The School of Music will sponsor a two-day celebration—a birthday party, if you will—for the Ex-Duke of Edinburgh Tecchler. Who is this royal highness? It’s the 300-year-old cello owned and played by Professor Anthony Elliott.
In 1974, when Elliott was associate principal cello for the Minnesota Orchestra, the concertmaster made a suggestion: Elliott should take the plunge and buy himself a top-of-the-line cello. The words were not lost on Elliott, who began a search. Letters were written, phone calls were made and trips were taken to visit fine instrument shops around the country.
One day, Elliott stopped into the Philadelphia shop of William Moenig & Sons. The room was full of beautiful cellos—Gofrillers and Pressendas and Gaglianos. Elliott made his way around the shop, trying each one. But over in a corner by itself gleamed a cello that seemed to call out to him.
“I played a note or two on it and it scared me,” Elliott says. “It sounded as if my personal voice, my musical voice—which had not been heard up to that point—came out of this cello. And it scared me, so I put it back.” He went back around the shop, trying every cello once more, convinced he could find something more suitable—and less dear. “But it was really very clear to me that I had to try to do this. So I mortgaged myself to the hilt and bought it.”
And he’s never looked back. Through documentation he was able to piece together a history of the instrument. William E. Hill & Sons, of London, was able to authenticate its date of origin as 1703.
The cello was made by David Tecchler, a German living and working in Rome. In 1874, it was given to the Duke of Edinburgh (Queen Victoria’s second son, Alfred) by the Australian commonwealth on the occasion of the Duke’s marriage. From the Duke, the cello passed into the Partello Collection and eventually was purchased by Joseph Barnes, an American, an amateur cellist, and president of the Louisville Railway Company.
While the cello was in Barnes’ possession, Pablo Casals visited Louisville, where he saw the cello, played it, and pronounced it a “noble instrument.” From Barnes, the cello was sold—reluctantly, it would seem—to a Louise Strauss of Indianapolis. Eventually Mrs. Strauss gave the cello to William Moenig & Sons to sell on consignment. There it awaited Elliott’s discovery.
“One of the things that amazes me about this cello is how the sound surrounds you. It embraces you,” Elliott says. “Some people describe the sound as buttery; others say it has a warm edge. And some people describe it as dark. For me as a player, it’s a great joy because it’s a little bit like playing cards with a stacked deck.”
The celebration this fall is planned for Sept. 6-7, culminating in two concerts. The first is p.m. Sept. in the Britton Recital Hall at the School of Music. Entitled “Friendly Collaborations,” the concert will feature music for cello ensembles and will showcase a number of guest artists. The second concert is p.m. Sept. in Britton Recital Hall. Elliott is performing a recital of music from the three centuries of his cello. In addition, a work for cello and orchestra, commissioned by composer Augustus O. Hill, will premiere that afternoon.
The two days also will feature master classes, historic films and presentations by cello dealers and makers. The concerts are open to the public.
Given the instrument’s royal heritage, Elliott sent an invitation to Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Charles. Both sent their regrets in charming notes that will be read at the celebration.
For more information on the celebration, visit www.music.umich.edu/events/future/thedukeat300/index.html.
