The Cello Concerto Nr. 1 in C Major (Op.4) is a cello concerto by

Antonín Kraft Antonín Kraft Antonín Kraft (30 December 1749, Rokycany – 28 August 1820, Vienna) was a Czech cellist and composer. He was a close friend of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He worked in the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austrian Empire. B ...

. The C Major Cello Concerto Nr. 1 was first published by

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel () is a German Music publisher, music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. Overview The catalogue contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works ...

in Leipzig the year 1805. The concerto bears the title ''Premier Concerto Pour le Violoncelle composé et dédié à Monsieur le Comte Maurce de Fries chambellan SMJ (Sa Majesté Imperiale) par Antoine Kraft Executé par son Fils Nicolaus Antoine Kraft au Théatre imperial (Tous les deux, Violoncelles de S.A.S. le Prince régnant de Lobkowitz Oeuvr. 4 L.1. Dir. 2. Rthl. à Leipsic chez Breitkopf et Härtel''Front cover of the first edition of the First Cello Concerto in C Major by Anton Kraft (1805) Leipzig Publ. Breitkopf & Härtel Plate 283 The dedicatee of the Concerto is Moritz von Fries, who was the wealthiest man in the monarchy at that time, and through his personal contact and financing allowed its publication and performance. The concerto was regularly performed at the imperial Theatre in Vienna

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...

by his son

Nikolaus Kraft Nikolaus Kraft (14 December 1778, Eszterháza, Hungary – 18 May 1853, Cheb, Bohemia) was an Austrian cellist and composer (six cello concertos). He was the son of Antonín Kraft, under whom he first studied. He then trained under Jean-Louis Dup ...

(named after Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy). Both father Antonin Kraft and his son Nikolaus were principal cellists at the orchestra of Prince

Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz Joseph Franz Maximilian, 7th Prince of Lobkowitz (also spelled ''Lobkowicz'') (8 December 1772 – 16 December 1816

and premiered several of Beethoven's symphonies, for instance the 3rd Symphony (also premiered in 1805) that starts with the theme on the cellos. Michaelerplatz_altes_Burgtheater

The concerto was played on tour all over Europe, and was a much appreciated work at that time. The personal copy of

Friedrich Grützmacher Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Grützmacher (1 March 1832 – 23 February 1903) was a German cellist and composer in the second half of the 19th century. He composed mostly for cello (including several concertos and many technical studies), but also wr ...

of the Concerto is to be found at the Sächsische Landesbibliothek. Grützmacher was a pupil of

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 ...

who was himself a pupil of Franz Xaver Hammer (also called Marteau or sometimes Mardeau) and Antonin Kraft. The second edition of the work was printed in 1961 in Prague by Státní hudební nakladatelství Praha (now editio Supraphon) SHV, 1961. Plate H 3296. This edition was heavily revised by Josef Chuchro. Gustav_Klimt_072

Kraft was principal cellist under

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

in Prince

Nikolaus Esterházy Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In turn, the nam ...

's orchestra from 1778 until 1790. Antonin Kraft along with his son Nikolaus joined the orchestra of Count Anton Grassalkovich in Bratislava in 1790 as first cellist. Kraft became a member of the

Schuppanzigh Quartet The Schuppanzigh Quartet was a string quartet formed in Vienna in the 1790s by the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh. It continued, with breaks and changes of membership, for many years. Schuppanzigh was a close friend and admirer of Ludwig van Beethove ...

founded in 1792 in the salon of Prince Karl Lichnowský, then from 1796 he was employed in Prince Lobkowicz's orchestra. The cello parts to Haydn's D major Cello Concerto and Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Op.56 were written to fit his technique. Haydn's D Major Cello Concerto was attributed to Kraft for almost a century. Antonin Kraft was also a composition student of Haydn and played chamber music with all major musicians of that time, notably also the premiere of the Divertimento in E-flat major, K.563 by Mozart in Dresden on April 13, 1789 (follow up concerts in Leipzig and Berlin) with

Anton Teyber Anton Teyber (8 September 1756 (bapt.) – 18 November 1822) was an Austrian organist, Kapellmeister and composer. Anton Teyber was born and died in Vienna. His brother was Franz Teyber. He taught the children of the Holy Roman Emperor before w ...

taking the violin part, Mozart playing viola and himself playing cello.Deutsch, Otto Erich (1965). Mozart: A Documentary Biography. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. pp. 323, 339–40, 346, 562. OCLC 8991008 In 1792 Ludwig van Beethoven established permanent residence in Vienna, and he soon made the acquaintance of Kraft. Both artists were bound by a friendship that lasted until Kraft's death. He was also first cellist in the Vienna opera.

Recordings

Anner Bylsma Anner Bylsma (born Anne Bijlsma; 17 February 1934 – 25 July 2019) was a Dutch cellist who played on both modern and period instruments in a historically informed style. He took an interest in music from an early age. He studied with Carel van ...

, cello. With the Tafelmusic Orchestra. (Harmonia Mundi Label)

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cello Concerto

Kraft Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...

Compositions by Antonín Kraft