:''Georg Eduard Goltermann should not be confused with Julius Goltermann (1825–1876), the
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
teacher of David Popper.''
Georg Eduard Goltermann (19 August 1824 – 29 December 1898) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
cellist
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
and conductor.
Life
Goltermann was born in
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. His father was an organist, and therefore he got an early introduction to music. He received
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
lessons from in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, the most important Bavarian cello virtuoso of his time. He took composition lessons from
Ignaz Lachner
Ignaz Lachner (11 September 1807 – 24 February 1895) was a German composer and conductor.
Life and career
Lachner was born into a musical family at Rain am Lech. He was the second of the three famous Lachner brothers. Lachner's brothers Fra ...
. He also learned to conduct.
In 1852, after briefly touring Europe as a solo cellist, he became music director in
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...
. In 1853 he accepted an offer to become deputy music director of the municipal theater ''Stadttheater'' in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, where he was promoted to Kapellmeister (principal music director) in 1874. He died in Frankfurt am Main.
Works
Some of Goltermann's works were very popular at the time and are still used for teaching purposes. Goltermann composed eight cello concertos, of which the fourth is the most famous. This "student's concerto" is the easiest of his first five concertos, and it is studied fairly widely. His music is rarely performed in professional concerts. It is deemed to lack the musicality of true concertos, and though it has been praised for its melodious and pleasant nature, it is not considered inspired. Instead his concertos are studied by students to learn technique and get a basic understanding of concerto style. Concerto No. 1 has maintained a presence in today's standard repertoire. The slow movement entitled ''Cantilena'' was often played separately as a cello solo. An early recording of this movement played by
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals, All 8 concertos are for cello and orchestra, though the orchestral parts can be difficult to find now.
* Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 14
* Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 30
* Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 51
* Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 65
* Concerto No. 5 in D minor, Op. 76
* Concerto No. 6 in D major, Op. 100
* Concerto No. 7 in C major, Op. 103
* Concerto No. 8 in A major, Op. 130
There are other works for orchestra including a
symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
in A, Op. 20, 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 1852 and released in 2023 on the Capriccio label.
Many of Goltermann's shorter works for cello are in the lower and medium technical difficulty level.
* Nocturne in D minor for cello and piano, Op. 43, No. 3
* Nocturne in G major for cello and piano, Op. 49, No. 1
* Nocturne in G major for cello and piano, Op. 54, No. 1
* Nocturne in B minor for cello and piano, Op. 59, No. 1
* Nocturne in E minor for cello and piano, Op. 92, No. 1
* ''3 Romances sans paroles'' for solo cello, Op. 90
* ''La Foi'' for cello and piano, Op. 95, No. 1
* 2 Duos en forme de sonate, Opp. 15 and 25.published in 1857, both by Edition Peters. Se HMB (Op. 15) an (Op. 25).
Concerto No. 4 in G Major
The fourth cello concerto is often performed by students due to its relative ease of play. It is divided into 3 movements:
* 1. Allegro (G Major)
* 2. Andantino (B Minor—B Major—B Minor)
* 3. Allegro Molto (G Major)