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

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, was a cellist, pedagogue, and composer.

Childhood and education

As a child, his family moved to

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

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

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

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

Bernhard Romberg Bernhard Heinrich Romberg (November 13, 1767 – August 13, 1841) was a German cellist and composer. Life Romberg was born in Dinklage. His father, Anton Romberg, played the bassoon and cello and gave Bernhard his first cello lessons. He f ...

.Lev Ginsburg, ''History of the violoncello.'' Neptune City, New Jersey: Paganiniana Publications, 1983.
Relevant excerpt
)

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 Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

appointed Kummer as a violoncellist at the Royal Opera House.Ginsburg 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. His son Friedrich Kummer was born in 1865.

Method

In 1839 Kummer wrote a

method Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

, ''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 (dedicated to

Joseph Merk Joseph Merk (18 January 179516 July 1852) was a noted Austrian cellist, often described as one of the most influential of the first half of the 19th century. He also wrote a number of compositions for the cello. Career Joseph (or Josef) Merk was ...

) * ''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 * ''60 Exercices journaliers'' (60 daily exercises), Op. 125 * 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

References

* Ginsburg, Lev. ''History of the violoncello.'' Neptune City, New Jersey: Paganiniana Publications, 1983.
Relevant excerpt
)

External links

* Music by Kummer at th
International Music Score Library Project
(Sheet music) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kummer, Friedrich August 1797 births 1879 deaths German classical cellists German composers 19th-century German musicians