Emanuel Feuermann
Encyclopedia
Emanuel Feuermann was an internationally celebrated cellist
in the first half of the 20th century.
and cello, was his first teacher. Feuermann's older brother Sigmund was also musically talented and their father decided to move the family to Vienna
in 1907 so that Sigmund could launch a career. At the age of nine, Feuermann received lessons from Friedrich Buxbaum, principal cello of the Vienna Philharmonic, and then studied with Anton Walter at the Music Academy in Vienna. In February 1914, at age eleven, he made his concert debut, playing Joseph Haydn
's Cello Concerto in D major
with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Felix Weingartner
.
In 1917, Feuermann went to Leipzig
where he studied with the legendary cellist Julius Klengel
. In 1919 cellist Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Grützmacher (1866–1919), the nephew of Friedrich Wilhelm Grützmacher, died, and Klengel recommended Feuermann for Grützmacher's position at the Gürzenich Conservatory in Cologne
. Feuermann also became principal cellist of the Gürzenich Orchestra
, by appointment of its conductor (who was also the conservatory director) Hermann Abendroth
. Feuermann also, as part of the position, became cellist of the Bram Elderling Quartet. At this time, he also joined a short-lived piano trio with his brother and Bruno Walter
, the latter on piano.
In 1929, Feuermann became professor at the Musikhochschule
in Berlin
where he taught for the next four years. His musical collaborations during this time included violinists Carl Flesch
, Szymon Goldberg
, Joseph Wolfsthal and Paul Hindemith
, who played the viola
in a string trio with Feuermann and Wolfsthal. Other collaborators included Jascha Heifetz
, William Primrose
, and Arthur Rubinstein
.
On April 3, 1933, the rise of Nazism
led to his being dismissed from his position at the Berlin Conservatory because of his Jewish background. He moved to London
, along with Goldberg and Hindemith. He toured Japan
and the United States
(New York City
). He then returned to Europe, where he married Eva Reifenberg in 1935. He played the solo part in the premiere of Arnold Schoenberg
's Cello Concerto with Thomas Beecham
conducting. He moved for some time to Zürich
, but happened to be in Vienna at the time of the Anschluss
. Bronislaw Huberman
helped Feuermann and his family escape to British Palestine. From there they moved to the United States in 1937.
He taught privately and at the Curtis Institute of Music
until his death. Among his notable pupils were Bernard Greenhouse
, Suzette Forgues Halasz
, Aldo Parisot
, Alan Shulman
, David Soyer
, and August Wenzinger
.
In the US, he made numerous legendary chamber-music recordings with Jascha Heifetz, Arthur Rubinstein and others. His relationship with Paul Hindemith suffered when Hindemith chose Gregor Piatigorsky
to premiere his Cello Concerto.
Feuermann died in 1942 due to complications in a surgical operation for haemorrhoids.
Jascha Heifetz remarked that talent like Feuermann's comes once every one hundred years. Indeed, when Feuermann died, it was only after seven years that Heifetz collaborated with another cellist, Piatigorsky. Artur Rubinstein also declared Feuermann to be "the greatest cellist of all time", also making a direct comparison with Pablo Casals
. Of course, Heifetz and Rubinstein were long time collaborator of Feuermann's, most notably in their trio ensemble.
During his first tour of the United States in 1935-36, Feuermann met with enthusiastic reviews from music critics. After a 1938 Proms
performance in London, critic Reid Steward of The Strad wrote "I do not think there can any longer be doubt that Feuermann is the greatest living cellist, Casals
alone excepted..."
The honorary pallbearers at his funeral included some of the greatest musicians of his time: the pianists Rudolf Serkin
and Artur Schnabel
, the violinists Mischa Elman and Bronislaw Huberman, and the conductors George Szell
, Eugene Ormandy
, and Arturo Toscanini
. During the procession, Toscanini broke down and cried, "This is murder!"
In a 1954 discussion with José Maria Corredor, when asked which cellists he particularly admired, Pablo Casals
said, "What a great artist Feuermann was! His early death was a great loss to music."
in 1735. This instrument, which continues to bear his name, is today in the hands of a Swiss cellist and collector.
It was larger and wider than the Tecchler.
Feuermann later owned the De Munck Stradivarius
cello built in 1730. It is currently on extended loan from the Nippon Foundation to the cellist Steven Isserlis
.
