Project Home Page

Timeline of cello concertos written by composers born before 1780

Key:
Recorded i.e. all of the composer’s cello concertos have been recorded
Partly recorded i.e. some of the composer’s cello concertos have been recorded
Unrecorded i.e. none of the composer’s cello concertos have been recorded
 
Jacchini (1667-1727) Ten cello concertos One recorded
Caldara (c.1670-1736) Cello concerto in D minor
Vivaldi (1678-1741) Twenty-seven cello concertos
Dalla Bella (c.1680-c.1740) Cello concerto (1705)
Cervetto (c.1681-1783) Cello concerto in G
Porpora (1686-1768) Cello concerto in G major
Perroni (1688-1748) Six cello concertos One recorded
Boismortier (1689-1755) Cello concerto Op.26 No.6
Chelleri (1690-1757) Cello concerto (1742)
Hintereder (1690-1769) Cello concerto
Vandini (1690-1778) Cello concerto in D
Berteau (1691-1771) Four cello concertos
Antoniotto (c.1692-c.1776) Three cellos concertos
Tartini (1692-1770) Two cello concertos
G.Werner (1693-1766) Cello concerto
Reichenauer (c.1694-1730) Two cello concertos One recorded
Leo (1694-1744) Six cello concertos (c.1737-8)
Molter (1696-1765) Cello concerto in C (1730s)
Zani (1696-1757) Twelve cello concertos
Majo (1697-1771) Cello concerto in F (1726)
Platti (1697-1763) Twenty-eight cello concertos Three recorded
G.B.Sammartini (1698-1775) Cello concerto in C
Hasse (1699-1783) Cello concerto in D
Caporale (c.1700-1746) Cello concerto (c.1741) (probably lost)
Fiorenza (c.1700/1710-1764) Five cello concertos
Sabatino (1705-1796) Cello concerto in G
Fick (1708-1743) At least one cello concerto
I.Mára (1709-1783) Unknown number of cello concertos One recorded
Porretti (1709-1783) Twenty-four cello concertos One recorded
Graziani (1710-1787) Two cello concertos
Gretsch (1710-1778) Five cello concertos
F.Werner (1710-1768) Numerous cello concertos
Holzbauer (1711-1783) Cello concerto in A
Zach (1713-1773) Cello concerto in E flat
Avondano (1714-1782) Cello concerto in G
C.P.E.Bach (1714-1788) Three cello concertos (1750-3)
Wagenseil (1715-1777) Two cello concertos (one in 1752)
Hupfeld (1717-1796) Five cello concertos
Monn (1717-1750) Cello concerto in G minor (1746, ed. Schoenberg 1913)
Schindelar (c.1717-1764) Three cello concertos One recorded
Zellbell the younger (1719-1780) Cello concerto (1741)
Grauel (1720-1799) Cello concerto in A
Hargrave (1720-1780) Five cello concertos
Zyka (c.1720-1791) Several cello concertos
Garth (1721-1810) Six cello concertos (pub.1760)
C.Abel (1723-1787) Two cello concertos
J.Baumgartner (1723-1782) At least four cello concertos
Galeotti (1723-c.1790) Eleven, perhaps twelve cello concertos
C.E.Graf (1723-1804) Two cello concertos (one from 1777)
Cirri (1724-1808) Six cello concertos
Mysligowski (c.1725-1774) Three cello concertos from around 1780
Anfossi (1727-1797) Cello concerto in G
F.H.Graf (1727-1795) Cello concerto in D (c.1780)
J.Hertel (1727-1789) Two cello concertos (1755-9)
Woschitka (1728-1796) Two cello concertos (c.1780)
Zeller (1728-1803) Cello concerto
I.Danzi (c.1730-1798) Cello concerto in G
Cupis de Renoussard (1732-1808) Cello concerto in D (Two concertos missing and a possible fourth concerto) One recorded
J.Haydn (1732-1809) Cello concertos: No.1 in C (1760s) No.2 in D (1783) No.3 (lost) No.4 (disputed) Three recorded
Fils aka Filtz (1733-1760) Seven cello concertos One recorded
Paxton (1734-1787) Cello concerto in G
J.C.Bach (1735-1782) Cello Concerto in C Minor (disputed: probably written by H.Casadesus in the 20th century)
Westenholtz (1736-1789) Cello concerto
M.Haydn (1737-1806) Cello concerto in B flat (c.1800)
Mysliveček (1737-1781) Cello concerto in C and possibly two more
Schetky (1737-1824) Seven cello concertos (c.1772-1810)
L.Hofmann (1738-1793) Eight cello concertos Four recorded
Dittersdorf (1739-1799) Cello concerto in D
Vanhal (1739-1813) Three cello concertos (1785-7)
Cupis de Camargo (le jeune) (1741-after 1794) Two cello concertos
J-P.Duport (1741-1818) Cello concerto in E minor
