The Violoncello and Its HistoryWasielewski, Wilhelm Joseph von
History
The Violoncello and Its History
Wasielewski, Wilhelm Joseph von
Cellists; Cello -- History
the very tones through which this feeling has utterance, tones which
appeal more directly to the heart than Romberg succeeds in doing in his
_Adagio_.”
“How acquainted he is with all the beauties of detail, which lie in the
nature of the piece in the peculiar kind of expression to be given, and
for which the composer has no signs for recognition? What effects he
is able to produce by the _crescendo_ of his tone, swelling up to the
strongest _fortissimo_, and then again by its dying away to a scarcely
audible _pianissimo_!!”
From this enthusiastic announcement we must conclude that Romberg’s
playing at that time--he was in his twenty-fourth year--showed already
a high degree of perfection. It is therefore quite conceivable that he
cherished the wish of obtaining a position in life adequate to the merit
of his performances, for in Bonn he received only a yearly salary of 600
florins, and, moreover, the existence of the Cologne Electorate, the
complete dissolution of which was accomplished in the autumn of the year
1794, had fallen into a very doubtful condition from the time of the
appearance of the revolutionary army on the Rhine (October, 1792).
Romberg therefore accepted with his cousin, Andreas, at Easter, 1794,
an engagement at the Schröder Theatre in Hamburg, but he did not long
remain there. Three years later they undertook together a concert
journey into Italy, gave concerts on their return at Vienna, supported
by Beethoven, and again betook themselves to Hamburg, whence, after
a two years’ residence, Bernhard Romberg visited London. He next
travelled in Portugal and Spain, in 1800 returned again to Paris,
and performed this time at the concerts of “La Rue de Cléry” and the
“Théâtre des Victoires” with such great success that he became teacher
at the Conservatoire. Romberg does not, however, appear to have felt
comfortable in this position, for after two years he withdrew from it
and again turned to Hamburg. In 1805 he responded to an invitation
to be solo cellist at the Berlin Hofcappelle. The calamities of war,
which broke over Prussia in the following year, compelled him once more
to become a wanderer. He next visited the Austrian States. After the
conclusion of the peace of Tilsit, he found himself again in Berlin,
remained there up to the year 1810, and then undertook a journey
through Silesia, Poland, and Russia. At St. Petersburg he met with
Ferd. Ries, and in conjunction with him gave concerts in the Southern
provinces of the Czar’s dominions. The artists wished to arrange a
visit to Moscow, but were prevented by the memorable burning of the
Kremlin which compelled the French army to retreat. They then turned to
Stockholm, and from thence went to Copenhagen and Hamburg. Here they
separated--Ries went to London, which he reached in March, 1813, and
Romberg took his way by Bremen to Holland and Belgium. From the latter
country he again visited Paris for a short time. Returned to Germany,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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