Grümmer, Paul

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Grümmer, Paul

Grümmer, Paul, eminent German cellist, viola da gambist, and pedagogue; b. Gera, Feb. 26, 1879; d. Zug, Oct. 30, 1965. He studied with Klengel at the Leipzig Cons, and with Becker in Frankfurt am Main. He began his career as a cellist in 1898, appearing regularly in London from 1902. He became solo cellist of the Vienna Opera and Konzertverein (1905), and was a founding member of the Busch Quartet (1913); also toured with his own chamber orch. He taught at the Vienna Academy of Music (1907-13; 1940-46), the Cologne Hochschule für Musik (1926-33), and the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1933—10). He publ. pedagogical works, including a Viola da Gamba Schule (Leipzig, 1928), and ed. Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites (Vienna, 1944). His autobiography was publ. as Begegnungen (Munich, 1963).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire