Leo Schulz (March 28, 1865 – August 12, 1944) was a Kingdom of Prussia-born American

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

Biography

Schulz was born in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

, the then

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

, currently

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. As a child he toured Germany as a pianist along with his sister, a violinist. At 13 attended the Royal Academic High School of Music in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where he studied under

Robert Hausmann Robert Hausmann (13 August 185218 January 1909) was a notable 19th-century German cellist who premiered important works by Johannes Brahms (including the Double Concerto) and Max Bruch (including ''Kol Nidrei''). He was the cellist for the Joach ...

, Richard Barth, Woldermar Bargiel,

Friedrich Kiel Friedrich Kiel (8 October 182113 September 1885) was a German composer and music teacher. Writing of the chamber music of Friedrich Kiel, the scholar and critic Wilhelm Altmann notes that it was Kiel’s extreme modesty which kept him and his e ...

, and

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

. He was a principal cellist in

as well as in the

Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

from 1886 to 1889. In 1889 Schulz moved to Boston to take the post of principal cellist of the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

. He was professor of the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

. In 1898 he moved to New York, taking the post of principal cellist of the

New York Philharmonic Society The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, a position he held until his retirement in 1929. He was succeeded by

Alfred Wallenstein Alfred Wallenstein (October 7, 1898 – February 8, 1983) was an American cellist and conductor. A successful solo and orchestral cellist in his early life, Wallenstein took up conducting in the 1930s and served as music director of the Los An ...

. While in New York, he was also president of the New York Tonkünstler, played in the

Mannes Mannes is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: *Aaron Mannes (born 1970), American writer *Astrid Mannes (born 1967), German politician *Charlie Mannes (1863–1937), Scottish cricketer *Clara Mannes, (18 ...

String Quartet and the Margulies Trio. He taught at the

National Conservatory of Music of America The National Conservatory of Music of America was an institution for higher education in music founded in 1885 in New York City by Jeannette Meyers Thurber. The conservatory was officially declared defunct by the state of New York in 1952, altho ...

in New York and at Yale University. In 1906 he started his own Leo Schulz Quartet. In the 1920s, with

Mikhail Press Mikhail (Moisej) Isaakovich Press, also known as Michael Press, (russian: Михаил Исаакович Пресс; 29 August 1871, in Vilnius, Lithuania – 22 December 1938, in Lansing, Michigan) was a Russian-American violinist, conductor ...

, he founded the Old Masters Trio. He was a professor at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

for a time.

Publications

Schulz was a prolific editor, arranger, and transcriber for the cello. * ''Cello Album'', Vol. 1 * ''Cello Album'', Vol. 2 * ''Cello Classics'', Vol. 1 * ''Cello Classics,'' Vol. 2 * ''Cello Compositions'', Vol. 1 * ''Cello Compositions,'' Vol. 2 He also wrote many cello compositions, songs, orchestral

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...

s, and

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s, including: * ''Souvenir de Posen'' for cello and piano.

Personal life

On April 12, 1885, he married Ida Bartsch in

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schulz, Leo 1865 births 1944 deaths American cellists American male composers American composers Yale University faculty New England Conservatory faculty Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States