Sebastian Lee


Sebastian Lee was a German cellist and pedagogue active in France and Germany.

Biography

He studied under Johann Nikolaus Prell. In 1832, he debuted in the Theatre Italien in Paris. From 1837 to 1843, he was a soloist at the Paris Opéra. He also taught the cello at the Paris Conservatory until 1868, when he returned to his birthplace, Hamburg.
In both, his playing and teaching styles, he displayed a combination of the German and French schools. He published a method for the violoncello in 1845, with the distinction of being accepted as a manual at the Paris Conservatory. The method has been republished in various countries and Lee's studies and duets are still used today.
He is most notable for the composition of an anthology of 40 cello études faciles.
He wrote a series of studies for cello, of which one in particular; Thema mit Variationen, has been called, "A study with a memorable melody".