble and unmeaning orchestral background. Master Jean Gérardy was on this occasion introduced to a Liverpool audience for the first time, not, be it observed, as a prodigy among infants, but as a player to be measured by the standard which Piatti, Servais, DeSwert, Hollmann, and Vieuxtemps have passed.”

** 1893 - orchestral version completed of Antonín Dvořák - Klid (Silent Woods) Op.68/5 

** 1899 - in the Queen’s Hall Symphony Concerts (London) the performance featured the cello soloist Paul Bazelaire, with vocal soloists Miss Lillian Blauvelt, Miss May Williamson and Mr Ellison van Hoose. This concert included the the first English performances of Tchaikovsky, Symphonic Poem, op. 77 'Fatum', and Tchaikovsky, and the Duo 'Roméo et Juliette'.

** 1909 - Felix Salmond made his official London recital début at the Wigmore Hall, playing Beethoven’s A Major Sonata, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, Popper’s Tarantella, Fauré’s Élégie and Bridge’s Serenade with his mother, who also contributed some solos. The Times noted “the beauty of his tone and the smoothness of his phrasing”

** 1938 - birth of Laurence Lesser (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)
cellist, chamber musician,pedagogue and jury member at international competitions

** 1967 - on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording the Frank Martin - Cello Concerto, with the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by (?) (the other recording days were previously on the 26th of the month, and perhaps also the 25th)

** 1970 - birth of Christof Unterberger (Bregenz, Austria)
cellist and film composer

** 1973 - in the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London South Bank), a recital was given by Thomas Igloi (cello) and Clifford Benson (piano)

** 1985 - birth of Tina Guo (Shanghai, China)
cellist (classical-modern) & erdu

** 1994 - birth of Szymon Chodyniecki (Nysa, Poland) {also known as the South Blunt System}
vocalist , songwriter and songwriter, multi-instrumentalist including cellist, composer and music producer

29 October

** 1820 - birth of August Lindner (Dessau, Germany)
cellist, court cellist & composer {he also edited the Corelli D-Minor Sonata and Handel Sonatas}

** 1839 - Alfredo Piatti performed his ‘Niobe Capriccio’ (official title: Capriccio on a Theme from Pacini's 'Niobe' in D Major) in a public performance in Milan - the artist was not yet eighteen years old! He had dedicsted the composition to his older colleague Guglielmo Quarenghi

** 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 with  Madame Kate Cove

** 1910 - the Brahms - Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Franz von Vecsey & Paul Grümmer with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

** 1928 - the Brahms - Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Carl Flesch and G. Piatigorsky with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

** 1946 - birth of Roland Pidoux (Paris)
cellist, orchestra principal cello, chamber musician & conductor

** 1947 - on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording Haydn - Cello Concerto in D Major, with the Orchestre de l’Association Artistique des Concerts Colonne conducted by Jean Fournet (the two days of recording in 1947 were 5th June and 29th October)

** 1960 - on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished recording (this the second of two days recordings) Strauss - Don Quixote, Op.35, in Cleveland (U.S.A.), with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell (and with Abraham Skernick as viola soloist)

** 1980 - Rafael Ramos/cello and Carlos Ibarra /piano perform the Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor (1925) of Gaspar Cassadó at the Sociedad Filarmónica, Bilbao, Basque country - the performance was recorded by Spanish National Radio

** 1988 - Dorota Imielowska/cello and Jerzy Lukowicz/piano performed Joaquín Nín - Suite Española in a concert recorded by Spanish National Radio
Auditorio de la Caja de Guipuzcoa, San Sebastián, Basque Country

** 1992 - first performance of Vincent Plush - Barcaldine, for eight cellos (or 8 cellos and electronic tape)
cellists: WATT concert led by cellist John Napier (University of Sydney, BSW, Australia)

30 October

** 1851 - a fantastic reference was written about Carl Leopold Boehm dated on this day. It read:
“His very effective solos and violoncello compositions have been published by Artaria, Mechetti, Witzendorf in Vienna, and Peters in Leipzig. When all the musicians who were not life members of the prince’s chapel were dismissed in conse quence of the revolution in Baden in 1848, and part of their number pensioned, the noble Prince Egon of Fürstenberg retained nine artists for his private chamber music under the direction of the famous W. Kalliwoda, and C. L. Boehm was one of these.” It was signed by Boehm but it is not clear who wrote it!

