Domenico Dragonetti with his Gasparo da Salò double bass

Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti (April 9, 1763 - April 16, 1846), was an Italian double bass player, born in Venice. He stayed for thirty years in his hometown and worked at the Opera Buffa, at the Chapel of San Marco and at the Grand Opera in Vicenza. By that time he had become increasingly famous all over Europe and had turned down several opportunities, including offers from the Tsar of Russia. In 1794, he finally moved to London to play in the orchestra of the King's Theatre, and settled there for the remainder of his life. In fifty years, he became an unavoidable figure in the musical events of the English capital, performing at the concerts of the Philharmonic Society of London as well as in more private events, where he would meet the most influential persons in the country, like the Prince Consort and the Duke of Leinster. He was acquainted with composers Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he visited on several occasions in Vienna, and to whom he showed the possibilities of the double bass as a solo instument. His ability on the instrument also demonstrated the relevance of writing scores for the double bass in the orchestra separate from that of the cello, which was the common rule at the time. He is also remembered today for the Dragonetti bow, which he evolved troughout his life. Image File history File links Engraving_dragonetti. ... Image File history File links Engraving_dragonetti. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′N 12°19′E, population 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Opera buffa (comic opera), also known as Commedia per musica (musical comedy), or Dramma giocoso per musica (musical dramatic comedy), is a form of opera. ... San Marco in the evening St Marks Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco in Venezia) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ... Vicenza by night Vicenza (population 107,223) is the capital of the province of Vicenza in the Veneto region, northern Italy at the northern base of the Monti Berici, straddling the Bacchiglione. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... Tsar, (Bulgarian цар�, Russian царь; often spelled Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The Italian Opera House, Haymarket, in the late 1820s The 1867 fire Her Majesty’s Theatre in the Haymarket, home to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. ... The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Arms of the Duke of Leinster The Duke of Leinster (named after Leinster and, unlike the Province, pronounced Linster) is Irelands premier peer. ... (Franz) Joseph Haydn, (March 31 or April 1, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. Although he is still often called Franz Joseph Haydn, the name Franz was not used in the composer... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya; Croatian and Serbian: Beč) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The term solo has different meanings in a different context. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. ... A cello The cello (often formally referred to as the violoncello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... In music, a bow is a device pulled across the strings of a string instrument in order to make them vibrate and emit sound. ...

History

Domenico Dragonetti around 1793

Image File history File linksMetadata Dragonetti_BNF.jpeg Summary photograph (ca 1865) by Charles Jacotin (18??-18??) of a lithography (ca 1793) of Domenico Dragonetti . ... Image File history File linksMetadata Dragonetti_BNF.jpeg Summary photograph (ca 1865) by Charles Jacotin (18??-18??) of a lithography (ca 1793) of Domenico Dragonetti . ...

Venice 1763-1794

He was born in Venice of Pietro Dragonetti, a barber and amateur musician, and Caterina Calegari. He began playing the guitar and the double bass by himself on his father's instruments. He was soon noticed by Doretti, a violonist and composer of ball music, who took him along for public performance in Venice. At the age of twelve, he was placed under the tuition of Berini, the best master for the double bass in Venice, who decided after only eleven lessons that he could not teach the boy anything more. At the age of thirteen, Dragonetti was appointed principal player at the Opera Buffa in Venice. At fourteen he was appointed principal double bass player in the Grand Opera Seria at the San Benedetto theatre

When about eighteen, in Treviso, he was invited to join the quartet of the Tommasini, and was noticed by Morosini, procurator of Saint Mark, who indulged him in auditioning for the admission in the Chapel of San Marco. He made a first attempt in 1784, which was lost to Antonio Spinelli. He finally joined the institution on September 13, 1787 as the last of the five double bass players of the Chapel with a yearly income of 25 ducats. He soon became the principal bassist and was offered a place by the Tsar of Russia, which was declined and got him a salary raise. He became very famous at the time, started playing solo pieces, which was exceptional at the time for the double bass, and even got elected as of the directors of a musical festival held for the coming of fourteen sovereign princes to the republic of Venice. One of his concertos was particularly remarked by the queen of Naples. Treviso is a town (population 83,598 as of 1991) in the Veneto region of Italy. ... Morosini, a noble Venetian family, probably of Hungarian extraction, which gave many doges, statesmen, generals and admirals to the Venetian Republic, and cardinals to the Church. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1787 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The ducat was a gold coin that was used throughout Europe. ... I Have A Very Very Big Penis! The Most Serene Republic of Venice was a Venetian city-state in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... In classical music, the word concerto (pl. ... Naples panorama Naples (Italian Nàpoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ...

