Historical Events of April 1
1 April
** 1721 - Giovanni Perroni enters the Imperial Chapel, Vienna, as violoncellist and composer. His known works include eight oratorios, three operas, a song cycle, and an early cello concerto. His Cello Concerto in D minor was premiered in Vienna in 1712 and consists of three/four movements with a written sort of cadenza as an extra third movement before the finale. The work remains an occasional part of the cello concert repertoire
** 1767 - The ‘Mercure de France’ announces the publication in Paris of the String Quartets Op.1 by Luigi Boccherini
** 1784 - Contemporary reviews of the 1784 concerts at which James Cervetto performed the ‘new’ Haydn D Major Cello Concerto stress how Haydn’s score was ideally matched to James Cervetto’s expressive powers, opening up the possibility that Haydn specifically conceived the concerto with knowledge of Cervetto’s known strengths. On 1st April, 1784, the Morning Herald wrote: “‘Cervetto’s violoncello concerto brought with it (as we expected) the grace, the solemn strength, and the sublimity of music’ showing the clear possibility that the concerto was ‘conceived’ for him. Interestingly, a German reviewer used equivalent language (Magazin derMusik): ‘Ein Violoncell-Concert von Cervetto ward mit derWürde, feyerlichen Stärke und Hoheit derMusic vorgetragen, als man es von demselben gewohnt ist’.
** 1868 - on this day cellist Jacques Rensburg was officially given the posts of principal cello of the Orchestra of the Gürzenich Concerts and of cello professor in the Rhenish School of Music, Cologne, after having served both posts on a temporary basis.
** 1876 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Madame Bianca Blume and Madame Patey (vocal) with Signor Piatti (cello) performing the first English performance of Raff - Cello Concerto No.1. The programme also included the first performance of Alfred Holmes - Concert Overture ‘Les Muses’
** 1888 - Bohemian cellist Ludwig Ebert retires from the position of cello professor at the ‘Conservatoire of the Rhenish Metropolis’, after simultaneously working as orchestra principal cello, but continued to teach from his home, which became Coblenz.
** 1897 - cellist May Mukle, still only 16 years old, she gave a concert in the Queen's Hall under Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the director of the Royal Academy of Music, with the adagio and finale from Antonín Dvořák's cello concerto.
** 1903 - birth of Frieda Litschauer-Krause (Vienna) d.1992
cellist, principal cello of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, chamber music player in string quartets, Professor at the Vienna Conservatory; also played viola da gamba. In 1966 she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art {mother of cellist Heidi Litschauer}
** 1924 - On 1st April 1924 former orchestral principal cellist Rudolf Krasselt became General Music Director at the Staatsoper Hannover and at the beginning of the new season 1924/1925 Opera Director and in 1934 Opera Director. At the instigation of the Nazi regime, he went into (early) retirement on 11th July 1943. In the final phase of the Second World War, Hitler accepted him into the Gottbegnadeten list of the most important conductors in August 1944, which saved Krasselt from a war mission, also on the Heimatfront.
** 1937 - cellist Enrico Mainardi performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Pizzetti - Cello Concerto. Concert in Amsterdam, conducted by Eduard van Beinum
** 1937 - on this day German cellist Ludwig Hoelscher became (cello) professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, still only in his 20s!
** 1947 - William Pleeth (cello) and Margaret Good (piano) performed in the London - Wigmore Hall in a programme including Rubbra - Cello Sonata, Op.60
** 1955 - composer Gordon Jacob finished his Concerto for cello and strings on this day, a work dedicated to Florence Hooton
** 1964 – Spanish cellist Santos Gandía Lahidalga became the holder of the Commandery of Alfonso (“Encomienda de Alfonso X el Sabio”)
** 1966 - on this day cellist Antonio Janigro made a live recording, with Yehudi Menuhi - violin, of Brahms - Double Concerto in A minor, with the Zagreb Philharmonie, conducted by Milan Horvat
** 1980 - composer Gordon Jacob finished his ‘Cello Serenade’ for Solo Violoncello on this day, a work dedicated to Ross Pople
