Friedrich August Kummer German cellist and composer. Date of Birth: 05.08.1797 Country: Germany

Biography of Friedrich August Kummer

German cellist and composer, Friedrich August Kummer, was born in 1797. He was the son of an oboist and initially began his musical education on the oboe before switching to the cello. Kummer studied under Friedrich Dozauer and took lessons from Bernard Romberg, who frequently visited Dresden for performances. In 1812, he joined the Dresden Kapelle as an oboist since there were no vacancies for cellists at the time. However, with the support of Carl Maria von Weber, Kummer eventually secured a position as a cellist and served as the concertmaster of cellos from 1850 to 1864.

During the 1820s and 1830s, Kummer also embarked on numerous concert tours as a soloist. He was well-known for his ensemble performances, particularly his duets with Franz Schubert, as well as his participation in quartets. Notably, the Leipzig concerts in 1838 featured Kummer performing alongside Pierre Baillot (first violin), Karol Lipiński (second violin), Felix Mendelssohn (viola), and himself.

Kummer's compositional legacy includes a range of works for his own instrument, such as concertos, concertinos in the form of vocal scenes, concert pieces for two cellos, fantasies on themes from popular operas like Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable" and Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette," as well as folk songs from various countries. Additionally, Kummer transcribed vocal compositions by Franz Schubert for cello and piano.

From the establishment of the Dresden Conservatory in 1858, Kummer served as the head of the cello class. Among his notable students were Bernhard Cossmann and Julius Goltermann. Two of Kummer's sons also followed in his footsteps and became cellists. He published numerous studies and exercises for the cello, as well as a cello method book titled "School of Cello Playing" in 1839.