Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer

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Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer (1783-1860) was a German cellist and composer.

1 Life
2 Music
3 References
4 External Links

[edit] Life

Born in Haselrieth, Germany, near Hildburghausen, Dotzauer was encouraged by his father, a pastor and church musician, to pursue a musical career. He studied the piano, double bass, violin, clarinet, and hornbefore eventually choosing the cello as his main instrument. His talent was clear to all early on and he began giving concerts by the time he was fifteen. A few years later, he was serving as a cellist in the court orchestra of Meiningen. Eventually he was able to obtain the prestigious position of solo cellist in the Royal Orchestra at Dresden. His playing dazzled all who heard it, and his skills as a teacher resulted in what became known as the "Dresden school" of cello performance. He concertized to much acclaim throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and France, continuing to perform in public right up until his retirement in 1850. Many of his students became famous cellists in their own right and include such names as Friedrich Grützmacher, Bernhard Cossmann and Julius Goltermann.

Dotzauer's compositions for the cello are still performed by cellists and his pedagogical writings for the cello are frequently used in the classroom, however his many excellent compositions in other genres, including his chamber music, which was at one time highly esteemed, have fallen into oblivion. But, in his day, this was not the case. A prominent music critic writing in the prestigious Leipzig music periodical, the Allgemeiner musicalische Zeitung, wrote, "In this concert we also heard a new work by Dotzauer. The mere mention of the name of this excellent composer is enough to assure those among the public who truly understand art that the work was a resounding success.”

[edit] Music

Although Dotzauer wrote many symphonies, concertos, operas, chamber music and sonatas, he was most recognised and famed for his Violoncellschules, 3 volumes of 180 exercises and caprices for unaccompanied cello.

[edit] References

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