Dragonetti meaning

Domenico Dragonetti

Musical artist

Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti (7 April 1763 – 16 April 1846) was an Italian double bassvirtuoso and composer with a 3 string double bass. He stayed for thirty years in his hometown of Venice, Italy 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 notable throughout 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 a prominent 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 so

Domenico Dragonetti was Europe's first - and possibly the world's finest - virtuoso double bassist. Born in Venice, the son of a poor barber, he received violin instruction from a local shoemaker, who later persuaded him to take up the double bass. The young Dragonetti demonstrated prodigious talent on his new instrument and at the age of just 13 was appointed to the orchestra of the Opera Buffa in Venice before joining the orchestra of St Mark's five years later. During these years, he discovered the famous Gasparo da Salò bass, an instrument that he would play for the rest of his life. In 1794, Dragonetti moved to London where he was to play operas and concerts at the King's Theatre. Here he met the Italian violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti with whom he would form a close musical relationship as a duo partner. Over the course of his career the Venetian would go onto play before the Emperor Napoleon at the palace of Prince Staremberg, perform with Paganini and meet Haydn, Beethoven and many other great composers. He continued to give major concerts throughout the f

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Dragonetti: First to the Bottom

 

Domenico Dragonetti (7 April 1763 – 16 April 1846)

Domenico Dragonetti was one of the first bassists to showcase the impact of the double bass and expose the virtuosic nature and capabilities of its profession. His life as a musician, the people he influenced, and the music he played are examples of his contributions. From his first experiences traveling around the streets of Venice with famed soprano Brigida Giorgi Banti to his final days performing with the London Philharmonic Society, Dragonetti was a cheerful, if not somewhat eccentric figure, that left an amazing mark on the music world. The renowned composer George Onslow began including Double Bass in his quintet compositions after hearing Domenico perform. Beethoven stood up and hugged him after playing in a parlor together one evening because, as Beethoven was near deaf at the time, Dragonetti executed with such skill and power that Beethoven could hear it. Without Dragonetti, the double bass would have had a different path. As one of the first virt

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