Photo: Johann Georg Weinhold · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Ferdinand David
Person · male · Hamburg · Hamburg · born 1810 · died 1873 · recording since 1993
German musician (1810–1873)
Also known as 费迪南德·大卫
Timeline
7 events▣ Album 4◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1810s
1870s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Romantic Trombone Concertos
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2010s
· Album
Album: The Romantic Violin Concerto, Volume 9: Violin Concerto no. 4, op. 23 / Violin Concerto no. 5, op. 35 / Andante and Scherzo capriccioso, op. 16
Album
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography644 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1351953922
Biography
Ferdinand Ernst Victor Carl David (German: [ˈdaːvɪt]; 19 June 1810 – 18 July 1873) was a German virtuoso violinist, composer and conductor.
Biography
Born in the same house in Hamburg where Felix Mendelssohn had been born the previous year, David was raised Jewish but later converted to Protestant Christianity. His sister Louise Dulcken was a concert pianist. David was a pupil of Louis Spohr and Moritz Hauptmann from 1823 to 1824 and in 1826 became a violinist at Königsstädtisches Theater in Berlin. In 1829 he was the first violinist of the string quartet of Baron Carl Gotthard von Liphart (father of Karl Eduard von Liphart) in Dorpat, and he undertook concert tours in Riga, Saint Petersburg and Moscow. In 1835 he became concertmaster (Konzertmeister) at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig working with Mendelssohn. In Leipzig, for about forty years, he was also the first violinist of the Leipzig Quartet. David returned to Dorpat to marry Liphardt's daughter Sophie. In 1843 David became the first professor of violin (Violinlehrer) at the newly founded Leipziger Konservatorium für Musik.
David worked closely with Mendelssohn, providing technical advice during the preparation of the latter's Violin Concerto in E minor. He was also the soloist in the premiere of the work in 1845, and, with Clara Schumann, played the official premiere of Schumann's first violin sonata in Leipzig in March 1852.
After Mendelssohn's sudden death, David was assigned Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, a duty he fulfilled 1841–1842 and 1852–1854.
He died suddenly in 1873, aged 63, while on a mountain excursion with his children, near Klosters in the Graubünden (Grisons) area of Switzerland.
Compositions
David's own compositions number about 50 opuses. They include 12 "theme and variations" pieces for violin and orchestra, five violin concertos, a string sextet, concertinos for violin, bassoon, clarinet, trombone and orchestra, and a number of lieder. Supposedly he also wrote two symphonies and an opera (Hans Wacht, 1852), but these seem not to have been preserved.
David's most played piece today is his Concertino for Trombone and Orchestra, Op. 4. The first movement of this piece is very often used as the obligatory piece for tenor trombonists auditioning for symphony orchestras around the world.
Editions and arrangements
David had close connections with Breitkopf & Härtel and other publishers in Leipzig, and also worked as editor of violin works including those of Francesco Maria Veracini, Pietro Locatelli and Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. He was editor of the complete Beethoven piano trios for C.F. Peters Edition. He was also editor of the set of J.S. Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin in 1843.
He made an arrangement for violin and piano of Niccolò Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, which was the version used for the world premiere integral recording of the Caprices, by Ossy Renardy and Walter Robert in 1940, the centenary of Paganini's death; this was seven years before Ruggiero Ricci made the first recording of the original solo violin version. When Renardy re-recorded the Caprices in 1953, he again used David's arrangement.
The Chaconne in G minor attributed to Tomaso Antonio Vitali was published for the first time from a manuscript in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Dresden in David's well renowned violin-method Die Hohe Schule des Violinspiels (1867).
He also wrote an often-used version of the cadenza for Beethoven's violin concerto, used by 12-year old Joseph Joachim at the revival concert of this piece in 1844, under Mendelssohn.
Other
On the recommendation of William Sterndale Bennett, with whom he had worked in Leipzig, David's son Paul David became the first Director of Music at Uppingham School from 1864–1908.
