Adrien-François Servais

Adrien-François Servais (6 June 180726 November 1866) was one of the most influential cellists of the nineteenth century. He was born and died in Halle, Belgium. He is one of the founders of the Modern Cellistic Schools of Paris and Madrid, which began with his friend Auguste Franchomme and his disciple Víctor Mirecki Larramat. His compositions are still being studied, performed and recorded all over the world.

Biography

Servais was originally trained as a violinist before switching to the cello. Known by his contemporaries for his virtuosity and excessive vibrato, he was given the gift of a Stradivarius cello from 1701, which today bears his name. He is also known as the first cellist to adopt the bassists' use of an endpin because of the large size of his Stradivarius. (The use of the endpin was, however, not generally adopted by most cellists until the early 20th century. For instance, Carlo Alfredo Piatti never used an endpin, though its use by Lisa Cristiani in the 1840s and 1850s did popularize it for female cellists.) He composed numerous works for his instrument, including four concerti and nearly twenty duos for two cellos or for cello and violin. Hector Berlioz later referred to Servais as "the Niccolò Paganini of the cello".

Some years after his death in 1866, Servais was honored by his home town of Halle, where a statue of him was placed on its central market square by his son-in-law, Professor Cyprian Godebski.

The South-West Brabant Museum in Halle has a collection on his life and work.Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen
Zuidwestbrabants Museum

Works

*Own Compositions
**''Fantaisie sur un thème favori'', Op. 1 for cello and piano - also for cello and harp
**''Souvenir de Spa, fantaisie'', Op. 2 for cello and piano - also cello and quartet
**''Le Comte Ory. Caprice'', Op. 3 for cello and piano - also for two cellos
**''Fantaisie et Variations brillantes sur la Valse de Schubert'', Intitulée Le Désir, Op. 4 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Concerto (en Si mineur)'' Op. 5 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Le Barbier de Séville'', Grande Fantaisie, Op. 6 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''Andante cantabile et Rondo à la Mazurka sur un Air de Balfe'', Op. 7 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Fantaisie Characteristique sur deux célèbres Romances de Lafont'', Op. 8 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''Fantaisie burlesque (ou le Carnaval de Venise)'', Op. 9 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''Souvenir de la Suisse. Caprice'', Op. 10 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''6 Caprices pour Violoncelle'', Op. 11 for 2 cellos
**''Grande fantaisie sur des motifs de l’opera Lestocq'', Op. 12 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''Fantaisie sur 2 Airs russes'', Op. 13 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet
**''Morceau de Concert (deuxieme Concerto en Mi mineur)'', Op. 14 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''Souvenir de St. Petersburg. Fantaisie'', Op. 15 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''La Fille du Régiment. Fantaisie et Variations'', Op. 16 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
**''O cara memoria: Fantaisie et Variations'', Op. 17 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Concerto Militaire (en Ut mineur)'', Op. 18 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Grande Fantaisie polonaise sur des Airs du ballet ‘La Noce de Cracovie’, Op. 19 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Souvenir de Bade. Grande Fantaisie'', Op. 20 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
**''Souvenir de Czernowitz. Morceau de Salon sur des Airs Roumains'', Op. 21 for cello and piano
**''Concerto (en La mineur)'' Op. posthumous for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
*Servais & Joseph Ghys (cello & violin)
**''Variations brillantes et concertantes sur l’air “God Save the King”''
*Servais & Henri Vieuxtemps (cello & violin)
**''Grand Duo sur des motifs de l’Opéra Les Huguenots de G. Meyerbeer''
*Servais & Hubert Léonard (cello & violin)
**''Grand Duo de Concert sur deux airs nationaux anglais''
**''2me Grand duo de Concert sur des thèmes de Beethoven''
**''3me Duo de Concert''
**''4e Duo de Concert sur des motifs de l’opéra L’Africaine de Meyerbeer''
*Servais & Jacques Gregoir (cello & piano)
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*Transcriptions of works by other composers
**''Elégie en ut pour l'Alto'', J. F. Mazas, op. 73
**''La Romanesca, fameux air de danse de la fin du XVIme siècle''
**''Le Lac de Côme. Barcarolle'' composée par Mr. G. Alari
**''Souvenirs élégiaques'' de A. Bessems
**''Regrets, Pensée musicale à la mémoire de la Reine des Belges'', par J. Grégoir
**''La Veillée, Pastorale'' de B. Damcke
**''Etudes de Rhythme'' par L. J. Meerts. Transcrites pour deux Violoncelles
**''6 Morceaux caractéristiques composés'' par H. Ferd. Kufferath, Op. 30
**''2 Mazurkas de Chopin'' azurka in F sharp Minor Op. 6 No 1 en Mazurka in F Minor Op. 7 No 3**''Nocturne'' de F. Chopin octurne in E flat Major Op. 9 No 2*Unpublished compositions
**''Fantaisie intitulée concertino''
**''Fantaisie La Romantique''
**''Souvenir d’Anvers''
**''Fantasia sur la folle''
**''Fantaisie élégante''
**''Fantaisie et Variations n° 18''
**''Fantaisie Caprice'' pour 2 Violoncelles
**''Fantaisie'' pour violoncelle
**''Maître Corbeau''
**''Fantaisie sur l’hymne national/Fantaisie belge'' pour violoncelle
**''Air varié'' pour contrebasse
**''Deux célèbres mélodies de Glinka''
**''Grand Duo de Guillaume Tell'' (Servais & Jules Godefroid)
**''Duo sur Lucie de Lammermoor'' (Servais & Félix Godefroid)
*Not yet located compositions
**''Le Chant des Alpes''
**''Grande Fantaisie, Souvenir de Naples''
**''Fantaisie slave''
**''Caprice ‘Hommage à Rossini’''
**''Souvenir de Haydn''
**''Cinquième Concerto''*
**''Souvenir de Kiev''
**''Variations on the Russian Anthem theme''
**''Souvenirs du Mont-d'Or''
**''Larghetto'' - W. A. Mozart (arranged by Servais for cello, organ-harmonium and piano)
**''Melodie'' for voice and cello (Servais & Willem Pasques de Chavonnes Vrugt )
**''Grand Duo de piano et violoncelle'' (with Jules Déjazet)
*Note: The 4th Concerto, in A minor, Op. Posth. has been found and a performance of it is available on YouTube by cellist Seeli Toivio.

Bibliography

*Lev Ginsburg, ''History of the Violoncello'', Paganiniana Publications, 1983
*Peter François, ''Adrien François Servais (1807–1866), The Paganini of the Cello''
*Peter François, ''Ah! Le métier de donneur de concerts! Adrien François Servais (1807–1866) als rondreizend cellovirtuoos'', Halle, Servais Society, 2007 ()
*Peter François, ''Adrien François Servais 1807-2007. Halse cellist met wereldfaam. Catalogus van de tentoonstelling in Halle, 5 mei - 6 juni 2007'', Halle, Servais Society, 2007 (illustrated exhibition catalogue) ()

References

External links

The Servais Society website

Festival Servais 2007
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Servais, Adrien-Francois
1807 births
1866 deaths
19th-century classical composers
19th-century Belgian male musicians
Romantic composers
Belgian classical composers
Belgian male classical composers
Belgian music educators
Belgian classical cellists
People from Halle, Belgium
20th-century cellists