Julius Klengel short biography

A son of a lawyer, Julius Klengel studied cello with his father, amateur musician and later with Emil Hegar, a former student of Grutzmacher and Davidov. At 15, Klengel joined the Gewandhaus Orchestra, and at 22 assumed the position of principal cellist. The same year time Klengel became a professor of the Leipzig Conservatory. Klengel often performed in Russia, and was the first cellist to perform the Haydn D Major Concerto there. Klengel had a close relationship with Brahms, Rubinstein, Reger and wrote a great number of fine compositions. Klengel’s students were the most celebrated cellists:  Feurermann, Suggia, Grummer, Piatigorsky and Pleeth.