F. Mendelssohn - Song without words Op.109
%%FirstName%%, Jacqueline Mary du Pré was a British cellist, widely regarded as one of the prominent cellists of the 20th century. Du Pré was born in 1945 in England, and at the age of four du Pré is said to have heard the sound of the cello on the radio and asked her mother for "one of those".
She began lessons at the age of five, and by the time she was 14 she was winning awards and began appearing at children's and young musicians' concerts. In March 1961, at the age of 16, du Pré made her formal début at Wigmore Hall, London. By the next year she was playing the Elgar Cello Concerto at The Proms in London. She went on to an illustrious career, with many people considering her the best cellist in the world during her short lifetime.
In 1971, du Pré's playing declined as she began to lose sensitivity in her fingers and other parts of her body. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in October 1973. Shortly after the diagnosis she stopped performing, and finally died in October 1987 at age 42.
There are many fantastic recordings and videos of du Pré performing concerti, and they are all worth watching. Here is a short piece that shows her immense talent at a young age, the Song Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn.
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