The Cello in 18th-century London: Performers, Composers, and Luthiers

• Ray Pragman, Music History and Literature, University of Delaware

• Maria Purciello, Music History, University of Delaware

Eighteenth-century London was one of the epicenters of classical music, home to wealthy aristocrats and talented musicians alike. Most commonly associated with the operas and oratorios of Händel and the late orchestral works of Haydn, London’s music scene also provided a market for flashy solo concertos. Written and performed by well-known local musicians, these concertos reflected the public’s desire for displays of virtuosity and provided the perfect setting for musical explorations of the cello’s potential as a solo instrument. Originating from northern Italy in the mid-1600’s, the cello originally developed as a continuo instrument, providing harmonic accompaniment for other instrumental soloists. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, however, cellists began to desire a more complicated repertoire that would highlight the broad range of the instrument and the technical abilities of its performers.

As the cello began to make its mark across Europe as the newest solo instrument, cellists left the saturated market of northern Italy to bring their talents elsewhere, with many arriving at London’s cosmopolitan musical scene. Here, they interacted with composers from England and mainland Europe and worked parallel to English luthiers, whose philosophy of craftsmanship was in itself international in nature.

My research demonstrates how London provided a unique space in which cellists, composers, and luthiers could come together to collaborate on new works for the cello. A brief consideration of the musical collaborations of cellists Giovanni Battista Cirri, John Crosdill, and Giacobbe and James Cervetto with composers such as J.C. Bach, Karl Friedrich Abel, Willem de Fesch, and Joseph Haydn will show how composers worked together with performers to write music that highlighted the strengths of these cellists, resulting in more technically challenging works for the instrument. In addition, the prominent luthiers and contemporary styles of cello making during this period will be considered, in an effort to shed light on the ways these musicians interacted with their instruments, what value they placed on them, and what kind of sound may have been fashionable at the time.