Ferdinand Zellbell The Younger

Swedish composer, court conductor and organist, commonly called Ferdinand Zellbell d. y. (the younger), baptized September 3, 1719 in Stockholm, died April 21, 1780. After years of apprenticeship with his father, Zellbell became a student of Johan Helmich Roman in Stockholm and Georg Philipp Telemann in Hamburg. In 1736 he joined the Royal Court Chapel as an expectant. He became royal concertmaster with the title of court conductor in 1750. In 1753 he took over his father's organ service in Storkyrkan, Stockholm (formally, however, not until his father's death in 1765). He accompanied Patrick Alströmer to Russia in 1758. In Stockholm he took an active part in the music life, among other things. within the Masonic Order's music activities. Zellbell was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Music on December 7, 1771. He was also elected as one of its first members (member no. 10), and as director of the educational institution (1771-1774). Zellbell's main instruments were organ, piano and violin. His knowledge and improvisational skills were well-witnessed, but as a composer he may not be one of the greatest of his time. As such, he was late and was not innovative. He was intended as a composer for the first Swedish opera, "Thetis och Pelée" (1773), but the bid went instead to Francesco Uttini. He was the son of Ferdinand Zellbell d.ä.