Joseph Adamowski, born in 1862 in Warsaw, perfected his studies—after he had attended the music school in his native city for some time—under Fitzenhagen, at the Moscow Conservatoire, in the years 1877-1883. On his leaving he was distinguished by the presentation of a diploma and of the great silver medal. After he had made some Concert journeys in Poland and Galicia, he was appointed teacher at the Cracow Conservatoire, to which he belonged until 1887. Since then he has been without a post and is only engaged as a Concert player. Adamowski has the reputation of being a clever Violoncellist.
Of Hungarian Violoncellists, only Kletzer and Hegyesi have made themselves known beyond their own country.
Fery Kletzer, born in 1830 in Hungary, travelled during his sixteenth year giving concerts. His performances showed more than ordinary talent, but were wanting in the higher artistic training. He attained, however, to a certain reputation, as his name was at the time frequently mentioned in the newspapers. Since then he has disappeared from public life.
Louis Hegyesi holds a much higher position. He was born on November 3, 1853, at Arpas; at eight years of age he went to Vienna, and there received his first instruction from the Violoncellist, Denis. Later on, he was received into the Vienna Conservatoire and thus became Schlesinger’s pupil. In order still further to prosecute his training he went, in 1865, to Franchomme in Paris. The outbreak of the Franco-German war obliged him, in the summer of 1870, to return to Vienna, where he found a post in the orchestra of the Grand Opera. Five years later he took Hilpert’s place in the Florentine Quartet, to which he belonged until it was dissolved. From that time Hegyesi has travelled as a soloist. In 1887 he responded to an invitation to Cologne as first Cellist of the Gürzenich Concerts and teacher at the Rhenish School of Music.
CONCLUSION.
In taking a retrospective glance at the progressive development which Violoncello playing has displayed from the beginning of the present century, it is evident that this branch of Art has reached so great a degree of perfection that it seems scarcely possible it can rise much higher. This result is not only to be ascribed to the deserving work of the leading Violoncellists—and here must be called to mind, besides Romberg and Dotzauer, pre-eminently Friedrich Kummer, Aug. Franchomme, and François Servais—but also to those famous German composers who brought the Violoncello within the sphere of their productions.
Already had Haydn and Mozart appropriated to this noble instrument, in their String Quartets, passages which contributed to the furtherance of the technique and the possibility of expression. Beethoven went much farther even than this. Not only in his String and Pianoforte Trios, as well as in his Quartets, but also in his Sonatas (Op. 5,[142] 69, and 102) and in the so-called Triple Concerto (Op. 56), he increased the demands on the Violoncello to such an extent that in certain respects a real impulse was given to the artistic manipulation of the instrument. At the same time, the works referred to had a stimulating effect on the productive work of the future in the field of Cello compositions, which received a considerable accession in regard to Sonatas especially. We will note here only the names of the best known composers, who used their genius in this direction. They follow in alphabetical order: W. Sterndale Bennett, Joh. Brahms, Fr. Chopin, Fr. Gernsheim, Edv. Grieg, Ferd. Hiller, Friedrich Kiel, Franz Lachner, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Ignaz Moscheles, Georg Onslow, Joachim Raff, Karl Reinecke, Jos. Rheinberger, Ant. Rubinstein, Charles Saint-Saëns, Xaver Scharwenka, Bernhard Scholz, and W. Taubert.
The following have written Concertos for the Violoncello: Albert Dietrich, E. Eckert, Bernh. Molique, Joach. Raff, Karl Reinecke, Anton Rubinstein, Saint-Saëns, Robert Schumann, W. Taubert, and Rob. Volkmann. The Concerto which has lately appeared by Joh. Brahms, for Violin and Violoncello, must also be mentioned.
Besides these there exist a number, by no means small, of greater and lesser Cello compositions, which deserve to be prominently brought forward—as, for example: Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei,” Op. 47; Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise Brilliant, Op. 3, and Duo Concertant on Themes from “Robert le Diable” (the Cello part is Franchomme’s production); Fr. Gernsheim’s Hebrew song, “Elohenu”; Ferd. Hiller’s Concertstück, Op. 104; Duo for Pianoforte and Violoncello, Op. 22, and two Serenades, Op. 109; Fr. Lachner’s Serenade for four Violoncellos, Op. 29, and Elegy for five Violoncellos, Op. 160; Limmer’s Trio for three Violoncellos and Quartet for four Violoncellos; M. Marx’s three Quartets for four Violoncellos; Maurer’s Nocturne for four Violoncellos; Felix Mendelssohn’s Variations for Pianoforte and Violoncello, Op. 17; Ign. Moscheles’s Duo Concertant, Op. 34; L. Pape’s six Serenades for four Violoncellos; F. E. Reinecke’s “Three Pieces,” Op. 146; Ferd. Ries’s “Air russe varié,” as well as Introduction and Rondo “Sur une danse russe”; Rob. Schumann’s five “Stücke im Volkston,” Op. 102; and likewise L. Spohr’s Potpourri for Violin and Violoncello on Themes from “Jessonda.”[143]