August Wenzinger

Swiss classical cellist

• Born: November 14, 1905
• Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
• Died: December 25, 1996
• Place of death: Basel, Switzerland

Wenzinger was a pioneer in reviving the viol and its repertoire, and he was instrumental in developing modern viol technique. He was one of the founders of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, an institution for continuing education in the field of early music.

The Life

Born into a musical family, August Wenzinger (AW-goost VEHN-zihn-gur) began his cello studies at the age of nine. After studying philosophy and ancient languages for two years at Basel University, he transferred to the Basel Conservatory, studying cello with Willi Treichler and Hermann Beyer-Hané. He also attended the lectures of musicologist Karl Nef, who introduced him to the viola da gamba. In 1927, after graduating from the conservatory, he went to the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, studying composition with Philippe Jarnach and cello with Paul Grümmer, who encouraged him to do research on viol manuscripts in archives and on the performance practice of the viol. In 1929 he was invited by the publishing house Bärenreiter-Verlag to teach a special course on viol playing.

Wenzinger was first cellist with the Bremen orchestra (1929-1933) and with the Basel Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (1936-1970), and he was a member of the Basel String Quartet (1933-1947). In 1933, together with Paul Sacher and Ina Lohr, he founded the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he taught viola da gamba and directed ensembles until 1970. Beginning in 1953, he was a frequent guest professor at several institutions in the United States. He was the founder and conductor of the Cappella Coloniensis in Cologne from 1954 to 1958, and he directed performances of Baroque concerts and operas at Herrenhausen in Hanover from 1958 to 1966. On December 25, 1996, at the age of ninety-one, Wenzinger died in Basel.

The Music

A pioneer in the study of music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Wenzinger was responsible not only for the revival of the viol and its repertoire but also for the revival of early instruments in the twentieth century. In the late 1930’s, he founded a trio with flutist Gustav Scheck and keyboardist Fritz Neumeyer, and they performed on period instruments. Starting in 1945, the chamber group, with the addition of other members, toured throughout Europe and the Near East. Wenzinger recorded extensively for Deutsche Grammophone Archiv, including the viol music of Samuel Scheidt, Marin Marais, François Couperin, and Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition, he recorded orchestral concerti and suites by Bach, George Frideric Handel, Georg Philipp Telemann, and others. Together with the Consort of Viols of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, he toured internationally with countertenor Alfred Deller, and he recorded works by William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons.

In 1955 Wenzinger conducted the first recorded performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (1607) using period instruments. Subsequently he had conducting engagements in Cologne, Hanover, Stockholm, London, and elsewhere. Besides early music, he also devoted considerable attention to twentieth century compositions. He premiered Frank Martin’s Ballade for Cello and Orchestra(1949) and Othmar Schoeck’s Cello Concerto (1948), and he performed new works with the Viola da Gamba Trio of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, including pieces by Rudolf Kelterborn, Conrad Beck, and David Loeb.

Viol Practice. Published by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Wenzinger’s two-volume Gambenübung is the first modern method for the viola da gamba. With the use of illustrations and photographs, in the first volume, he discusses the fundamentals of viol playing, including hand, arm, and finger positions, as well as bowing technique. In the second volume, he discusses more advanced issues, such as “the elaboration of the bow stroke” and “the development of the left hand.” Numerous exercises are included; his musical examples are drawn from the works of viol composers such as Christopher Simpson, Michael Praetorius, Matthew Locke, and Marais. In 1943 Wenzinger published a second treatise titled Gambenfibel, coauthored with Marianna Majer, focusing on children’s viol-playing skills.

Monteverdi: L’Orfeo. One of the earliest operas, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is based on the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus, who attempts to rescue his bride, Eurydice, from the underworld. First performed in Mantua in 1607, it has a prologue and five acts. One of the first conductors to revive L’Orfeo in the twentieth century, Wenzinger directed the first recorded performance of L’Orfeo using period instruments in 1955. Under his direction were Helmut Krebs singing the title role, Hanni Mack-Cosack singing Eurydice, the Choir of the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik of Hamburg, and the Hitzacker Summer Festival 1955 Orchestra. The recording was released in the same year on Deutsche Grammophone Archiv in a two-album collection. An edition of Wenzinger’s realization was published by Bärenreiter-Verlag.

Marais: The 250th Commemoration. Performed by the Oberlin Baroque Ensemble under Wenzinger’s direction in 1978, the program of this recording commemorated the 250th anniversary of Marin Marais’s death. The Ensemble, which was composed of historical performance faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, recorded several works by the great viol composer, including Sonnerie de Ste. Geneviève du Mont de Paris (1723), Suite for Three Viols in G (1717), Allemande la Singulière (1717), L’Arabesque (1717), and Pièces en Trio in E Minor (1692). In 1972 Wenzinger began a longtime affiliation with the summer Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, where he served as musical director for eighteen years.

Musical Legacy

Wenzinger died at the age of 91, leaving a legacy of more than 100 recordings ranging from Guillaume de Machaut to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He published numerous articles in German and two method books for the viola da gamba. Besides L’Orfeo, his early music editions include the Six Suites for Violoncello Solo and the Six Brandenburg Concertos by Bach, Il pastor fido by Handel, trio sonatas by Dietrich Buxtehude, and works by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and Joseph Haydn.

Not only did Wenzinger make notable contribution to the teaching of early music in Germanic countries, but also he influenced the development of viol playing in the United States. He was Visiting Professor at Harvard University and Brandeis University, as well as the musical director of the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin College. Several of his important students were Jordi Savall, Catharina Meints, and James Caldwell. Wenzinger received honorary doctorates from Brandeis University, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and Oberlin College.

Principal Recordings

albums:Brahms: Sextet for Strings No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 18, 1949; The Brandenburg Concertos No. 5 in D Major and No. 6 in B Major, 1951; The Brandenburg Concertos No. 2 in F Major and No. 3 in G Major, 1953; Monteverdi: L’Orfeo, 1955 (as conductor); Fifteen Fantasias, Vocal Works, 1956; Water Music/Music for the Royal Fireworks, 1962; Four Concertos, 1963; Anthems, Madrigals, and Fantasies, 1964; Great Masters of the Baroque and Classical Era, 1966; The Glory of Handel, 1973; Marais: The 250th Commemoration, 1979; Byrd and His Age, 1996.

writings of interest:Gambenübung, 1935, 1938 (Viol Practice, 1977); Gambenfibel, 1943 (with Marianna Majer).

Bibliography

Bram, Marjorie. “An Interview with August Wenzinger.” Journal of the Viola da Gamba Society of America 12 (1975): 77-83. This article focuses on Wenzinger’s musical background and training, as well as his early performing and teaching activities on the viol.

Loeb, David. “The Lyffe and Times of a Viol Composer (Late 20th c.)” Journal of the Viola da Gamba Society of America, 22 (1985): 29-34. This article discusses Wenzinger’s interests in modern compositions for the viol. It focuses on Loeb’s works written for Wenzinger and his colleagues.

Wenzinger, August. “The Revival of the Viola da Gamba: A History.” In A Viola da Gamba Miscellany: Proceedings of the International Viola da Gamba Symposium; Utretcht 1991, edited by Johannes Boer and Guido van Oorschot. Utrecht: STIMU, 1994. Wenzinger traces the history of the revival of the viola da gamba from the nineteenth century, and he included a discussion on his contribution to the field.