When in Vicenza for an engagement at the Grand Opera there, he acquired his famous Gasparo da Salò double bass from the Benedictine Nuns of the Convent of San Pietro (La Pieta) in Vicenza, which is now housed in the museum of St Mark's Basilica. He was offered another position to the Czar of Russia, which he declined after the procurators of St Mark increased his salary to an exceptional 50 ducats. They even granted him a leave for a year, with a continuation in his wages, to go to the King's Theatre in London. That leave was extended for three more years afterwards, but finally Dragonetti never returned to Venice for more than a brief period during the French occupation of the city, 1805-1814. San Marco in the evening St Marks Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco in Venezia) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ...

The King's theatre at the time of Dragonetti

William Capon (1757-1827): Italian Opera House (Kings Theatre), The Haymarket, London. ... William Capon (1757-1827): Italian Opera House (Kings Theatre), The Haymarket, London. ...

London 1794-1846

He left Venice on September 16, 1794, participated in the first rehearsals at the King's Theatre, on October 20, 1794, and finally appeared as orchestra member in the opera Zenobia in Palmira, by Giovanni Paisiello, on December 20, 1794. After only a few months, he became very famous in London, and his brilliant career was to last till the end. September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Paisiello at the clavichord, by Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1791. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Later he became intimate with the Prince Consort and the Duke of Leinster. He took part between 1816 and 1842, in forty-six concerts held by the Philharmonic Society of London. At the Italian Opera orchestra, he met the cellist Robert Lindley, who became his close friend and with whom he shared the stand during fifty-two years. They made a specialty at playing Arcangelo Corelli's sonatas. The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. ... Alternate meaning: Cello web browser A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human (Uncropped Version) The cello (also violoncello or cello) is a stringed instrument and part of the violin family. ... Arcangelo Corelli (February 17, 1653 – January 19, 1713) was an Italian violin player and Baroque music composer. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ...

He died in his Leicester square lodgings at the age of 83, and was buried on April 23, 1846 in the vaults of the Roman Catholic chapel of St Mary, Moorfields, and was moved in 1889 to the Roman Catholic cemetery at Wembley. Vincent Novello and Count Carlo Pepoli (librettist of Vincenzo Bellini's I puritani) were among his most famous friends in London. April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... In London, the Moorfields were one of the last pieces of open land in the City of London, near the Moorgate. ... Wembley is a place in the London Borough of Brent. ... Vincent Novello (September 6, 1781 - August 9, 1861), English musician, son of an Italian who married an English wife, was born in London. ... Libretto can also refer to a sub-notebook PC manufactured by Toshiba. ... Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (November 3, 1801 – September 23, 1835) was an Italian opera composer. ... I Puritani is an opera in three acts, by Vincenzo Bellini. ...

Vienna

In 1791-1792, Joseph Haydn accepted a lucrative offer from german impresario Johann Peter Salomon to visit England and conduct new symphonies with large orchestras. The visit was a huge success and generated some of his best known work. Another trip was therefore scheduled in 1794-1795. On that second occasion, Haydn met Dragonetti, who became a very good friend, and who visited him in Vienna in 1799. On that first trip to Vienna, Dragonetti also met Beethoven in a famous encounter. Johann Peter Salomon (baptized February 20, 1745, died November 28, 1815) was a violinist, composer, conductor and musical impresario. ... A symphony is an extended piece of music for orchestra, especially one in the form of a sonata. ...

