Domenico Dragonetti
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Domenico Dragonetti (April 7, 1763 - April 16, 1846), Italian double bass player, was born in Venice.
Having become famous as an orchestral and solo player and composer for his instrument, he went to London in 1794, where his playing created a furore.
He was the friend of Haydn and of Beethoven with whom he played one of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas, transposed for double bass, with the composer on piano.
Dragonetti's style was extremely powerful. Legend has it that one night, while staying at a hotel, he came out onto the balcony in the middle of the night and played his bass with extreme force. The next morning, the people who spent the night there the previous night were heard asking other customers if they "heard the storm."
To this day, the mastering of the Beethoven Double Bass symphonic parts are considered a basic standard for all orchestral Double Bass players. In part we can attribute this to Dragonetti's friendship with Beethoven.de:Domenico Dragonetti it:Domenico Dragonetti