In 1835, the year that Mendelssohn was assigned Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, there was an audition for the Konzertmeister position. One of the other applicants was Karol Lipiński, the Polish virtuoso. Most probably, the childhood connection between David and Mendelssohn played a part in Mendelssohn choosing David as the Konzertmeister.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 20 | 81.1th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 7 | 82.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -120 | 4.6th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (4 release groups · 4 studio albums)
Albums · 4
1993 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 54:14
1Concertino für Posaune und Orchester Es‐Dur, op. 4: 1. Allegro maestoso6:232Concertino für Posaune und Orchester Es‐Dur, op. 4: 2. Andante. Marcia funebre3:523Concertino für Posaune und Orchester Es‐Dur, op. 4: 3. Allegro maestoso4:564Concertino für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 1. Allegro maestoso4:215Concertino für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 2. Adagio2:366Concertino für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 3. Allegro moderato. Thema mit Variationen4:577Konzertstück für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 1. Tempo di Marcia. Moderato4:198Konzertstück für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 2. Tempo moderato — Variationen I + II — Adagio grandioso6:039Konzertstück für Posaune und Orchester B‐Dur: 3. Tempo di Marcia. Moderato2:1010Konzert für Posaune und Orchester Nr. 2 A‐Dur: 1. Allegro maestoso4:5511Konzert für Posaune und Orchester Nr. 2 A‐Dur: 2. Adagio5:2612Konzert für Posaune und Orchester Nr. 2 A‐Dur: 3. Rondo. Allegro moderato4:162010 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 59:33
1Violin Concerto no. 4 in E major, op. 23: I. Allegro11:562Violin Concerto no. 4 in E major, op. 23: II. Adagio cantabile, non troppo lento -6:433Violin Concerto no. 4 in E major, op. 23: III. Allegretto grazioso7:344Violin Concerto no. 5 in D minor, op. 35: I. Allegro serioso10:565Violin Concerto no. 5 in D minor, op. 35: II. Adagio -5:026Violin Concerto no. 5 in D minor, op. 35: III. Vivace8:007Andante and Scherzo capriccioso, op. 169:222012 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:15:48
1Salon-Duett in D major, op. 258:112Suite for Violine solo, op. 43: Menuett. Allegro moderato3:353Suite for Violine solo, op. 43: Gavotte. Allegro vivace2:454Suite for Violine solo, op. 43: Siciliano. Andante2:455Suite for Violine solo, op. 43: Gigue. Allegro ma non troppo2:26612 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Praeludium. Allegretto1:55712 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace3:06812 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Tanz. Moderato4:14912 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Romanze. Andante con moto3:571012 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Rondo. Allegro vivace3:101112 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Ballade. Andante3:021212 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Lied. Allegro agitato1:501312 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Marsch. Allegro maestoso5:011412 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Impromptu. Moderato3:591512 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Canon. Andante con moto3:231612 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Ständchen. Allegretto grazioso2:391712 Salon-Stücke für Violine und Pianoforte, op. 24: Capriccio. Allegro agitato3:4418Trois impromptus en forme de Valse: Allegretto grazioso5:5319Trois impromptus en forme de Valse: Andantino espressivo5:1920Trois impromptus en forme de Valse: Allegro brillante4:5420 Virtuoso Studies / 6 Caprices for Solo Violin
2014 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 26 tracks · 1:13:41
120 Virtuoso Studies: No. 1. Allegro moderato2:17220 Virtuoso Studies: No. 2. Allegro energico ma moderato2:46320 Virtuoso Studies: No. 3. Allegro brillante3:17420 Virtuoso Studies: No. 4. Lentamente con tranquillezza2:39520 Virtuoso Studies: No. 5. Allegretto agitato con passione2:48620 Virtuoso Studies: No. 6. Allegro energico non troppo presto4:02720 Virtuoso Studies: No. 7. Allegro giocoso2:52820 Virtuoso Studies: No. 8. Allegro agitato2:53920 Virtuoso Studies: No. 9. Cantabile moderato ed espressivo3:031020 Virtuoso Studies: No. 10. Andantino2:391120 Virtuoso Studies: No. 11. Allegro maestoso e patetico3:491220 Virtuoso Studies: No. 12. Agitato3:311320 Virtuoso Studies: No. 13. Allegro brillante2:081420 Virtuoso Studies: No. 14. Allegro molto vivace2:131520 Virtuoso Studies: No. 15. Allegro giojoso2:201620 Virtuoso Studies: No. 16. Andantino2:041720 Virtuoso Studies: No. 17. Allegro con brio1:461820 Virtuoso Studies: No. 18. Vivace1:221920 Virtuoso Studies: No. 19. Allegro moderato3:292020 Virtuoso Studies: No. 20. Vivacissimo1:42216 Caprices, op. 9: No. 1. Moderato2:48226 Caprices, op. 9: No. 2. Allegro vivace2:37236 Caprices, op. 9: No. 3. Allegro con spirito4:47246 Caprices, op. 9: No. 4. Molto agitato2:49256 Caprices, op. 9: No. 5. Allegro espressivo3:19266 Caprices, op. 9: No. 6. Allegro ma non troppo3:41
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Ferdinand David head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 20 | 81.1th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 7 | 82.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -120 | 4.6th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferdinand_david.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/81d88460-9470-41a7-af2c-0a6ff9a52121discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/81d88460-9470-41a7-af2c-0a6ff9a52121core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q215083genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q215083seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_David_%28musician%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_David_%28musician%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Johann Georg Weinhold · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q215083 · MusicBrainz: 81d88460-9470-41a7-af2c-0a6ff9a52121
Similar artists
Browse every Tier 3 artist →Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.
Leopold Koželuch
Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1993, same year
20 wikis
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Sweden · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1992, 1 year apart
20 wikis
Petr Eben
Czech Republic · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1992, 1 year apart
21 wikis
Victor de Sabata
Italy · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1993, same year
19 wikis
Hans Krása
Czechoslovakia · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1993, same year
22 wikis
Stephen Hough
United Kingdom · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1991, 2 years apart
18 wikis
Giuseppe Gazzaniga
Republic of Venice · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1991, 2 years apart
17 wikis
Johann Simon Mayr
Kingdom of Bavaria · Person
classical music · opera
2 shared genre tags · debut 1994, 1 year apart
23 wikis