Ru
EnLi Xiaoxuan, E. Andrushchenko
D. Dragonetti’s creative activities and forming of chamber ensemble duet repertoire for double-bass in the first half of the 19th century
The first half of the 19th century is traditionally mentioned by experts as one of the most productive periods in the history of the double-bass art. The list of significant achievements of this period, as a rule, include forming of an original repertoire for double-bass – solo concert (accompanied by piano or orchestra) and chamber ensemble. According to the unanimous opinion of researchers, the key component of this process was the multifaceted creative activities of the greatest virtuoso performers and composers, among whom one of the leading places belonged to Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1846). His name is associated with a number of remarkable achievements in the field of chamber instrumental performing art. In particular, D. Dragonetti, together with the English musician R. Lindley, was the first performer of several classical works for the cello and double-bass, including the famous Duet (Sonata) in D major by G. Rossini (1824) – an outstanding example of instrumental ensemble writing of the early Romanticism era. Another significant factor that contributed to the enrichment of the ensemble repertoire of that time was the composer’s work by D. Dragonetti himself, the author of various-genres pieces (original works, arrangements and transcriptions) for a similar performing group. As an illustrative example, one can consider the Duet (Sonata) in B major (about 1800) – an opus that very originally refracts the tendencies of the “concert style” characteristic of European chamber music at the turn of the 18th–19th centuries. Thus, D. Dragonetti, appearing in various “hypostases” (composer and interpreter) for about half a century, actively and purposefully contributed to the establishment of the doublebass as a full-fledged participant in chamber ensemble performing art of the era.
Key words
D. Dragonetti, original music literature for double-bass in the 19th century, chamber ensemble performing art, duet repertoire, G. Rossini.
For citation
Li Xiaoxuan, Andrushchenko E. D. Dragonetti’s creative activities and forming of chamber ensemble duet repertoire for double-bass in the first half of the 19th century. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 3. Pp. 35–44.
