Dutch Cellist, Anner Bylsma, Dies at 85

Dutch cellist and prominent figure in the early music movement, Anner Bylsma, died at the age of 85 on July 25 in Amsterdam, according to The New York Times.

The cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage, his family said.

Mr. Bylsma began playing the cello during World War II when his family needed a cellist for their family chamber orchestra.

In studying at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, he won the school's prix d'excellence in 1957. In 1958, he became a principal cellist with the Netherlands Opera Orchestra and placed first at the Pablo Casals Competition in Mexico. In 1962, Mr. Bylsma was appointed principal cello of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and held it for six years.

In addition to playing, he also taught at the Royal Conservatory and also the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam.

Mr. Bylsma was known for his accounts of Bach's six suites for solo cello, and he played on a a variety of both modern and period cellos. Mr. Bylsma recorded Bach's suites twice, in both 1979 and 1992.

The 1979 recording of Bach's suites was credited as being the first performance of the composition on a period instrument with gut strings. Today, they are the most performed solo cello works.

Mr. Bylsma played in trio performed with recorder virtuoso Frans Bruggen and harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt. The three led the early music movement, which called for use of period techniques and instruments.

In 1998, Mr. Bylsma wrote the first of his series of books on Bach, titled "Bach, the Fencing Master," in which he studied Bach's works and set out to disabuse cellists of "three hundred years of opinions of lesser men - always lesser men than Bach," and of the "preconceived ideas of people" who "do not even play a string instrument themselves."

in 2006, he retired from performing after discovering he had a muscular disorder. Mr. Bylsma still continued to teach.

Mr. Bylsma is survived by his wife, violinist Vera Beths; a daughter, Carine Bijlsma, a documentary filmmaker; a son from his first marriage, Dr. Merijn W. Bijlsma, a pediatrician in Amsterdam; a stepdaughter, the actress Katja Herbers ("Manhattan," HBO's "The Leftovers," "WestWorld"); a brother, Henk; and two grandchildren.

To read more about Mr. Bylsma, tap on The New York Times article here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.