1819

Clara Schumann

(13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896)

German pianist, composer, and piano teacher

Clara Schumann. Portrait by Franz von Lenbach

Here are her Three Romances, Op. 22, performed by cellist Xenia Jankovic and pianist Nenad Lecic:

1856

Ernest Gillet

(13 September 1856 – 6 May 1940)

French cellist and composer

1858

Catharinus Elling

(13 September 1858 – January 1942)

Norwegian composer, folk music collector, music teacher, organist, music critic, and author

Catharinus Elling, c.1925. Photo by Eivind Enger – Oslo Museum: image no. OB.F05859e (Byhistorisk samling), via oslobilder.no., CC BY-SA 3.0.

Here is his “Rococo” recorded by cellist Bård Bosrup and an unnamed pianist:

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1874

Arnold Schoenberg

(13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951)

Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter

Arnold Schoenberg c. 1948. Photo by Florence Homolka – Source of photo is the Schoenberg Archives at USC. The archive grants permission to publish this image, provided that the photographer is credited. [1], Attribution.

Here is his Cello Concerto after Georg Monn dedicated to Casals and performed by Fred Sherry with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Robert Craft:

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1917

Robert Ward

(13 September 1917 – 3 April 2013)

American composer and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Music (1962)

Here is the Presto from his Arioso and Tarantelle for cello and piano recorded by cellist Mark Ward and pianist Margo Garrett:

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1991

Anna Wróbel

Happy birthday!

Polish cellist

Here is a recording of her playing the No. 9 from the 12 Caprices for Solo Cello, Op. 25, by Carlo Alfredo Piatti:

Your Turn

Know of other cellists, cello makers, composers of music played by cellists, or those with a strong tie to the cello world born on this day? This is a work in progress. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, additions, or corrections. Thank you!

We include those with recordings and/or images available online.