Adrien-François Servais (6 June 1807 – 26 November 1866) was one of the most influential cellists of the nineteenth century. He was born and died in what is now Halle, Belgium. He is one of the founders of the Modern Cellistic Schools of Paris and Madrid, which began through collaboration with his friend Auguste Franchomme and his disciple Víctor Mirecki Larramat. His compositions are still studied, performed and recorded all over the world.[1] Two of his sons also had musical careers and performed his music.
Biography
Portrait of Adrien-François Servais
Servais was originally trained as a violinist before switching to cello. Known by his contemporaries for his virtuosity and excessive vibrato, he was given the gift of a Stradivarius cello from 1701, which today bears his name. He is also known as the first cellist to adopt the bassists' use of an endpin because of the large size of his Stradivarius.[2]
(The use of the endpin was, however, not generally adopted by most cellists until the early 20th century. For instance, Carlo Alfredo Piatti never used an endpin, though Lisa Cristiani's use of it in the 1840s and 1850s popularized the practice for female cellists.)[2]
Servais composed numerous works for his instrument, including four concerti and nearly twenty duos for two cellos or for cello and violin. Hector Berlioz referred to Servais as "the Niccolò Paganini of the cello".
Servais and his wife, who had Russian ancestry, had several children, including two sons who also pursued musical careers.
Their daughter Zofia Servais married Cyprian Godebski, a Polish sculptor in the Russian Empire, who became a professor at the Imperial Institute of Arts in St. Petersburg. Zofia died in a nearby town shortly after the birth in March 1872 of daughter Maria Zofia Olga Zenajda Godebska, known as Misia. Godebski sent his daughter to Belgium to be cared for by her Servais family for several years. She was given early musical tranining and had precocious gifts. She became a pianist.
Later Godebski remarried and reclaimed his daughter; he enrolled her in a convent boarding school in Paris for eight years. Known best as Misia Sert, she was an important patron of Paris's early 20th century artistic community, which she encouraged through hosting numerous artists, writers and musicians at her salons.
Some years after his death in 1866, Servais was honored by his home town of Halle. His sculptor son-in-law, Professor Cyprian Godebski, created and installed a statue of him in front of the town hall on its central market square.
The South-West Brabant Museum in Halle has a collection on his life and work. It also holds material about his granddaughter Misia Sert and her father Cyprian Godebski.[3]
Works
Own Compositions
Fantaisie sur un thème favori, Op. 1 for cello and piano - also for cello and harp
Souvenir de Spa, fantaisie, Op. 2 for cello and piano - also cello and quartet
Le Comte Ory. Caprice, Op. 3 for cello and piano - also for two cellos
Fantaisie et Variations brillantes sur la Valse de Schubert, Intitulée Le Désir, Op. 4 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Concerto (en Si mineur) Op. 5 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Le Barbier de Séville, Grande Fantaisie, Op. 6 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
Andante cantabile et Rondo à la Mazurka sur un Air de Balfe, Op. 7 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Fantaisie Characteristique sur deux célèbres Romances de Lafont, Op. 8 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
Fantaisie burlesque (ou le Carnaval de Venise), Op. 9 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
Souvenir de la Suisse. Caprice, Op. 10 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
6 Caprices pour Violoncelle, Op. 11 for 2 cellos
Grande fantaisie sur des motifs de l’opera Lestocq, Op. 12 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
Fantaisie sur 2 Airs russes, Op. 13 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet
Morceau de Concert (deuxieme Concerto en Mi mineur), Op. 14 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
Souvenir de St. Petersburg. Fantaisie, Op. 15 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
La Fille du Régiment. Fantaisie et Variations, Op. 16 for cello and piano - also for cello and quartet - also for cello and orchestra
O cara memoria: Fantaisie et Variations, Op. 17 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Concerto Militaire (en Ut mineur), Op. 18 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Grande Fantaisie polonaise sur des Airs du ballet ‘La Noce de Cracovie’, Op. 19 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Souvenir de Bade. Grande Fantaisie, Op. 20 for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Souvenir de Czernowitz. Morceau de Salon sur des Airs Roumains, Op. 21 for cello and piano
Concerto (en La mineur) Op. posthumous for cello and piano - also for cello and orchestra
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Fra Diavolo
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Le Prophète
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Norma
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Le Juif errant
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra L’Etoile du Nord
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Martha
Grand Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Il Trovatore
Grand Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Le Pardon de Ploërmel
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Tannhaüser
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Der Freischütz (Robin des bois)
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Obéron
Grand Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Lohengrin
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Don Juan
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Euryanthe
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra L’Africaine
Duo sur des airs espagnols
Duo brillant sur des motifs de l’opéra Preciosa
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Les Huguenots
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Les Puritains
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra La Traviata
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Luisa Miller
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Rienzi
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Der fliegende Holländer (Le vaisseau fantôme)
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Aïda [Gregoir & Joseph Servais?]
