Historical Events of May 13
13 May
** 1842 – birth of Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (Lambeth, London) d.1900
English composer. He is best known for 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. His works include 24 operas, 11 major orchestral works, ten choral works and oratorios, two ballets, incidental music to several plays, and numerous church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. His hymns and songs include "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord".
The cello seems to have been Sullivan’s favourite solo instrument and he himself owned a cello and his brother Frederic, with whom he was close, played the cello semi-professionally. Sullivan only wrote one concerto and that was for the cello. The other substantial recital piece he composed was also for the cello, his Duo Concertante, dating from 1868. Although it is in one movement, there are two sections. It begins with a bold Andante and is followed by an extended Allegro moderato. The work bursts with melody and boasts a marvellous interplay between the instruments which the title of the work suggests.
** 1852 - birth of Julius Leopold Loeb (Strasburg, Alsace, France)
cellist, principal cello in the Paris Opera Orchestra, cellist of Marsick String Quartet
** 1854 - birth of Paul Klengel (Leipzig) d.1935
violinist, violist, pianist, conductor, composer, editor and arranger {brother of cellist Julius Klengel}; a "house arranger" for Simrock, Brahms' music publisher - he probably arranged Brahms' G Major Violin Sonata Op. 78 for cello, transposed into D Major (often republished as arranged by Brahms).
** 1856 - on this day Clara Schumann played with Alfredo Piatti for the first time in duo together in public, at the ‘Musical Union’. After this concert Piatti came to play Robert Schumann’s compositions much more regularly, and was in due course entrusted to give the British premiere of his Cello Concerto in A minor in April 1866.
** 1884 - birth of Otto Urack (Berlin) d.1963
cellist, orchestra principal cello, composer & conductor
** 1888 - birth of Theodore du Moulin (Chicago, USA) d.1978
cellist, orchestra principal cello & chamber musician
** 1896 - in the London Queen’s Hall there took place a ‘Miss Harding’s Concert’ - this was a vocal recital, given by Miss Harding, Mrs Emslie-Cran, Mr David Bispham, Mr Theodore Byard and Mr Jack Robertson, but also featured cello solos performed by Monsieur Hollman, the whole accompanied by Mr Henry Bird. The performance also included a recitation by Miss Fay Davis.
** 1922 - first performance of Fauré - Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.117
Gérard Hekking/cello and Alfred Cortot/piano (Paris, Société Nationale de Musique). The music was dedicated to Charles Martin Loeffler (1861–1935).
** 1933 - one of the most unusual cellist events in history on this day! Solo cellist Beatrice Harrison organized “A Nightingale Festival” in aid of The Royal Society for the Protection of Wild Birds, and with the assistance of the Gramophone Company (His Master’s Voice). It is understood that the event, starting at 4.00pm that Saturday lasted all night until Sunday dawn, during which time the cellist tried to enter conversation by her cello once again with the singing of the nightingales (and other birds)
** 1953 - Mstislav Rostropovich/cello and Sviatoslav Richter/piano play all five Beethoven cello sonatas in a single concert performance
(St. Petersburg)
** 1967 - on this day cellist Pierre Fournier finished the recording in Lucerne of Haydn - Cello Concerto in C Major, with the Lucerne Festival Strings, conducted by Rudolf Baumgarther with the Lucerne Festival conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner (he started the recording the previous day)
** 1979 – cellist Nathaniel Rosen performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Marriner), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)
** 1996 - last British performance of Daniel Shafran (with pianist Anton Ginsburg, Wigmore Hall, London)
cello sonatas by Brahms, Schnittke, Britten and others.
