During the 1830’s the German cellist Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer (1783-1860), known today only for his collection of “113 Studies” for the cello and his pedagogical cello method, wrote a series of arrangements for two cellos based on the most popular opera melodies by Rossini, Weber and Meyerbeer. These “Airs favoris”, as the composer called them, were the first of many compositions of this type written by cellists during the 19th century. They fitted perfectly in the tradition of Salon Music, so cultivated by the contemporary pianists, and enriched enormously the cello repertoire in the 19th century, an instrument which up to then possessed a repertoire limited to baroque continuo sonatas and a few original compositions by major composers. These pieces were presented with different instrumental combinations, either ensemble or piano, and were intended to mix the dramatic and virtuosic qualities of the instrument, in a musical language that was accessible to most audiences, who could recognize in the music elements of the contemporary opera or folk tradition. The so well established tradition of piano playing, where the performers were also the composers, was followed by other instrumentalists, who in some cases limited their repertory only to their own compositions. The famous cellists of the time did a lot of touring in which most of the pieces on the program were composed by themselves, giving very little importance to works written by other composers. There was, however a lot of interaction among cellists and pianists, which in some cases, eventually led to collaboration or inspiration in the creation of a composition. In most cases, because of their non so popular musical language, these pieces did not find their way so easily in concert repertoire of the 19th century, but today stand as major contributions to the cello literature. On the other hand, the prolific compositional production of the 19th century cellists-composers so popular among audiences of the time, has been almost totally forgotten and neglected, with very few surviving samples used exclusively for technical instrumental study or historical accounts.

It is often mentioned that the cello literature of the 19th century is very limited, and compared to the immense amount of piano repertoire, this is certainly true. However, according to the “Cumulative Volumes of Hofmeister” ,[1]there exist at least 322 Sonatas for cello and piano written between 1800 and 1897. The concerto literature is also numerous, with about 40 original compositions in the repertoire. This repertoire has been banished from the concert programs of our times, due mainly to the fact that the taste of contemporary audiences, more academically trained, will not approve of such music as meeting the concert requirements of our time. It is certainly not great music, but they are nevertheless very charming compositions that appeal to a less musically trained audience and certainly provides a contrast to the more academic works of the repertoire.

Being an instrument with more of a melodic than harmonic role, the training of cellists tended to point towards the cantabile and virtuoso qualities of the instrument. Cellists were more interested in dazzling the public with flashy virtuosity and a velvety tone than in profound musical thought. Their training reflected more that of an opera singer, rather than that of pianists, who had been playing Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven Sonatas since their elementary stages.

The instrumental training left a definite mark in the compositional style of all the composers: In general pianists tended to favor a more academic style of composition than other instrumentalists, whose compositions explored more of the cantabile and virtuoso qualities.

Since most famous instrumentalists in the 19th century were also composers, collaboration in composition seemed to be a highly unlikely thought. Their egos will opposed any kind of spontaneous creativity on both parts. Although it is well documented that the great pianist-composers of the time shared the stage with major cello figures like Popper, Piatti, Servais, Davidof and others, the musical collaboration among them did not go any further than that. The more interesting interaction between cellists and composers took place between the major pianists-composers and the not so famous, but equally great, cellists of the 19th century. Those cellists, who in some cases were chamber players, seemed to share a more similar approach in musical thought with the great composers of the time, and their compositions (although also mostly neglected in this century) show a very different vein than that of pure virtuosism and big tone. Since they were not neither famous cellists, teachers or composers, their names have gradually been forgotten and their importance in the development of the major repertoire has been highly underrated. It is interesting to point out that in the 20th century the interaction and collaboration of instrumentalists and composers has been completely different. The trend of specialization in our century has influenced music so much that (except for pop music) the performer and the composers are completely separate identities, who can collaborate into any musical production without getting in the way of one another. Nowadays the performers, who generally do not write music, play works written by composers, who, with a few exceptions, are not performers. It is also interesting to note that with the outcome of the recording industry, performers and composers will both have a definite presence in posterity, and the popularity of the former will probably outgrow the latter.

In general it could be said that the interaction between cellists and composers in the 19th century could be divided into four categories:

• Very often the major composers shared the stage with the major cello figures of the time, to interpret music written by older masters or themselves.
• Some composers dedicated pieces to personal friends that happen to be amateur cellists.
• Many major composers were inspired by the playing of great cellists to write a work or a part of a large chamber work with that interpreter in mind. The resulting works were not always dedicated to the players. This was perhaps the most common type of interaction.
• Because of respect and friendship, both composers and cellists collaborated in the making of a new work. This usually led to misunderstanding and various versions of the same composition.

It should be said that the musical training of the major composers in the 18th and 19th century almost always included the study of a complementary musical instrument. It is known that Beethoven and Mozart enjoyed playing the viola in string quartets, and that Brahms, Schumann and Lalo studied the cello in their earlier stages. This probably explains the early appearance of cello works or interesting cello chamber parts in the works of Brahms and the consistent attention given to the instrument by both Schumann and Lalo.

I will discuss some of these musical interactions in relevance to the composition of major works for the cello in the 19th century. My approach intents to cover a selection of major works written for the instrument during that century.

[1] William S. Newman: The Sonata since Beethoven. Tercera Edición. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. London. 1983. pág. 94