Janson (1742-1803) Twelve cello concertos Op.6 (1780) and Op.15 (1799) One recorded
Boccherini (1743-1805) Twelve cello concertos
J.Mára (1744-1808) Two cello concertos
Borghi (1745-1806) Two cello concertos One recorded
P.Silva (1745-1803) Cello concerto in D
Stamitz (1745-1801) Five (or possibly six) cello concertos Four recorded
Knöferle (1746-1811) Cello concerto in D (c.1790)
Kreusser (1746-1810) An uncertain number of cello concertos
Fiala (1748-1816) Two cello concertos
Hettisch (1748-1793) Several cello concertos
Jäger (1748-1826) An unknown number of cello concertos
J-L.Duport (1749-1819) Six cello concertos Five recorded
A.Kraft (1749-1820) Two cello concertos: in C (c.1792), Seydl's concerto (1803)
J.Malzat (1749-1787) Cello concerto in D
Schlick (1749-1818) At least four cello concertos
Karoušek (before 1750-1789) Cello concerto in D
Kriegk (1750-1814) Three cello concertos
Rosetti (1750-1792) Cello concerto (1783-6) (lost)
Sperger (1750-1812) Cello concerto in C
Tillière (c.1750-1790) Cello concerto (c.1775)
Tricklir (1750-1813) Twenty cello concertos Four recorded
K.Eder (1751-after 1802) Fourteen cello concertos
J.Reicha (1752-1795) At least eight cello concertos Five recorded
Braun (1753-1811) Two cello concertos
Bréval (1753-1823) Seven cello concertos
Schindlöker (1753-1827) Cello concerto
Schwarz (1753-1812) Cello concerto
Hoffmeister (1754-1812) Three cello concertos
J.Schubert (1754-1837) Two cello concertos
Sieber (1754-1801) Cello concerto in A (c.1800)
Capuzzi (1755-1818) Cello concerto in C
Viotti (1755-1824) Cello concerto in C
Willing (1755-1805) Cello concerto (c.1798)
Bittoni (1756-1829) Cello concerto
Wranitzky (1756-1808) Cello concerto in C
I.Malzat (1757-1804) Cello concerto in D
Pleyel (1757-1831) Six cello concertos (one lost) Five recorded
Schönebeck (1758-1806) Three cello concertos (1796, 1798 and 1802)
Wineberger (1758-1821) Three cello concertos (c.1797)
Galeazzi (1758-1819) Cello concerto (1817)
Facius (1760-1806) Three cello concertos
Neubauer (c.1760-1795) Cello Concerto in B flat (1802)
Platone (1760-1827) Two cello concertos
Zumsteeg (1760-1802) Ten cello concertos One recorded
Häusler (1761-1837) Cello concerto
Vranický (1761-1820) Cello concerto in D minor
Reinagle (1762-1825) Six cello concertos
F.Danzi (1763-1826) Three cello concertos One recorded
Fenzi (1763-1827) Four cello concertos
Ritter (1763-1846) Ten cello concertos
Westerhoff (1763-1806) Cello concerto (1800)
Brunetti (1765-1834) Cello concerto
Ryba (1765-1815) Cello concerto in C (1800)
Sozzi (c.1765-c.1818) Cello concerto in C
Fuetsch (1766-1852) Several cello concertos
Hauschka (1766-1840) Three cello concertos
Powell (1766-c.1842) Fifteen cello concertos
B.Romberg (1767-1841) Ten cello concertos (1795-c.1824) Five recorded
Nisle (1768-1839) Cello concerto (lost)
Müntzberger (1769-1844) Five cello concertos
Metke (1770-1839) Four unpublished cello concertos
A.Reicha (1770-1836) Cello concerto (1803-1823)
Witt (1770-1836) Cello concerto in C
Wilms (1772-1847) Two cello concertos (c.1812 and 1821)
J.Arnold (1773-1806) Five cello concertos
Hemmerlein (1773-1840) Cello concerto (1801)
Hus-Desforges (1773-1838) Four cello concertos (No.4 c.1820)
Baudiot (1773-1849) Two cello concertos (1790 and 1791)
Lindley (1776-1855) Four cello concertos
Santo (1776-after 1842) At least two cello concertos
Platel (1777-1835) Five cello concertos (c.1810-1825)
N.Kraft (1778-1853) Six cello concertos (Nos.1-3 c.1812,1813 & 1819) Three recorded
Aimon (1779-1866) Cello concerto
Year of birth unknown:
Falugi (18th century) Cello concerto in D
Hoeke Two cello concertos, one dating from 1799
Lanzetti (died c.1800) Six cello concertos One recorded
Maegolin (likely to have been born pre-1780) Cello concerto in B flat
Matern (d.1789) At least one cello concerto
Megelin (before 1767-1794) Cello concerto
Penna Cello concerto in E (? c.1758)
Priori (18th century) Cello concerto in C
Ungherini (18th century) Cello concerto in G
Vallotti Cello concerto (c.1790-1810)

