Enrico Mainardi (1897-1976) was one of the most important solo cellists of the first half of the 20th century. He was also a prolific composer, conductor and editor of works in the cello repertoire. His fingerings for Bach's 'Cello Suites' have become legendary and have a sound all their own.
A child prodigy, Mainardi entered the Milan Conservatoire at the age of 13 and went on to study with Hugo Becker in Berlin. In addition to his "romantic" tone in works of the Classical and Romantic repertoire, Mainardi became particularly well known for his commitment to contemporary music, working with almost all the greats of chamber and orchestral music. In 1913, for example, he performed Max Reger's Cello Sonata op. 116 at the piano.
The partial bequest begins with information about Mainardi's repertoire. But much more: Approximately one metre of sheet music from a wide variety of works shows the virtuoso's markings (bowings, fingerings, tempo and performance markings), showing how the virtuoso worked through the works. Occasionally the material also includes notes, letters or programmes. However, those interested in the manuscripts of Mainardi's own compositions and other material left behind by the cello virtuoso should refer to Mainardi's main estate in the Deutsches Komponistenarchiv Dresden-Hellerau.
A detailed overview of the partial estate can be found via Primo [https://hfmn.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/49HFMN_INST/b1vv8f/alma991000597033006671] or in a printed catalogue on site. There is also a reference in the union catalogue Gateway Bavaria [https://gateway-bayern.de/BV049824217] as well as in the central archive database for Germany Kalliope [https://kalliope-verbund.info/DE-611-BF-128141].
For conservation reasons, the archives cannot be borrowed, but can only be consulted on site in the library.
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