Happy Birthday, Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer (b otd 1783, 241 years ago, at 9.30 AM!)

But wait… wasn’t he born on the 20th of January? Every publicly available source seems to think so, and even music encyclopaedias stated that until about 25 years ago.

I cannot show here the christening certificate from the parish record in Häselrieth, but here is what it says:

Justus Johann Friedrich
Was born to me, Justus Johann Georg Dotzauer, pastor here, as my third son by my wife Elisabetha Margaretha, née Großmännin von Harraß, on the 20th of June at around half past nine in the morning and was baptized on the 22nd of June during the afternoon service on St. John's Day. [… followed by the list of godparents]

One of the crucial figures for the development of modern cello playing and possibly the most influential pedagogue of his time. Most of how we play cello today saw the light thanks to his research and inspiration.

Moreover, most of the greatest cellists descend—in one way or another—from the Dresden Cello School that he pioneered: Popper, Starker, du Pré, and more…

What else? The modern bow hold was first documented by Dotzauer, and so is his focus on a pain-free posture when playing, the extension of the forearm, and the list goes on…

He was most beloved and celebrated in life, but the majority of his original works are either lost or ignored, and what most of us got in touch with was the filtering and ordering work done by Johannes Klingenberg (Cello Tutor voll. 1-3, 113 studies voll. 1-4, and more…). You may be surprised to learn that little of this contains the original musical will of Dotzauer—especially the Tutor!—which, thanks also to some atrocious engraving choices, contributed to favouring the formation of a love/hate halo around him.

I personally loved his studies, but always felt I was missing some pieces of the puzzle.

In 2022, I started down a path that proved to be the happiest choice I could make as a researcher. The Dotzauer Project was born and, since then, several modern editions of previously lost, heavily edited or forgotten pieces have been created. Every edition contains detailed editorial notes, critical notes comparing the different editions of the past, modern performance suggestions, videos showing how these pieces sound, and more.

It is simply an honour to be allowed to delve deep into one of our cello forefathers’ (huge) production and to at least try to bring some justice to them, in gratitude for all he did for every one of us.

You can find everything about the Dotzauer Project on this page: https://artisticscoreengraving.com/publications/dotzauer-project/ — there are links to videos, blog posts, and editions you can purchase.

If you decide for the latter, please consider using the discount code “HAPPYBIRTHDAYDOTZAUER” at checkout, for a 15% off these 48h. Bundles are available on demand.

If you want to follow the evolution of the project, I suggest you subscribe to my mailing list (free): https://bit.ly/3ujFa4j (you will get a monthly newsletter, weekly gifts, and early access to new editions and exclusive offers).

You are welcome to join the discussion and ask any doubt you may have about Dotzauer and his production, I will gladly answer any of your queries.

Thank you for your time, and have a great day!

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