Domenico Dragonetti

"Two new and valuable, though but passing acquaintances were made by Beethoven this year, however - with Domenico Dragonetti, the greatest contrabassist known to history, and Johann Baptist Cramer, one of the greatest pianists. Dragonetti was not more remarkable for his astounding execution than for the deep, genuine musical feeling which elevated and ennobled it. He was now - in the spring of 1799, so far as the means are at hand of determining the time - returning to London from a visit to his native city, Venice, and his route took him to Vienna, where he remained several weeks. Beethoven and he soon met and they were mutually pleased with each other. Many years afterwards Dragonetti related the following anecdote to Samuel Appleby, Esq., of Brighton, England: "Beethoven had been told that his new friend could execute violoncello music upon his huge instrument and one morning, when Dragonetti called at his room, he expressed the desire to hear a sonata. The contrabass was sent for, and the Sonata, n°2, of Op.5, was selected. Beethoven played his part, with his eyes immovably fixed upon his companion, and, in the finale, where the arpeggios occur, was so delighted and excited that at the close he sprang up and threw his arms around both player and instrument". The unlucky contrabassists of orchestras had frequent occasions during the next few years to know that this new revelation of the powers and possibilities of their instrument to Beethoven was not forgotten." (Thayer, 1967) Image File history File linksMetadata Domenico_Dragonetti. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Domenico_Dragonetti. ... Johann Baptist Cramer (February 24, 1771, Mannheim - April 16, 1858, London), was an English musician of German extraction. ... Below is a complete list of works by Beethoven: // Beethoven works, by genre Symphonies Opus 21: Symphony No. ... A finale is a closing part, act or movement of a dramatic or musical composition, or more generally any event or procedure with a dramatically concluding effect. ... This article will be merged with Italian musical terms at some point in the near future. ...

To this day, the mastering of the Beethoven double bass symphonic parts are considered a basic standard for all orchestral double bass players. Dragonetti came back to Vienna for an extensive stay in 1808-1809. On that second trip he became friend with composer Simon Sechter, who would become the court organist in 1824, and professor of composition at the Vienna Conservatorium in 1851. He wrote piano accompaniments to some of his concert pieces, and they maintained a lifelong correspondence. Dragonetti was again in Vienna in 1813 and got to meet once more Beethoven, who had just written Wellington's Victory, to celebrate the victory of Wellington over the french armies of King Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Vitoria. The premiere of this work, as well as of Beethoven's seventh symphony was performed on December 8, 1813, in the University's Festsaal, with Dragonetti leading the double basses. Simon Sechter, Austrian music theorist, teacher, organist, conductor and composer, was born in Friedberg (now called Frimburk, Bohemia) on October 11, 1788. ... I am looking for the address and telephone of the music school at Regensburg Germany. ... Wellingtons Victory, Op. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (January 7, 1768 – July 28, 1844) was the elder brother of the French Emperor Napoleon I, who made him King of Naples (1806–1808) and King of Spain (1808–1813). ... The Battle of Vitoria was fought on June 21, 1813 during the Peninsular War, between 78,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops, with 96 guns, under the Marquis of Wellington, and 58,000 French with 153 guns under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdan. ... Ludwig van Beethoven began substantial work on his Symphony No. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Style

Dragonetti was known for his formidable strength and stamina. It was particularly important at a time when the role of the double bass in the orchestra was to assist the concertmaster in maintaining the cohesion and establishing the tempo. He had a huge hand, with strong, broad fingers, which allowed him to play with a taller bridge and strings twice as far from the fingerboard as the other bassists.

The physical quality is his huge hand: endowed, first of all, with prodigious strength so that its grip on the strings of the instrument is the equivalent of the grip of a blacksmith's vice... A hand endowed with five fingers so long, big and agile, that all five, including the bent thumb, go up and down the fingerboard each playing a note. (Caffi, 1855)

This was not at all standard in these times, as most players used to play - in one position - one note with the index finger, and one with the other three fingers in combination.

Dragonetti's style was extremely powerful. Legend has it that one night, while staying at a hotel, he came out on to the balcony in the middle of the night and played his bass with extreme force. The next morning, the people who spent the night there the previous night were heard asking other customers if they had "heard the storm".

Dragonetti had no family, though he kept a collection of life-sized cloth mannequins, with which he traveled often. His closest companion for several years was his dog Carlo, who would sleep under his stool during performances, sometimes awakening to howl during tenor solos.

Instruments

Dragonetti was a lover of the fine arts, and a collector of musical instruments as well as many art-related articles, such as original scores and paintings. When he died, the following instruments were dispatched: a giant double bass attributed to Gasparo da Salò and stated to have been used in contemporary performances of Handel's music, which is now conserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; a very fine Domenico Montagnana Basso di Camara (from Venice); a Gasparo da Salò double bass dated 1590; an Amati double bass; a Maggini double bass; a Stradivarius violin (once played by Paganini); a Gasparo da Salò violin; two Amati violins; one Lafont violin; a Stradivarius violin copy; 26 unnamed violins; a Gasparo da Salò viola; an Amati viola; a Hill viola; 5 unnamed violas; 6 cellos; a large cello; 3 guitars; 2 bassoons; 3 French horns. HANDEL was the code-name for the UKs National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. ... The Cromwell Road entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum viewed from Thurloe Square The main interior courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2004. ... Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin-makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1550 to 1740. ... One of the violins in the Stradivarius collection of the Royal Palace, Madrid, Spain. ...