** 1886 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Mademoiselle Ella Russell (vocal) and Herr Julius Klengel (cello).

** 1898 - in the series of the Sunday Afternoon Orchestral Concerts given at the Queen's Hall, Langham Place, London, featured soloists were Miss Regina Sales and Mr W.H. Squire (cello), with H.W. Richards (organ).

** 1902 - Bertie Withers 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}

** 1916 - the Brahms - Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date in Berlin by soloists Emanuel & Siegmund Feuermann with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Weingartner

** 1918 - in the Steinway Hall (London) a Recital of Poems took place, interpreted by Elisabeth Ann to musical improvisations by Markwell, assisted by Cedric Sharpe (cello) 

** 1926 - in the Saal Bechstein (Berlin) a programme was offered by cellist Arthur Zack

** 1930 - birth of Ottomar Borwitzky (Hamburg, Germany)
cellist,  principal cellist with the Berlin Philharmonic 1956-1993, member of ‘The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic’ 

** 1946 - first performance of Khachaturian - Cello Concerto in E minor      
soloist Sviatoslav Knouchevitski, conducted by Aleksandr Gauk (Moscow, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory)

** 1949 - Leopold Teraspulsky was the permanent cellist in “Lost in the Stars” which was premiered on this day in the Music Box Theatre  (New York ‘Broadway’). Lost in the Stars is a musical with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson and music by Kurt Weill. It was considered a big success, closing on July 1st, 1950, after 281 performances!

** 1957 - first performance of Bloch - Solo Cello Suite No.2
soloist - Zara Nelsova (BBC recording, England)

** 1957 - first public performance of Ross Lee Finney - Chromatic Fantasy for cello
(Corcoran Gallery, Washington, USA)

** 1960 - birth of Marco Boni (Camposampiero, Italy)
cellist and conductor (he also srudied French horn!), a founder of the group ‘Virtuosi Italiani’, where he played as principal cello soloist.  Principal cello Orchestra of Teatro Comunale, Bologna. In 1994, when he was nominated Principal Conductor of the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra in Amsterdam, whom he toured with all over the world.

** 1972 - on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, in the London Abbey Road Studios, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult (the other recording day was the previous day)

** 1977 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a (solo) recital was given by cellist Fritz Magg

** 1983 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Bonnie Mangold, with Marilyn Mangold Garst /piano

** 1983 - first public performance by the cello/piano duo Raphael Wallfisch-John York
(Rangers House, Blackheath, London)

31 October

** 1689 - on 31st October of this year Giuseppe Maria Jacchini became a regular cellist of the orchestra at the church of San Petronio in Bologna; however, it is likely that he was sometimes hired as an extra cellist on occasions before that.

** 1793 - on this day cellist (Walter?) Clagget gave a “Discourse on Musick”, which took place at Clagget’s Attic Consort, probably in London

** 1953 - at Worcester College, Oxford (England) a recital was given by Antonia Butler (cello) and Norman Greenwood (piano) 

** 1956 - Christopher Bunting performed Finzi - Cello Concerto with the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by John Barbirolli (in Manchester)

** 1957 - Florence Hooton was solo cellist in Kenneth Leighton - Cello Concerto, with The Reid Orchestra conducted by Sidney Newnan, at the Reid School of Music (Edinburgh). Also in the programme were works of Mozart and Brahms.

** 1964 - at the Town Hall, Leeds (England) the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (led by John Georgiadis) performed with Alan Loveday (violin) and Amaryllis Fleming (cello) as soloists.

** 1964 - birth of Jan Škrdlík (Ostrava, Czech)
cellist, an artist, a writer and a teacher

** 1982 - first performance of David Ward - Cello Concerto
soloist - Ross Pople with BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Norman del Mar (BBC radio concert broadcast, London)

** 1993 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Sharon Robinson, with Ilana Vered /piano