(Halle, 6 June 1807 - 26 November 1866)
Servais initially studied the violin before starting to study cello; known by his contemporaries for virtuosity and excessive use of the vibrate, he became the owner of a Stradivari cello of 1701, which today bears his name, the Stradivari Servais. He also became known for being among the first cellors to adopt the tip, probably due to the greater dimensions of his instrument, Although the tip became popular only in the twentieth century. He has composed numerous compositions for his instrument, including four concerts for cello and about twenty duets for two cello or violin and cello, and his compositions are still part of the cellist repertoire. Hector Berlioz referred to him as the "Niccolò Paganini of the cello."
A few years after his death in 1866, his hometown, Halle, honored him, and Servais' stepson, the sculptor Cyprian Godbski, placed a statue in the city's historic center.
This performance has launched his international career as a celler. For 33 years, he shot all of Europe and played for almost all the royal courts. He played with famous orchestras such as Wiener Philharmoniker and that of the Royal Philharmonic Society, and with virtuosos such as Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, Felix Mendelssohn, Henri Vieuxtemps and Clara Schumann.
His cello from 1701, called "Servais Strad," is exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. The Finnish celler Seeli Toivio (who played this concert in Brussels and Antwerp on 8 and 9 November 2007, accompanied by the Defilharmonie orchestra directed by Paul Watkins) wrote about the work 5 of Servais: "This concert is demanding for the cellarist With its various difficulties for the technique of the left hand. Among others, those are octaves, high jumps, and double stops. Difficult passages require a very flowing technique with the left hand.
The song opens for the cellist when the difficulties are overcome as a happy, lively, and beautiful concert. In my experience, the most challenging thing about this concert was the first movement. This is because of the fast passages, especially halfway through the movement, and also because of the double hard arrests towards the end of the movement. There are also some passages of high trilli that I found moderately demanding but also hilarious to play. The second movement is surprisingly beautiful. The end of the last movement is quick enough for the right hand and can cause problems if the movement is started with a very fast tempo. '
