Have you heard the story of the world’s first female cellist, also an intrepid explorer?
14 October 2025, 13:47 | Updated: 15 October 2025, 09:32
Lise Cristiani was the first recorded female cellist to perform publicly, at a time when women playing the cello was considered unacceptable. She was also an explorer, but died tragically young aged just 26.
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Born in Paris in 1827, Lise Cristiani was orphaned young and raised by her maternal grandparents, adopting their surname, Chrétien, which she later Italianised to Cristiani. Initially trained in singing and piano, she defied convention by switching to the cello.
At the time, playing the cello was seen as improper for women. The posture required, legs astride the instrument, was considered unladylike and drew unwanted attention to a woman’s body. Sitting primly at the piano was far more becoming.
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Cristiani gave her public debut at the age of 17, and it was a resounding success. One enthusiastic critic even punctuated his review with three exclamation marks (!!!).
Her blossoming career took her across northern Europe. In Denmark, she was named ‘Virtuosa di Corte’ by the king, and in Sweden, fans dubbed her ‘Saint Cecilia of France’ (the patron saint of music). In 1845, while performing in Leipzig, she caught the attention of Felix Mendelssohn, who dedicated ‘Lied ohne Worte’, a piece for cello and piano, to her.
In 1849, Cristiani embarked on a concert tour across Siberia, becoming the first European to perform publicly in many remote cities across northern Asia. She travelled by boat and by carts and sledges drawn by horses, dogs and reindeer, with her cello – a 1700 Stradivarius with her name carved into the side – kept safe in a wolfskin-lined metal case.
One account from her travelogue tells of her encounter with a blue whale that surfaced beside her ship on the Pacific Ocean, possibly drawn by the sound of her playing.
She eventually returned west, performing in Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Caucasus, where Leo Tolstoy was among her audience.
Tragically, her extraordinary life was cut short when she died of cholera in Siberia in 1853, at the age of 26.
A French diplomat was sent to retrieve her cello, which now resides in the Museo del Violino in Cremona.
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Cristiani is believed to have played a key role in popularising the use of the endpin – the spike at the bottom of the cello that rests on the floor.
This innovation made it easier to play the instrument while seated, especially for women, whose dress fashions at the time made traditional positioning difficult.
Her influence helped to pave the way for more female cellists in the decades after her death.
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