Leo Stern
Encyclopedia
Leo Stern was an English cellist, best remembered for being the soloist in the premiere performance of Antonín Dvořák
's Cello Concerto in B minor
in London in 1896.
in 1862. His father was a German violinist and conductor of the Brighton Symphony Society, and his mother an English pianist. He initially studied chemistry at the South Kensington School of Chemistry, while studying the cello privately with Hugo Daubert. He worked in a business in Thornliebank
near Glasgow
from 1880 to 1883, but abandoned chemistry and entered the Royal Academy of Music
, where he studied cello under Alessandro Pezze and then Carlo Alfredo Piatti
. He later had lessons in Leipzig
from Julius Klengel
and Karl Davydov.
He appeared with Adelina Patti
(in her 1888 tour), Émile Sauret
and Ignaz Paderewski
, and in Paris played with Jules Massenet
, Benjamin Godard
and Francis Thomé
. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria
and often played at Windsor Castle
, Balmoral Castle
and Osborne House
.
In 1895 he visited Prague
where his playing became well known to Antonín Dvořák
. Although Dvořák's recently completed Cello Concerto in B minor
was dedicated to Hanuš Wihan
and Dvořák wanted nobody but Wihan to play it in public for the first time, it was Leo Stern who was given the honour (there are conflicting versions of how this came about). The premiere occurred on 19 March 1896 at the Queen's Hall
, London, under the composer's baton. Stern played the concerto in Prague
(three weeks later, again conducted by Dvořák), at the Leipzig Gewandhaus
(he was the first Englishman ever invited to play there) and with the Berlin Philharmonic. He was later summoned to play for Kaiser Wilhelm II at Potsdam
. In 1897-98 he toured the United States
(where he played with Theodore Thomas's orchestra in Chicago
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
and the New York Philharmonic Society
) and Canada
. He played the New York premiere of Dvořák's Cello Concerto on 5 March 1897.
Leo Stern died in London on 10 September 1904, aged 42.
Stern used three cellos in his career:
There is now a Leo Stern Award, the Royal College of Music
's senior cello award.
and studied under Pablo de Sarasate
, who was the godfather to her child (presumably from her first marriage). Sarasate had also given her a gold-embossed violin bow. Stern was Nettie Carpenter's second husband. They divorced, and in 1898 he married Suzanne Adams
, a well-known coloratura soprano.
He wrote some light songs, one of which ('Coquette') was recorded by Suzanne Adams.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Cello Concerto in B minor
Cello Concerto (Dvorák)
The Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, by Antonín Dvořák was the composer's last solo concerto, and was written in 1894–1895 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but premiered by the English cellist Leo Stern.- Structure :...
in London in 1896.
Biography
Leopold Lawrence Stern was born in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in 1862. His father was a German violinist and conductor of the Brighton Symphony Society, and his mother an English pianist. He initially studied chemistry at the South Kensington School of Chemistry, while studying the cello privately with Hugo Daubert. He worked in a business in Thornliebank
Thornliebank
Thornliebank is a small suburban village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, south of Glasgow. It is served by Thornliebank railway station and lies to the east of the M77 motorway.-History:...
near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
from 1880 to 1883, but abandoned chemistry and entered the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, where he studied cello under Alessandro Pezze and then Carlo Alfredo Piatti
Carlo Alfredo Piatti
Carlo Alfredo Piatti was an Italian cellist. He was born at via Borgo Canale, in Bergamo and died in Mozzo, 4 miles from Bergamo....
. He later had lessons in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
from Julius Klengel
Julius Klengel
Julius Klengel was a German cellist who is most famous for his etudes and solo pieces written for the instrument. He was the brother of Paul Klengel....
and Karl Davydov.
He appeared with Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
(in her 1888 tour), Émile Sauret
Émile Sauret
Émile Sauret was a French violinist and composer.-Biography:He began studying violin at the Conservatory at Strasburg at the age of six and began concertizing two years later. He studied under Charles de Bériot and later became the student of Henri Vieuxtemps.Sauret made his American debut in 1872...
and Ignaz Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
, and in Paris played with Jules Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
, Benjamin Godard
Benjamin Godard
Benjamin Louis Paul Godard was a French violinist and Romantic composer.-Biography:Born in Paris, Godard was a student of Henri Vieuxtemps. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1863 where he studied under Vieuxtemps and Napoléon Henri Reber and accompanied Vieuxtemps twice to Germany...
and Francis Thomé
Francis Thomé
Francis Thomé , was a French pianist and composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Jules Laurent Duprato and Ambroise Thomas. After leaving the Conservatoire he became well known as a composer of salon pieces and was in demand as a pianist and teacher...
. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and often played at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
, Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...
and Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
.
In 1895 he visited Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
where his playing became well known to Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
. Although Dvořák's recently completed Cello Concerto in B minor
Cello Concerto (Dvorák)
The Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, by Antonín Dvořák was the composer's last solo concerto, and was written in 1894–1895 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but premiered by the English cellist Leo Stern.- Structure :...
was dedicated to Hanuš Wihan
Hanuš Wihan
Hanuš Wihan was a renowned Czech cellist, considered the greatest of his time. He was strongly associated with the works of Antonín Dvořák, whose Rondo in G minor, Op. 94, the short piece Silent Woods, Op. 68, and most particularly the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 were all dedicated to him...
and Dvořák wanted nobody but Wihan to play it in public for the first time, it was Leo Stern who was given the honour (there are conflicting versions of how this came about). The premiere occurred on 19 March 1896 at the Queen's Hall
Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
, London, under the composer's baton. Stern played the concerto in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(three weeks later, again conducted by Dvořák), at the Leipzig Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
(he was the first Englishman ever invited to play there) and with the Berlin Philharmonic. He was later summoned to play for Kaiser Wilhelm II at Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
. In 1897-98 he toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(where he played with Theodore Thomas's orchestra in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
and the New York Philharmonic Society
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
) and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He played the New York premiere of Dvořák's Cello Concerto on 5 March 1897.
Leo Stern died in London on 10 September 1904, aged 42.
Stern used three cellos in his career:
- a cello by Johannes Florenus Guidantus
- the General Kyd StradivariusGeneral Kyd StradivariusThe General Kyd; ex-Stern Stradivarius is an antique cello crafted in 1684 by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona.It was used by the English cellist Leo Stern in the premiere of Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor in London in 1896....
, described as "the largest cello in existence", which was presented to him by a group of admirers headed by Lord Amherst of HackneyWilliam Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of HackneyWilliam Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney DL, JP was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and collector of books and works of art.-Background and education:... - the "Baudiot" StradivariusStradivariusThe name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
(later owned by Gregor PiatigorskyGregor PiatigorskyGregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-born American cellist.-Early life:...
).
There is now a Leo Stern Award, the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
's senior cello award.
Marriages
Leo Stern was married twice, both times to American-born women. In 1894 he married Nettie Carpenter (c. 1869-?), a former child prodigy violinist who had gained first prize at the Paris ConservatoryConservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
and studied under Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
, who was the godfather to her child (presumably from her first marriage). Sarasate had also given her a gold-embossed violin bow. Stern was Nettie Carpenter's second husband. They divorced, and in 1898 he married Suzanne Adams
Suzanne Adams
Suzanne Adams was an American lyric coloratura soprano. Known for her agile and pure voice, Adams first became well known in France before establishing herself as one of the Metropolitan Opera's leading sopranos at the beginning of the twentieth century.-Biography:Adams was born in Cambridge,...
, a well-known coloratura soprano.
He wrote some light songs, one of which ('Coquette') was recorded by Suzanne Adams.