From the Alwinac: Tale of Two Cellists: Alwin Schroeder and Julius Klengel

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[The Alwinac blog is part of the schroeder170 project, honoring the life and musical career of cellist Alwin Schroeder (1855-1928) and exploring the history of cello playing in the US.]












Klengel dedicated his Op. 2 cello pieces to Schroeder. Listen to the opening, Berceuse:



During the 1880s, two outstanding cellists represented Leipzig on the European music scene: Leipzig native Julius Klengel and his Gewandhaus Orchestra and Leipzig Conservatory colleague, Alwin Schroeder. As this timeline shows, their early careers developed along similar, sometimes intertwining lines.

1855
On June 15 Alwin Schroeder is born in Neuhaldensleben. His father is a local music director, and his three older brothers, younger sister, and younger brother all pursue music professionally.

1859
On Sept. 24 Julius Klengel, the son of an amateur musician, is born in Leipzig. Julius’s grandfather Moritz Klengel had been Gewandhaus Orchestra concertmaster, and his aunt married a later Gewandhaus concertmaster, Engelbert Rontgen. Julius’s older brother Paul, also a musician, is five years older (born in 1854).

1862
Alwin, age 7, begins violin and piano studies in Neuhaldensleben with his father and eldest brother Hermann.

1869
Julius, age 10, begins studies with ….
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Read on….

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