Thèmes bohémiens
Thèmes russes
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra La Somnambule
Duo sur des motifs de l’opéra Faust de Gounod [Gregoir & Joseph Servais]
La Muette de Portici, opéra d’Auber / Muette (Masaniello). Duo
Grand duo pour piano et violoncelle sur des motifs de l'opera Casilda
Un Ballo in Maschera. Opera de Verdi. Duo pour Piano et Violoncelle
Transcriptions of works by other composers
Elégie en ut pour l'Alto, J. F. Mazas, op. 73
La Romanesca, fameux air de danse de la fin du XVIme siècle
Le Lac de Côme. Barcarolle composée par Mr. G. Alari
Souvenirs élégiaques de A. Bessems
Regrets, Pensée musicale à la mémoire de la Reine des Belges, par J. Grégoir
La Veillée, Pastorale de B. Damcke
Etudes de Rhythme par L. J. Meerts. Transcrites pour deux Violoncelles
6 Morceaux caractéristiques composés par H. Ferd. Kufferath, Op. 30
2 Mazurkas de Chopin [Mazurka in F sharp Minor Op. 6 No 1 en Mazurka in F Minor Op. 7 No 3]
Nocturne de F. Chopin [Nocturne in E flat Major Op. 9 No 2]
Unpublished compositions
Fantaisie intitulée concertino
Fantaisie La Romantique
Souvenir d’Anvers
Fantasia sur la folle
Fantaisie élégante
Fantaisie et Variations n° 18
Fantaisie Caprice pour 2 Violoncelles
Fantaisie pour violoncelle
Maître Corbeau
Fantaisie sur l’hymne national/Fantaisie belge pour violoncelle
Air varié pour contrebasse
Deux célèbres mélodies de Glinka
Grand Duo de Guillaume Tell (Servais & Jules Godefroid)
Duo sur Lucie de Lammermoor (Servais & Félix Godefroid)
Not yet located compositions
Le Chant des Alpes
Grande Fantaisie, Souvenir de Naples
Fantaisie slave
Caprice ‘Hommage à Rossini’
Souvenir de Haydn
Cinquième Concerto*
Souvenir de Kiev
Variations on the Russian Anthem theme
Souvenirs du Mont-d'Or
Larghetto - W. A. Mozart (arranged by Servais for cello, organ-harmonium and piano)
Melodie for voice and cello (Servais & Willem Pasques de Chavonnes Vrugt )
Grand Duo de piano et violoncelle (with Jules Déjazet)
Note: The 4th Concerto, in A minor, Op. Posth. has been found and a performance of it is available on YouTube by cellist Seeli Toivio.
Bibliography
Lev Ginsburg, History of the Violoncello, Paganiniana Publications, 1983
Peter François, Adrien François Servais (1807–1866), The Paganini of the Cello
Peter François, Ah! Le métier de donneur de concerts! Adrien François Servais (1807–1866) als rondreizend cellovirtuoos, Halle, Servais Society, 2007 (ISBN978-90-78897-01-9)
Peter François, Adrien François Servais 1807-2007. Halse cellist met wereldfaam. Catalogus van de tentoonstelling in Halle, 5 mei - 6 juni 2007, Halle, Servais Society, 2007 (illustrated exhibition catalogue) (ISBN978-90-78897-02-6)
_-_Archivio_Storico_Ricordi_ICON010643_B.jpg)
