The Belgian cellist Adrien Francois Servais (1807-1866), an illustrious representative of the 19th century virtuoso-romantic style, is a prominent figure in the history of violoncello performing art. He made an essential contribution to cello technique, greatly broadening its expressive media, and wrote a great many concert works for the cello which embodied the peculiarities of his style as a performer. Servais' playing and compositions both reflected the tastes of the new epoch, with its romantic fervour and ardent affection for the art of Niccolo Paganini and Franz Liszt. He was given the gift of a Stradivarius cello early in his career, which today bears his name. Hector Berlioz later referred to Servais as ‘the Niccolò Paganini of the cello’.