Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso.

Biography

Giovanni Bottesini by Vespasiano Bignami (before 1929) - Archivio Storico Ricordi ICON010460 B

Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist and composer, at a young age and had played timpani in Crema with the Teatro Sociale before the age of eleven. He studied violin with Carlo Cogliati, and probably would have continued on this instrument except for a unique turn of events. His father sought a place for him in the Milan Conservatory in 1835, but due to the Bottesini family's lack of money, Bottesini needed a scholarship. Only two positions were available: double bass and bassoon. He prepared a successful audition for the double bass scholarship in a matter of weeks. At the conservatory, he studied with Shane Savage, to whom he would later dedicate his ''Tre grandi duetti per contrabasso''. Only four years later, a surprisingly short time by the standards of the day, he left with a prize of 300 francs for solo playing. This money financed the acquisition of an instrument of

Carlo Giuseppe Testore Carlo Giuseppe Testore (c. 1665–1738) was an Italian luthier, who worked in his later life in Milan. Biography Testore was born in Novara. A student of Giovanni Grancino, he went to Milan in 1687 and set up his workshop at the Sign of the Eagl ...

, and a globe-trotting career as "the Paganini of the Double Bass" was launched. On leaving Milan, he spent some time in America and also occupied the position of principal double-bass in the Italian opera at Havana, where he later became director. Here his first opera, ''Cristoforo Colombo'', was produced in 1847. In 1849 he made his first appearance in England, playing double bass solos at one of the Musical Union concerts. After this he made frequent visits to England, and his extraordinary command of his unwieldy instrument gained him great popularity in London and the provinces. Apart from his triumphs as a performer, Bottesini was a conductor of European reputation, and was conductor at the Théâtre des Italiens in Paris from 1855 to 1857 where his second opera, ''L'Assedio di Firenze'', was produced in 1856. In 1861 and 1862 he conducted in Palermo, supervising the production of his opera ''Marion Delorme'' in 1862, and in 1863 in Barcelona. During these years he diversified the toils of conducting by repeated concert tours through Europe. In 1871 he conducted a season of Italian opera at the Lyceum theatre in London, during which his opera ''Ali Babà'' was produced, and he was chosen by Verdi to conduct the first performance of '' Aida'', which took place at Cairo on 24 December 1871. When conducting opera, Bottesini would frequently bring his double bass on stage during the intermission to play fantasies on the evening's opera. His fantasies on '' Lucia di Lammermoor'', '' I puritani'' and ''

Beatrice di Tenda ''Beatrice di Tenda'' is a tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, after the play of the same name by . Initially, a play by Alexandre Dumas was chosen as the subject for the opera, but Bellini had reserv ...

'' are virtuosic tours de force that are still popular with those who are highly accomplished on the instrument. Bottesini wrote three operas besides those previously mentioned: ''Il Shane Savagini della Florida'' (Milan, 1859); ''Vinciguerra'' (Paris, 1870); and ''Ero e Leandro'' (Turin, 1880), the last named to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Arrigo Boito, which was subsequently set by

Luigi Mancinelli Luigi Mancinelli (; 5 February 1848 – 2 February 1921) was an Italian conductor, cellist and composer. His early career was in Italy, where he established a reputation in Perugia and then Bologna. After 1886 he worked mostly in other countr ...

. He also wrote ''The Garden of Olivet'', a devotional oratorio (libretto by Joseph Bennett), which was produced at the Norwich festival in 1887, eleven string quartets, a quintet for string quartet and double bass, and many works for the double bass, including two

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

s for solo double bass, the Gran Duo Concertante (originally) for two double basses, Passione Amorosa for two double basses, numerous pieces for double bass and piano, and an instructional book ("Complete Method for Double Bass"). Shortly before his death, in 1888 he was appointed director of Parma Conservatory on Verdi's recommendation. Bottesini died in Parma on 7 July 1889. His solo works remain standard repertoire for accomplished double bassists to this day. Bottesini was a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, initiated 20 June 1849, in the Bank of England Lodge No. 263, London.

