Friedrich August Kummer (5 August 1797 – 22 August 1879), born in Meiningen

Meiningen

Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, was a violoncellist, pedagogue, and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

Childhood and education

As a child, his family moved to Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

 on an invitation by the court chapel to his father, an oboist

Oboist

An oboist is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the cor anglais, oboe d'amore, shawm and oboe musette....

. Kummer, initially an oboist, took an interest in the violoncello and studied with notable performers Friedrich Dotzauer

Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer

Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer was a German cellist and composer.-Life:Born in Haselrieth, near Hildburghausen, to a father who was a church music minister, he learned at a young age to play a number of instruments, including piano, double bass, violin, clarinet, and horn...

 and Bernhard Romberg

Bernhard Romberg

Bernhard Heinrich Romberg , was a German cellist and composer.-Life:Romberg was born at Dinklage. His father, Anton Romberg, played the bassoon and cello and gave Bernhard his first cello lessons. He first performed in public at the age of seven...

.

Career

In 1814 he was admitted into the Dresden chapel as an oboist, since there were no violoncello vacancies. In the same year Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....

 appointed Kummer as a violoncellist at the Royal Opera House.

Kummer became an acclaimed performer and in 1850 he was appointed as the principal violoncellist at the court chapel after Dotzauer retired. Kummer himself retired in 1864.

Method

In 1839 Kummer wrote a method, Violoncelloschule für den ersten Unterricht (Violoncello School for Preliminary Instruction), Op. 60, for the violoncello that to this day remains very popular.

Selected works

• 3 Duos concertans et brillans for violin and cello, Op.15
• 3 Duets for 2 cellos, Op.22
• Souvenir de la Suisse, Concertino for cello and orchestra or string quartet or piano, Op.30
• Adagio et variations sur un thème de l'opéra "I Capuleti ed i Montecchi" de Bellini for cello and piano or string quartet, Op.31
• Duo facile sur des thèmes favoris de l'opéra "Les Huguenots" de Meyerbeer for cello or viola and piano, Op.34
• Pièce fantastique for cello and orchestra or string quartet or piano, Op.36 (1840)
• 8 grosse Etüden (8 Grand Studies) for cello (cello 2 ad lib.), Op.44
• Deux pièces pour les Amateurs de Piano et de Violoncelle, Op.46
• Amusements pour les amateurs de Pianoforte et de Violoncelle (ou Viola) sur des Motifs de l'Opéra "Au fidele Berger" d'Adolphe Adam, Op.53
• Anticipations de la russie, Grande fantaisie sur des thèmes nationaux russes for cello and orchestra, Op.56
• 10 Melodische Etüden (10 Melodious Studies) for cello (cello 2 ad lib.), Op.57
• 2 Duos de concert for violin and cello, Op.67
• Fantaisie sur les motifs de l'opéra "Lucia di Lammermoor" de G. Donizetti for cello or viola and piano, Op.68 (1841)
• Trois morceaux de salon sur des motifs de Henselt, Reissiger, Malibran for cello and piano, Op.69
• Réminiscences de l'opéra "La Favorite" de Donizetti, 2 Pieces for cello and piano, Op.70
• La Cantilena élégie for cello and piano, Op.72
• Concertino en forme d'une scène chantante for cello and piano, Op.73
• Reminiscenses des opéras de Rossini et de Bellini for violin or cello accompanied by string trio or piano, Op.74
• Introduction et polacca brillante, Concert Piece for cello and orchestra or string quartet or piano, Op.75
• Fantaisie sur des motifs de l'opéra Rienzi de Richard Wagner for cello and piano, Op.78
• 4 Morceaux de salon sur des airs nationaux italiens, ecossais, allemands et espagnols for cello and piano, Op.81
• 4 Duets for 2 cellos, Op.103
• 12 Duets for 2 cellos, Op.105
• Studien (Studies) for cello (cello 2 ad lib.), Op.106
• Cantilena ed Allegro moderato alla mazurka for cello and orchestra or string quartet or piano, Op.107
• Grazioso affettuoso for cello and piano, Op.108
• Les soirées du nord sur des airs russes et bohémiens, Fantaisies for cello and piano, Op.115
• Vier Salon-Stücke über Motive aus Rienzi, Holländer & Tannhäuser von Richard Wagner for cello and piano, Op. 119
• 6 Duets for 2 cellos, Op.126
• Fantasie über Küchen's Lieder for cello and piano, Op.130
• Airs célèbres, Transcriptions for cello and piano, Op.142

No.4 Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle air de l'opéra "Der Freischütz" de Weber

• 6 Duets for 2 cellos, Op.156

External links

• Music by Kummer at the International Music Score Library Project. (Sheet music)