Ru
EnLi Xiaoxuan
D. Dragonetti in the creative “dialogues” with L. Beethoven (the end of 1790s – 1810s)
The published article characterizes the various “convergences and intersections” between the creative biographies of the renowned virtuoso double-bass player in the turn of the 18th–19th centuries with the greatest composer of the “late classical era”. It is noted that D. Dragonetti was personally acquainted with L. Beethoven and corresponded with him. The musicians met repeatedly when D. Dragonetti came to Vienna (at least three times – in 1799, 1809, 1813), and played music together in private settings. These meetings favored, on the one hand, the formation of L. Beethoven’s vividly innovative ideas about the role of the double-bass part in orchestral music (which is clearly confirmed by the works of the mature and late periods – symphonies, overtures, piano concertos, a number of opera scenes). On the other hand, it affirms Beethoven’s work as a significant component of the chamber ensemble repertoire of D. Dragonetti, who has produced and repeatedly performed, with visible success, various arrangements of Beethoven’s music for double-bass. The author of the article emphasizes D. Dragonetti’s significant contribution to the popularization of Beethoven’s cello works and string quartets. At the same time, the most remarkable example of the aforementioned artistic practice is the double-bass arrangement of the violino obligato part from the universally recognized masterpiece of violin music – Sonata No. 9 in A major (op. 47, “Kreutzer”), preserved in D. Dragonetti’s archive. The undertaken comparative analysis of the original version of the aforementioned part and the corresponding arrangement convincingly testifies to the extremely precise and consistent reproduction of the author’s intent, as well as to the phenomenal technical mastery of the famous “transcriptor”.
Key words
D. Dragonetti, arrangements for double-bass, L. Beethoven, symphonic works, Sonata No. 9 for violin and piano.
For citation
Li Xiaoxuan. D. Dragonetti in the creative “dialogues” with L. Beethoven (the end of 1790s – 1810s). In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 3. P. 53–61.