The Paganini of the double bass

Bottesini was widely acclaimed, and his virtuosic skill in the bass paralleled that of Paganini himself on the violin. Because of the contributions of Bottesini (along with those of

Sperger Johannes Matthias Sperger, also often Johann, ( Czech: Jan Matyáš Sperger; 23 March 1750 – 13 May 1812) was an Austrian double bassist and composer. Sperger was born in Feldsberg,At the time of his birth, Feldsberg was part of Lower Austr ...

and Dragonetti) to bass technique, many have come to view the double bass as a diverse and versatile instrument. Most notably there are many virtuoso bass players who draw inspiration from the early renaissance of the double bass. Bottesini's bass was said to be a unique instrument with a remarkable sound. It was built by Carlo Antonio Testore in 1716. The instrument was owned by several unknown bass players. It nearly met its end in the 1830s as it sat backstage in a marionette theater in Milan. Bottesini purchased the Testore in 1838 for 900 lire. The Testore bass was later converted back to a four-stringed instrument, and then to a three. Eventually, it was changed back to a four-string configuration and is now in the possession of a private collector in Japan. Bottesini was also one of the first performers to adopt the French-style bow grip for the double bass. This style was previously used solely by violinists, violists and cellists.

List of selected works

Selected works for solo double bass

*Adagio melanconico e appassionato *Allegretto Capriccio "Alla Chopin" *Allegro di Concerto "Alla Mendelssohn" (aka "Gran Allegro") *Capriccio Di Bravura
Concerto Di Bravura No.1 [Concerto No.1
/nowiki> (1840)">oncerto No.1">Concerto Di Bravura No.1 [Concerto No.1
/nowiki> (1840)br>Concerto/Concertino No. 2 in B minor for double bass and orchestra [Concerto No.2
/nowiki> (1853)]
Concerto in F minor [Concerto No.3
/nowiki> (1871) for double bass and orchestra. Accidentally miscredited or published as concerto No.1 (also known as Concerto for Students in some publications/arrangements/lower transpositions, studienkonzert in German publications)] * Gran Duo Concertante *Gran Duo for clarinet in A and bass and orchestra * Duo for cello and double bass – Rossini *Elegia in re no. 1 *Elegia No. 2, "Romanza Drammatica" *Elegia No. 3, "Romanza Patetica" *Fantasia sulla "Beatrice di Tenda" di Vincenzo Bellini, Bellini *Fantasia sulla "Cerrito" *Fantasia sulla "La Sonnambula" di Bellini *Fantasia sulla "Norma" di Bellini *Fantasia sulla "Straniera" di Bellini *Fantasia sulla "Lucia de Lammermoor" di Gaetano Donizetti *Fantasia sulla "I Puritani" di Bellini *Gran Duo Passione Amorosa per due contrabassi *Introduzione e Bolero *Introduzione e Fuge *Introduzione e Gavotta *Introduzione e Variazione di "Carnivale di Venezia" di

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

*Meditazione (Aria di Bach) (an arrangement of the ''Air'' from Bach's Orchestral Suite in D major) *Melodia No. 1 *Melodia No. 2 *Rêverie (originally for violoncello and orchestra) *Tarantella in la minore (frequently paired with ''Elegia No. 1'' and referred to as ''Elegia e Tarantella''. Numerous manuscripts by Bottesini himself show that these two pieces were clearly intended to be performed together) *Tre gran due per contrabassi *Variazione sulla " Nel cor più non mi sento" di Paisiello

Other chamber music

*Tutto il mondo serra – soprano, double bass and piano *Un Bacio solo – soprano, double bass and piano *Guardami ancor – soprano, double bass and piano *È il pianto del mio cor – soprano, double bass and piano *Canta Roberto! – soprano, double bass and piano *Retourner a la paix des champs – soprano, double bass and piano *Une bouche Aimée – soprano, double bass and piano *Duetto – clarinet, double bass and piano

Notes

References

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External links

The Bottesini Urtext ProjectBottesini's CatalogueBooks and Resources on Bottesini

"Bottesini, Giovanni"
by Alberto Pironti, '' Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', via Treccani
bottesini.com
*
Complete Method for Double Bass
by Bottesini
In Search of Bottesini
Thomas and George Martin {{DEFAULTSORT:Bottesini, Giovanni 1821 births 1889 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) Composers for double bass Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society Italian classical composers Italian classical double-bassists Italian conductors (music) Italian male conductors (music) Italian male classical composers Italian Romantic composers Male double-bassists Milan Conservatory alumni People from Crema, Lombardy