Mention is made of this on The Contrabass Shoppe web site which says...

"There are various stories of how Dragonetti came into possession of the famous Gasparo da Salo bass. The fascinating and highly commendable biography Domenico Dragonetti In England by Fiona M. Palmer (Clarendon Press Oxford 1997) seems to offer the most plausible account. Because of Dragonetti's unprecedented virtuosity as a soloist, attractive offers of work were made from both London and Moscow. As remuneration for renouncing the offers and remaining as principal bassist with the orchestra of the Ducal Chapel of St Mark's in Venice (an orchestra of considerable importance), a decree made in 1791 gave Dragonetti a financial gratuity.

Similarly, it is reputed that Dragonetti was presented with an instrument made by Gasparo da Salo (1542-1609) by the Benedictine nuns who occupied St Peter's monastery in Vicenza where Dragonetti lived and played in the Grand Opera. In the Palmer biography, a footnote refers to a 1906 account by C. P. A. Berenzi, who suggests that the instrument may have been made for the monks of St Peter's, Vicenza, by Gasparo da Salo, and acquired by the procurators of St Mark's to entice Dragonetti to remain in their employ." Vicenza by night Vicenza (population 107,223) is the capital of the province of Vicenza in the Veneto region, northern Italy at the northern base of the Monti Berici, straddling the Bacchiglione. ...

Compositions

When he left to London in 1795, Dragonetti left many papers and manuscripts, including a Complete system of the double bass, or instruction book for that instrument, containing many elaborate exercises and studies, in the care of a friend. Unfortunately, they were sold and could not be retrieved by their author when he returned to Venice after some years. Today, many of his letters, personal papers, compositions, solos and manuscripts are to be found in the British Library. Some where directly bequeathed by Dragonetti, some were offered by Vincent Novello, and some where bought at auctions. Some of the compositions by Dragonetti include British Library Ossulston St entrance, with distinctive red logo. ... Vincent Novello (September 6, 1781 - August 9, 1861), English musician, son of an Italian who married an English wife, was born in London. ...

• Adagio and Rondo in A major, for double bass and orchestra;
• Andante and Rondo, for double bass and strings;
• Concerto in A major for string bass and piano;
• Concerto no. 5 in A major, for double bass and orchestra;
• Grande Alegro;
• Grande allegro, for double bass and piano;
• Menuet and Alegro for double bass and piano;
• Opera for double bass and piano;
• Sonata for double bass and piano;
• Alegretto for double bass and piano;
• Famous solo in E minor for double bass and piano;
• Adagio and Rondo in C major for double bass and piano;
• Concerto in G major (Andante, Alegretto) for double bass and orchestra
• Serenata, for piano and string bass
• Solo in D major, for double bass and piano

References

• Berenzi, Angelo (1906). Di alcuni stumenti fabbricati da Gasparo di Salò posseduti da Ole Bull, da Dragonetti e dalle sorelle Milanollo, in italian, Brescia : Geroldi.
• Brun, Paul (2000). A new history of the double bass, 240-254, Paul Brun Productions. ISBN 2-9514461-0-1.
• Caffi, Francesco (1987). Elvidio Surian Storia della musica sacra nella già Cappella ducale di S. Marco in Venezia dal 1318 al 1797, in italian, Firenze. ISBN 8822234790.
• Heyes, David (1996). The Dragon's Allure--the lasting legacy of Dragonetti. Double Bassist 1 (Spring/Summer): –.
• Palmer, Fiona (1997). Domenico Dragonetti in England (1794-1846) : the career of a double bass virtuoso, Oxford. ISBN 0198165919.
• Slatford, Rodney (1970). Domenico Dragonetti. Journal of the Royal Musical Association 97: 21-28;.
• Thayer, Alexander Wheelock (1967). Thayer’s life of Beethoven. Rev. and edited by Elliot Forbes, 208, Princeton University Press. LCCN 66029831.