It is a bit of a paradox: one of Dragonetti’s favourite pieces and also his showpiece, “The Famous Solo”, originally for double bass and orchestra, is largely unknown today. This cannot be down to the virtuoso work itself, but is more likely due to the unclear source situation with its different versions. In this edition Tobias Glöckler presents Dragonetti’s autograph arrangement for double bass and string quartet for the first time. For those who would like to study the orchestral version, there is also a piano reduction, based on a contemporary model. Using this edition, the “Famous Solo” can be performed as needed in the solo and orchestral tuning – piano scores and quartet parts in e minor and f sharp minor are also included.
Content/Details
- "The Famous Solo" for Double Bass and Orchestra
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Preface
Domenico Dragonetti (1763 – 1846), called “Il Drago”, was considered the most famous double bassist of his time. Of humble origins, he became a member of Venice’s renowned Cappella di San Marco in 1787. Thanks to successes as a soloist, Dragonetti soon received lucrative offers from abroad. Like many of his compatriots, he opted for London, where he lived almost … more
Critical Commentary
About the composer
Domenico Dragonetti
Italian double bassist and composer. In London he invented his special bowing technique; it facilitated an expressive, virtuosic style of playing that was adopted beyond the borders of London, for example by Gioacchino Rossini at the Paris Conservatoire. Aside from challenging solo and chamber music works for double bass, he wrote vocal music and transcribed works by himself and others.
| 1763 | Born in Venice on April 7. He learns violin and guitar as an autodidact. |
| around 1775 | He is trained by Michele Berini, double bassist at the Cappella di San Marco. He is soon engaged by various opera houses. |
| around 1781 | He is accepted into Venice’s “Arte dei Suonatori.” |
| 1787–99 | A member of the Cappella di San Marco. |
| 1795 | He meets Joseph Haydn. |
| 1799 | In Vienna he plays Ludwig van Beethoven’s Cello Sonata, op. 5 no. 2, while on stage with the composer himself. He relocates to London, where he enjoys great success as a soloist, chamber musician, and solo bassist at the King’s Theatre, the Philharmonic Society, and the Ancient Concerts. |
| 1808–ca. 1814 | Over the course of an extended journey, he ends up in Vienna. Here he meets Simon Sechter, who writes piano accompaniments and transcriptions of some of his works for double bass. |
| 1839 | He becomes a member of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. |
| 1845 | In Bonn he becomes involved with the Beethoven festival. |
| 1846 | Dies in London on April 16. |
About the authors
Tobias Glöckler (Editor, Fingering and bowing for Double Bass)
Tobias Glöckler is associate principal double bass player at the Dresdner Philharmonie and a prizewinner of the International ISB Double Bass Competition (USA). He studied with Konrad Siebach at the Music Conservatory in Leipzig, perfecting his skills with Jeff Bradetich (Chicago) and Ulrich Lau (Stuttgart). While studying, he was principal double bass player with the International Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. He has performed as a soloist with different orchestras, including the Dresdner Philharmonie with Ton Koopman. In addition he has made recordings for radio and has made guest appearances at diverse music festivals. He is a founding member of and solo bass player with the “ensemble frauenkirche” and has explored a great many chamber music works with the Dresdner String Quintet.
Glöckler teaches at the music conservatory in Dresden. His efforts concerning the revival of the “Viennese Tuning” have been rewarded with a Distinguished Achievement Award for historical performance practice.
Photo © markenfotografie
Auch bei dieser Urtextausgabe hat Tobias Glöckler umfassende Quellenarbeit geleistet, alle Entscheidungen bei unklarem Quellenmaterial sind im Anhang genau dokumentiert. (...) Hohe Druckqualität und durchdachte Seiteneinteilung (keine Blätter-Probleme) machen die Arbeit mit diesem Material angenehm. (...) Man darf sich auf den (Wieder-)Einzug von Dragonettis "Famous Solo" in die Konzertprogramme von Kontrabassisten und Kammermusikensembles freuen!
The piano reduction, which bears a very close relationship to one of the original piano accompaniments, is consistently excellent. The solo part is characteristically clean and clear, and editorial notes are clear and comprehensive, Glöckler is to be congratulated on his continuing careful scholarship, breathing new life into yet another standard repertoire item, thereby furthering a remarkable spate of interest in compositions of this great virtuoso of former days.
Dragonettis "Famous solo", im Original für Kontrabass und Orchester, ist heute weithin unbekannt. Die Musik ist dabei immer noch so spritzig und originell wie am ersten Tag. Eher scheint es so, dass seit 150 Jahren keine vernünftige Ausgabe erschienen ist und das clevere Werk erst jetzt in sorgfältig erstellten Urtextausgaben erschienen ist.
La presente edizione è estremamente curata da tutti i punti di vista: prefazione e note esaustive, parti per contrabbasso e quartetto d'archi (due violini, viola, violoncello) e per contrabbasso e pianoforte sia in Mi minore/Sol Maggiore che in Fa# minore/La Maggiore, in modo che il contrabbasso possa suonare sia in accordatura da orchestra che in accordatura da solista.