Giovanni Bottesini
ItalyBiography of Giovanni Bottesini
Giovanni Bottesini, an Italian composer, conductor, and virtuoso double bassist, was born on December 22, 1821, in Crema, a city in Lombardy, Italy. His father, Pietro Bottesini, was a clarinetist and composer who gave him his first music lessons at a young age. By the time Giovanni was 11 years old, he was already playing the double bass in the local theater. Initially, he studied violin with Carlo Cogliati, and it seemed that he would continue playing this instrument until an unexpected turn of events.
In 1835, Giovanni's father tried to secure a place for him at the Milan Conservatory, but the family did not have enough money, and a scholarship was required. The scholarship was only available for two instruments, the double bass and the bassoon. Giovanni had only a few weeks to learn the new instrument, but he successfully auditioned for the scholarship on the double bass and was accepted into the conservatory. In Milan, Bottesini studied under Luigi Rossi, to whom he later dedicated his work "Tre grandi duetti per contrabasso." In just four years, an astonishingly short time for that era, he left the conservatory with a prize of 300 francs for a solo performance. With this money, Bottesini acquired a unique three-string double bass made by the renowned master Carlo Antonio Testore in 1716. The instrument, known for its exceptional sound, has survived to this day and is currently in a private collection in Japan. From this moment, Bottesini's career as a virtuoso musician, often referred to as the "Paganini of the double bass," began.
Leaving Milan, Bottesini spent some time in America. He became the leading double bassist in the Italian opera in Havana and eventually became its conductor. In 1847, he completed his first opera, "Cristoforo Colombo," and two years later, he made his debut in England, performing a double bass solo at one of the concerts of the Musical Union. After that, Bottesini frequently visited England, where his extraordinary mastery of the seemingly unwieldy instrument earned him great popularity in London and the provinces. In addition to his fame as a superb performer, Bottesini had a reputation as an excellent conductor. From 1855 to 1857, he was the conductor of the Théâtre des Italiens in Paris, where his second opera, "L'Assedio di Firenze," was staged in 1856.
In 1861-1862, he conducted in Palermo, overseeing the production of his opera "Marion Delorme," and in 1863, he worked in Barcelona. Moreover, Bottesini toured with concert tours throughout Europe. In 1871, he conducted the Italian opera season at the Lyceum Theatre in London, and during the same time, his opera "Ali Babà" was premiered. Verdi chose him as the conductor for the premiere of "Aida" in Cairo on December 27, 1871.
Interestingly, when conducting operas, Bottesini often brought his double bass on stage and played during intermissions. His fantasies on operas such as "Lucia di Lammermoor," "I puritani," and "Beatrice di Tenda" are still popular and considered very challenging, requiring great mastery of the double bass. Bottesini also composed several other operas, including the opera buffa "Il Diavolo della Notte," "Un amour en Bavière," the operetta "Vinciguerra il bandito," and "Ero e Leandro" on a libretto by Arrigo Boito. He also wrote oratorio "The Garden of Olivet," which premiered at the Norwich festival in 1887; eleven string quartets; a quintet for string quartet and double bass, and numerous works for double bass, including two solo double bass concertos, "Gran Duo Concertante" for two double basses, and "Passione Amorosa" for two double basses, as well as numerous pieces for double bass and piano.
Shortly before his death in 1888, Bottesini was appointed director of the Parma Conservatory, recommended by Verdi. Giovanni Bottesini passed away in Parma on July 7, 1889.
