Maurits Frank (1892-1959) of Rotterdam is considered to have beeon one of the leading cellists of the beginning of the 20th Century. After studying with Pablo Casals among others, he taught music from a young age in Heidelberg and Neustadt/Pfalz before moving to the celebrated institution  of Dr Hoch's Conservatoire in Frankfurt in 1915. He distinguished himself as a member of the Rebner quartet - and subsequently the Amar quartet - where Paul Hindemith played the viola.
During the war years Frank went home to the Netherlands, but he returned to Germany in 1949 to teach cello and chamber music at the Cologne Academy of Music. He also continued to play quartets and took a particular interest in contemporary music. Frank gave the first performances of Hindemith's Cello Concerto in Eb Opus 3 and Webern's 3 Little Pieces Opus 11 - the latter he performed with the pianist Eduard Zuckmayer, brother of the writer Carl Zuckmayer. Maurits Frank founded the Rhein Chamber Orchestra of Cologne two years before his death.