James Cervetto (8 January 1748 – 5 February 1837) was an English cellist, playing in aristocratic venues and in important concerts of the day. He was the soloist for the premiere of

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

’s second cello concerto.

Life

Cervetto was born in London in 1748; his father was the cellist

Giacobbe Cervetto Giacobbe Basevi, known as Giacobbe Cervetto (1680 – 14 January 1783)Speare, Marija Đurić (2001)"Cervetto, Giacobbe Basevi" ''New Grove Dictionary of Musicians''. Retrieved 11 September 2018 (subscription required for full access). was an Anglo- ...

(whose original family name was Basevi), from whom he learned to play the instrument. He soon excelled on the cello, and his first public concert took place on 23 April 1760 at the Little Theatre, Haymarket, with other musicians of similar age (including

Gertrud Elisabeth Mara Gertrud Elisabeth Mara (née Schmeling) (23 February 1749 – 20 January 1833) was a German operatic soprano. Life She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while ...

, at this time playing violin, later a soprano). From 1763 he played in many of the capital cities of Europe. In 1771 he joined

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

's private orchestra, and in 1780 he became a member of Lord Abingdon's private orchestra. He was a soloist at the "

Professional Concerts The "Professional Concerts" were subscription concerts established in 1783 and given at the Hanover Square Rooms in London. Leading musicians of the day performed at the concerts. History Background Other regular concerts began in London around th ...

" from their establishment in 1783 until 1794. He was a member of the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sig ...

for 72 years. In the early part of his career he was in friendly rivalry with the cellist John Crosdill. In 1783 his father died, leaving him £20,000, and he became less active in his profession. His last known concert took place on 2 March 1795 at Frederick, Duke of York's residence York House, Picadilly, at which

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

was present. James Cervetto died in London on 5 February 1837, "leaving," wrote

George Grove Sir George Grove (13 August 182028 May 1900) was an English engineer and writer on music, known as the founding editor of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. Grove was trained as a civil engineer, and successful in that profession, b ...

, "a few unimportant pieces for his instrument behind him". Amongst his legatees were the architect

George Basevi Elias George Basevi FRS (1 April 1794 – 16 October 1845) was a British architect who worked in both Neoclassical and Gothic Revival styles. A pupil of Sir John Soane, his designs included Belgrave Square in London, and the Fitzwilliam Mus ...

and Maria D'Israeli (née Basevi), the mother of the politician Benjamin Disraeli. Conway (2012), p. 72

References

Notes

Sources

* Conway, David (2012). ''Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cervetto, James 1748 births 1837 deaths English classical cellists English people of Italian-Jewish descent 18th-century English musicians 18th-century classical musicians 18th-century male musicians 18th-century musicians Musicians from London