1683

Jean-Philippe Rameau

(25 September 1683 – 12 September 1764)

French composer and music theorist

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Jean-Philippe Rameau. Portrait by Jacques Aved, 1728

Here is his “Les Sauvages” performed by Pavel Serbin and Avgust Krepak:

1744

Frederick William II of Prussia

(25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797)

King of Prussia from 1786 and amateur cellist

He was a patron of Boccherini, Mozart, and Beethoven.

1862

Léon Boëllmann

(25 September 1862 – 11 October 1897)

French composer

Here is his Cello Suite, Op. 6, recorded by cellist Oliver Glenhill and pianist Jeremy Filsell:

1886

Jesús Guridi

(25 September 1886 – 7 April 1961)

Spanish Basque composer

Here is his “Allá Arriba, En Aquella Montaña” performed by mezzo-soprano Micaëla Aldridge, cellist Caroline Kim, and pianist Cesar Cañon:

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1896

Roberto Gerhard (Robert Gerhard i Ottenwaelder)

(25 September 1896 – 5 January 1970)

Catalan-British composer, musical scholar, and writer

Photo by the bbc.co.uk, Fair use.

Here is his cello sonata performed by cellist Amparo Lacruz and pianist Emili Brugalla:

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1899

Ricard Lamote de Grignon (Ricard Lamote de Grignon i Ribas)

(25 September 1899 – 5 February 1962)

Catalan composer and conductor

Here is the first movement of his Suite en Do for unaccompanied cello recorded by Romain Garioud:

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1906

Dmitri Shostakovich

(25 September [O.S. 12 September] 1906 – 9 August 1975)

Soviet composer and pianist

Deutsche Fotothek‎, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.

Here is a recording of him playing his Cello Sonata in d minor, Op 40, with cellist Daniil Shafran:

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1909

Raya Garbousova

(25 September 1909 – 28 January 1997)

Russian-American cellist and teacher

Here she performs Wagner’s Prize Song from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with pianist Erich Itor Kahn:

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1911

Lionel Nowak

(25 September 1911 – 4 December 1995)

American pianist and composer

Here is the first movement of his Sonata No. 3 recorded by cellist Michael Finckel and pianist Andrew Willis:

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1952

Ola Karlsson

Happy birthday!

Swedish cellist and professor

Here he performs Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata in a minor, D. 821, with pianist Valeria Resjan:

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1962

Pieter Wispelway

Happy birthday!

Dutch cellist

Photo by Carolien Sikkenk

Here is a documentary about his third recording of the Bach cello suites:

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1967

Clive Greensmith

Happy birthday!

English cellist

Clive Greensmith. Photo Credit: Shayne Gray

Here he performs unaccompanied Bach and Cassadó:

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.