DRAGONETTI AND THE BRITISH PREMIERE OF BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Dragonetti as a young man
An integral part of the Dragonetti “legend” is his encounter with Beethoven in 1799. Dragonetti came to Beethoven’s home with his trusty double-bass. Beethoven picks out a cello sonata for the two of them to read through. Even though Dragonetti was sight-reading the quality of his playing so astounds Beethoven that he hugs the virtuoso bassist and his bass out of sheer gratitude. Beethoven learns what the instrument is capable of in the right hands and the incident reshapes his conception of how to write for the instrument. His newfound understanding of the bass reaches its ultimate expression in his Ninth Symphony and its groundbreaking Recitative.
Program for the British premiere of the 9th Sir George Smart (1776-1867) On March 21st 1825, when the 9th Symphony was about to have its London premiere under the direction of Sir George Smart, Dragonetti was principal double bass of the London Philharmonic. His connection to Beethoven would have made this concert the culmination of a legendary friendship.
Yet, contrary to what one might assume, Dragonetti DID NOT participate in the London premiere! How could this possibly be? We need to put this incident in context to better understand.
Excerpt from one of Beethoven’s Conversation Books In 1825 in Vienna,Beethoven and his friends are chatting about the upcoming British premiere of the 9th.
(from the conversation books-in yellow highlight)
Herr Holz: “Haben Sie bei den Rezitativen ihr D moll Sinfonie an Dragonetti gedacht?” (Were you thinking of Dragonetti when you composed the recitatives from the 9th Symphony?) Beethoven’s response is not written down. Then, the great composer likely asked Holz whether Dragonetti was participating in the British premiere. This was the answer he got: “Dragonetti war nicht bei der Sinfonie, weil er zu viel für seine Mitwirkung verlangte denn er behauptete, Beethoven habe die ganze Symphonie für ihn geschrieben.” (Dragonetti was not at the British premiere of the Symphony because he demanded too much money for his participation. He justified the monetary request because he claimed that Beethoven had written the entire Symphony for him!)
Dragonetti wished to play the premiere of the Ninth but on his own terms. Timothy Pitts cites the book “Dragonetti in England (1794-1846)” by Fiona Palmer. Ms. Palmer quotes Dragonetti as writing the following: “….I will accept the engagement for the ensuing Season at 10 Guineas per night……. I beg leave to add, that I saw the score of Beethoven (9th Symphony) last Sunday, and had I seen it before I sent in my terms I would have asked double….” (!) The directors of the Philharmonic turned down this offer and as a result, Dragonetti’s stand partner J P Anfossi led the bass section for the long anticipated Beethoven premiere. In addition, Anfossi played principal bass for the entire 1825 and 1826 season of the London Philharmonic. (I have no idea whether this was some kind of retribution against Dragonetti!) It seems that Dragonetti had made a claim that Beethoven wrote the entire Ninth Symphony for him. Many ridiculed this claim. However, Dragonetti’s extraordinary virtuosity and personal interaction with the composer clearly inspired Beethoven to write for the doublebass with greater freedom than ever. Dragonetti well knew what he had accomplished and Beethoven seems to have acknowledged it as well (despite the best efforts of his friends) • Why did Dragonetti make such an issue of the money? Since London Philharmonic programs from that era did not list the names of the orchestral players (with the exception of the concertmaster) Dragonetti’s worth and relevancy could only be reflected in the actual salary he received. I am sure that Dragonetti would have wanted to participate in this historic premiere- but not without some credit and an acknowledgement of his very real contribution to music history! • Was it “too much” money? Let’s do the math. Dragonetti’s request of 80 guineas (for the entire Philharmonic season) amounts to roughly $17,000 in today’s dollars. Singers from the same era were paid a great deal more than that for comparable work. Would it really have been so difficult for the management of the orchestra to give Dragonetti the acknowledgement and respect that he had so richly deserved?
Thanks to Rolf Schulte and Timothy Pitts for their extraordinary help with this
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