Feuermann is also said to have owned and played a Gofriller cello, later owned by American cellist Joseph Schuster
; from Schuster, it passed to Jascha Silberstein
.
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
in the first half of the 20th century.
Biography
Both of Feuermann's parents were amateur musicians. Feuermann's father, who played the violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and cello, was his first teacher. Feuermann's older brother Sigmund was also musically talented and their father decided to move the family to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1907 so that Sigmund could launch a career. At the age of nine, Feuermann received lessons from Friedrich Buxbaum, principal cello of the Vienna Philharmonic, and then studied with Anton Walter at the Music Academy in Vienna. In February 1914, at age eleven, he made his concert debut, playing Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's Cello Concerto in D major
Cello Concerto No. 2 (Haydn)
Joseph Haydn's Concerto No. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIIb/2, for cello and orchestra was composed in 1783 for Antonín Kraft, a cellist of Prince Nikolaus's Esterházy Orchestra....
with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Felix Weingartner
Felix Weingartner
Paul Felix von Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist.-Biography:...
.
In 1917, Feuermann went to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
where he studied with the legendary cellist Julius Klengel
Julius Klengel
Julius Klengel was a German cellist who is most famous for his etudes and solo pieces written for the instrument. He was the brother of Paul Klengel....
. In 1919 cellist Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Grützmacher (1866–1919), the nephew of Friedrich Wilhelm Grützmacher, died, and Klengel recommended Feuermann for Grützmacher's position at the Gürzenich Conservatory in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Feuermann also became principal cellist of the Gürzenich Orchestra
Gürzenich Orchestra
The Gürzenich-Orchester Köln is a symphony orchestra based in Cologne, Germany. On some recordings, the orchestra goes under the name "Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker"...
, by appointment of its conductor (who was also the conservatory director) Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a German conductor.-Early life:Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to a family which had already produced other artistic figures of divers disciplines...
. Feuermann also, as part of the position, became cellist of the Bram Elderling Quartet. At this time, he also joined a short-lived piano trio with his brother and Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
, the latter on piano.
In 1929, Feuermann became professor at the Musikhochschule
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
where he taught for the next four years. His musical collaborations during this time included violinists Carl Flesch
Carl Flesch
Carl Flesch was a violinist and teacher.Carl Flesch was born in Moson in Hungary in 1873. He began playing the violin at seven years of age. At 10, he was taken to Vienna, and began to study with Jakob Grün. At 17, he left for Paris, and joined the Paris Conservatoire...
, Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg was a Polish-born American violinist and conductor.Born in Włocławek, Congress Poland, Goldberg played the violin as a child growing up in Warsaw...
, Joseph Wolfsthal and Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, who played the viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
in a string trio with Feuermann and Wolfsthal. Other collaborators included Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
, William Primrose
William Primrose
William Primrose CBE was a Scottish violist and teacher.-Biography:Primrose was born in Glasgow and studied violin initially. In 1919 he moved to study at the then Guildhall School of Music in London. On the urging of the accompanist Ivor Newton, Primrose moved to Belgium to study under Eugène...
, and Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
.
On April 3, 1933, the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
led to his being dismissed from his position at the Berlin Conservatory because of his Jewish background. He moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, along with Goldberg and Hindemith. He toured Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
). He then returned to Europe, where he married Eva Reifenberg in 1935. He played the solo part in the premiere of Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's Cello Concerto with Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
conducting. He moved for some time to Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, but happened to be in Vienna at the time of the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
. Bronislaw Huberman
Bronislaw Huberman
Bronisław Huberman was a Jewish Polish violinist. He was known for his individualistic and personal interpretations and was praised for his tone color, expressiveness, and flexibility...
helped Feuermann and his family escape to British Palestine. From there they moved to the United States in 1937.
He taught privately and at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
until his death. Among his notable pupils were Bernard Greenhouse
Bernard Greenhouse
Bernard Greenhouse was an American cellist and one of the founding members of the Beaux Arts Trio.-Life:Greenhouse was born in Newark, New Jersey. He started his professional studies with Felix Salmond at the Juilliard School when he was eighteen...
, Suzette Forgues Halasz
Suzette Forgues Halasz
Suzette Forgues Halasz was a Canadian cellist and music educator. She held the post of principal cellist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1942–1946 and worked in the same capacity at the New York City Opera for many years...