This timeline shows that there were 154 composers of 529 cello concertos that can be counted (i.e. excluding those that are uncertain and composers who wrote an unknown number of concertos) born before 1780, of which 177 (34%) have been recorded and 352 are still unrecorded. Broadly it should include most cello concertos written before the end of the 18^th century that have survived, and the vast majority of them are likely to have been written within that century. It is striking that, of the composers listed here as known to have been born prior to Joseph Haydn (i.e. 1732), only about 30% wrote concertos that all remain unrecorded whereas around 70% of composers born later wrote only unrecorded concertos. Thus it seems clear that the genre has been well served by the recording industry for concertos written in the early part of the 18^th century but less so for those written later in that century.

Only those concertos written by Vivaldi, C.P.E. Bach, Joseph Haydn and Boccherini (and his 9^th concerto in particular) have been recorded frequently. Aside from those composers, the series of six concertos each written by Leo and Garth are well worth hearing, as is Monn’s original concerto in G minor. Of the later composers, I find Vanhal’s three and Pleyel’s five concertos to be among the most interesting. In terms of unrecorded music, the composer whose cello concertos I would most like to be able to hear is Bréval.

Recommendations

C.P.E. Bach The Naxos disc of all three concertos played by Tim Hugh is my personal choice from a crowded field.

Boccherini The Naxos series by Tim Hugh and Raphael Wallfisch with the latter’s disc of the last four concertos (including the famous 9^th) is an obvious place to start.

Garth The only complete set of the six concertos available is the one by Richard Tunnicliffe on Divine Art and it is excellent.

Joseph Haydn The recent live performances of both concertos by Natalie Clein would be a good choice if you can’t decide between Rostropovich and du Pré (and many, many other fine cellists).

Leo All six concertos are in another bargain box from Brilliant Classics with Julius Berger as soloist - he found the manuscripts in a library in Naples.

Monn His G minor concerto played by Adriano Maria Fazio on period instruments for Brilliant Classics stands out. Jacqueline du Pré’s performance on modern instruments sounds like a different piece!

Pleyel The set of all five by Péter Szabó for Hungaraton is highly recommendable.

Vanhal Not much choice here but Péter Szabó’s Hungaraton disc of his three concertos is fine.

Vivaldi The complete set of 27 concertos made by Francesco Galligioni for Brilliant Classics on period instruments is magnificent and at bargain price too.

Project Home Page