The year 2025 will mark an unusual musical anniversary: 170 years from the birth of the cellist Alwin Schroeder. Find out more about one of the most beloved American musicians of yesteryear and why the number 170 is forever connected with his name!
schroeder170
The schroeder170 project grew out of my research into the life and musical career of Boston Symphony and Kneisel Quartet cellist Alwin Schroeder (1855-1928). Schroeder is best known as an editor of cello music and the compiler of a popular collection of 170 Foundation Studies for cello. He was also one of the most popular cello soloists of his day, an early champion of solo Bach in the US, and the alleged composer of some of the solo passages in Dvorak's beloved cello concerto. Learning about Schroeder has opened a new window onto a fascinating time in American cello history. In anticipation of Schroeder's 170th anniversary, I will be adding regularly to the biography pages on Schroeder and his students, and posting on the Alwinac cello yearbook blog about (eventually) 170+ cello curiosities and pieces.
Geoffrey Dean
Geoffrey Dean
For a quarter-century, American cellist Geoffrey Dean was based in Sofia, Bulgaria. He performed internationally as a member of the Dimov and Sofia string quartets and the Ardenza Trio. A founding music faculty member at the American University in Bulgaria, he led the annual festivals of American and Bulgarian music and initiated the world and regional premieres of hundreds of new and neglected works. His transcriptions for strings of pieces by Petko Staynov, Pancho Vladigerov, Lyubomir Pipkov, and other second-generation Bulgarian composers are performed around the world.
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Unless otherwise noted, all texts on this website were written by Geoffrey Dean. Please request permission before reproducing any schroeder170 texts or images.