, Aldo Parisot
Aldo Parisot
Aldo Simoes Parisot is a Brazilian-born American cellist and cello teacher, was formerly a member of the Juilliard School faculty, and currently is serving as a professor of music at the Yale School of Music....
, Alan Shulman
Alan Shulman
Alan Shulman was an American composer and cello virtuoso. He wrote a considerable amount of symphonic music, chamber music, and jazz music. Trumpeter Eddie Bailey said, "Alan had the greatest ear of any musician I ever came across. He had better than perfect pitch...
, David Soyer
David Soyer
David Soyer was an American cellist.He was born in Philadelphia and began playing the piano at the age of nine. At 11, he started the cello. One of his first teachers was Diran Alexanian. Later on he studied with Emanuel Feuermann and Pablo Casals...
, and August Wenzinger
August Wenzinger
August Wenzinger was a prominent cellist, viol player, conductor, teacher, and music scholar from Basel, Switzerland. He was a pioneer of historically informed performance, both as a master of the viola da gamba and as a conductor of Baroque orchestral music and operas.Wenzinger received his...
.
In the US, he made numerous legendary chamber-music recordings with Jascha Heifetz, Arthur Rubinstein and others. His relationship with Paul Hindemith suffered when Hindemith chose Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-born American cellist.-Early life:...
to premiere his Cello Concerto.
Feuermann died in 1942 due to complications in a surgical operation for haemorrhoids.
Evaluation
Klengel wrote of Feuermann, "Of all those who have been entrusted to my guardianship, there has never been such a talent...our divinely favoured artist and lovable young man."Jascha Heifetz remarked that talent like Feuermann's comes once every one hundred years. Indeed, when Feuermann died, it was only after seven years that Heifetz collaborated with another cellist, Piatigorsky. Artur Rubinstein also declared Feuermann to be "the greatest cellist of all time", also making a direct comparison with Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
. Of course, Heifetz and Rubinstein were long time collaborator of Feuermann's, most notably in their trio ensemble.
During his first tour of the United States in 1935-36, Feuermann met with enthusiastic reviews from music critics. After a 1938 Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
performance in London, critic Reid Steward of The Strad wrote "I do not think there can any longer be doubt that Feuermann is the greatest living cellist, Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
alone excepted..."
The honorary pallbearers at his funeral included some of the greatest musicians of his time: the pianists Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
and Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
, the violinists Mischa Elman and Bronislaw Huberman, and the conductors George Szell
George Szell
George Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
, Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, and Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
. During the procession, Toscanini broke down and cried, "This is murder!"
In a 1954 discussion with José Maria Corredor, when asked which cellists he particularly admired, Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
said, "What a great artist Feuermann was! His early death was a great loss to music."
Feuermann's Cello
In 1929, Feuermann purchased a cello made by David Tecchler in Rome in 1741. From 1932, Feuermann also owned an instrument made by another Venetian master luthier Domenico MontagnanaDomenico Montagnana
Domenico Montagnana was an Italian master luthier based in Venice, Italy. He is regarded as one of the world's finest violin and cello makers of his time....
in 1735. This instrument, which continues to bear his name, is today in the hands of a Swiss cellist and collector.
It was larger and wider than the Tecchler.
Feuermann later owned the De Munck Stradivarius
De Munck Stradivarius
The De Munck; Feuermann; Gardiner Stradivarius of 1730 is an antique cello crafted by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari....
cello built in 1730. It is currently on extended loan from the Nippon Foundation to the cellist Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
.
Feuermann is also said to have owned and played a Gofriller cello, later owned by American cellist Joseph Schuster
Joseph Schuster
Joseph Schuster is a cellist born in Constantinople of Russian descent.-Biography:On a trip through Russia, the famous Russian composer Alexander Glazunov heard young Schuster and was impressed with his talent. With Glazunov's help, Schuster entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music at the...
; from Schuster, it passed to Jascha Silberstein
Jascha Silberstein
Jascha Silberstein was a German-born American musician. He was for thirty years first cellist of the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City....
.
External links
- Notes on Interpretation by Emanuel Feuermann performing Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Rondo Op. 94 and David PopperDavid PopperDavid Popper was a Bohemian cellist and composer.-Life:He was born in Prague, and studied music at the Prague Conservatory. He studied the cello under Julius Goltermann , and soon attracted attention...
's Spinning Song, with Theodore Saidenberg at the pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...