James Cervetto (1748-1837)
- Solo (II, G Major) for the violoncello and a bass (1768)
Performers: Ensemble Fete Rustique
Further info: Cervetto - Six Sonatas for Cello
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English cellist and composer, son of Giacobbe Basevi Cervetto and
Elizabeth Cervetto. His father taught him the cello. He first appeared
in a concert of child prodigies at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket
on 23 April 1760. Between 1763 and 1770 he is said to have travelled
abroad, playing in most European capitals, although he was in London at a
concert given by Parry the harpist in 1765. In 1771 he became a member
of the queen's private band, and he joined Lord Abingdon's orchestra in
1780, taking part in the Professional Concerts from 1783 to 1794. He was
a member of the Concert of Ancient Music and a principal in the
orchestra at Handel's Commemoration (1784). Between 1773 and 1781 he
took part in various concerts at the Salisbury Festival. From about 1774
he played at the King's Theatre and was admired for his skilful
accompaniment of recitatives: Banvard records ‘It was his [the Prince of
Wales] delight to attend the Italian opera merely to hear Cervetto's
accompaniments of the recitatives which were acknowledged to be
unrivalled’. Although he inherited £20,000 in 1783, he remained an
active performer in London and the provinces, participating in concerts
with some of the best musicians of his day, the last recorded being that
at which Haydn was introduced to King George III (2 March 1795).
Burney, describing him as ‘the matchless Cervetto’, stated that while
still a child he played ‘in a manner much more chantant than his father.
Arrived at manhood, his tone and expression were equal to those of the
best tenor voices’. He and John Crosdill were the foremost cellists of
their generation in Britain.
They were often compared with one another, and J.-L. Duport's playing
was reported to have been inferior to theirs (Morning Herald, 20
February 1783). According to the press, Cervetto lost his favourite
cello, worth 300 guineas, in the King's Theatre fire of 17 June 1789.
His will mentions many people by the name of Basevi, who were probably
members of his family. Cervetto's op.1 solos differ little in style from
his father's works: they have a figured bass for harpsichord, some have
cadenzas, and the last has a minuet and variations. His other solos are
for cello and ‘a bass’, and so may be considered to be duets, though
without equality of the parts: arrangements of three of the solos by
Robert Lindley, whom Cervetto taught (gratis) in the early 1790s, do in
fact transform them into duets proper, by changing the parts around on
alternate phrases. Cervetto's op.3 solos are different from those of
op.1, their melodic lines being more direct and the rhythms more
four-square. They include much rapid passagework and are more demanding
for the player than the op.4 sonatinas, which were obviously intended
for amateur use. The divertiments for two cellos are all in two
movements, generally slow–fast, with the second either a rondo or a
minuet, and appear to have had a didactic purpose. Opp.5 and 6 are much
more advanced. All are in three or four movements, and two have slow
introductions. Sonata form is handled with more assurance, the
development of thematic material is less predictable, and the two-part
texture resourcefully varied.
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