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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