"Feuermann was born into a musical family, in Kolomea, in Galicia, Poland, in the year 1902. His father played cello and violin, and was Emanuel's first teacher. His elder brother Zigmund was a child prodigy on the violin, and toured Europe. By the time he was nine, Emanuel was taking lessons from Friedrich Buxbaum, principal cellist in the Vienna Philharmonic. In February of 1914, at the age of twelve, Emanuel Feuermann made his own debut, playing the Haydn D Major Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Weingartner, with great success."
Feuermann studied with Julius Klengel, one of the most renowned pedagogues in history, who helped him to develop and keep his own personal style. Feuermann had very few pupils of his own, Zara Nelsova was one, but due to an untimely death we don't have much of his incredibly artistry documented.
Recordings preserved are very few. Recordings of him playing the Dvorak cello concerto, Haydn D major, Max Bruch's Kol Nidre, Giuseppe Giordani, and Malcolm Sergeant are still around, as well as a video of his playing Elfendantz and Dvorak's "Rondo" for cello.
Feuermann and Casals were among two of the greatest cellists to have come from Europe to the United States, both admiring the works that they had accomplished. When Feuermann was leaving his home, his family wished him, "Come back a second Casals!" to which he replied, "No, I shall return a First Feuermann." Which shows how much drive and ambition he had.
Unfortunately, Feuermann died May 25th, 1945, shortly after routine surgery, after which he came down with an infection -- antibiotics were not used at the time. Unconfirmed details on his death: Supposedly he died after surgery on hemorrhoids in which he incurred an allergic reaction to the morphine involved.
First paragraph taken from http://cello.org/cnc/feuerman.htm -- cello.org's writeup on Emanuel Feuermann. |
