FEDERIGO F. - CD FIORILLO FEDERIGO

Popis - FIORILLO FEDERIGO:
Italian violinist, viola player and composer. He was born in 1755, in Brunswick, where his father, Ignazio, was Court-Chapel-master. It is not known who his teachers were, but Federigo Fiorillo surely owed much to his father's guidance and teaching both of instrumental playing and composition. It is said that he first became proficient on the mandolin and only later turned to the violin. He had probably been touring for some time before his first recorded appearance as a violinist in St Petersburg in 1777. He was in Poland from 1780 to 1781, playing both the violin and the mandolin, and from 1782 to 1784 he was conductor in Riga. In 1785 he played with considerable success at the Concert Spirituel in Paris, and the first of his numerous published works appeared shortly thereafter. He apparently remained in Paris until 1788 when he moved to London, where he began to perform regularly as a viola player in German composer, conductor and impresario Johan Peter Salomon’s quartet. Salomon played the violin, while Fiorillo palyed the viola and the two members of the Dutch Dahmen family played second violin and cello. It is not known why Fiorillo adopted the viola, but this choice is likely to have arisen from his inability to obtain anything approaching great success as a violinist. He also performed in the Haydn concerts during the latter's first London visit .According to Belgian musicologist and composer Fétis, Fiorillo’s last public appearance was as a soloist in a viola composer, conductor and impresario Johan Peter Salomon’s quartet. Salomon played the violin, while Fiorillo palyed the viola and the two members of the Dutch Dahmen family played second violin and cello. It is not known why Fiorillo adopted the viola, but this choice is likely to have arisen from his inability to obtain anything approaching great success as a violinist. He also performed in the Haydn concerts during the latter's first London visit .According to Belgian musicologist and composer Fétis, Fiorillo’s last public appearance was as a soloist in a violaconcerto in 1794. Yet the title-page of his Op.29 (trios for flute, violin and viola), published some time between 1802 and 1811, indicates that he continued to play on some public occasions. His works continued to appear from various publishers throughout Europe until about 1817. According to one report, he left London in 1815, and Richard Pohl stated that he spent some time in Amsterdam. It is possible, however, that he remained in London until 1823, when he went to Paris to undergo an operation. Fétis learnt from Fiorillo’s publisher Sieber that he returned to London after his treatment Fiorillo’s works appear to be both conservative and conventional. His violin compositions reflect a virtuoso’s technique, however he chose to direct a large part of his prolific creativity (more than 70 opus numbers and some 200 works) towards styles and types of pieces that where in current fashions, such as light piano pieces, divertimentos and arrangements of popular songs. Unquestionably, he succeeded with the public; his publications appeared in multiple editions throughout most of Europe. As a result, conflicting opus numbers are common, and his total output is in need of bibliographic clarification. Although great surprises are not likely to emerge, it is not possible to judge Fiorillo’s achievement based on our present knowledge. His present-day reputation rests almost entirely on one work, his 36 caprices for violin. These are “etudes” of good musical quality, which have taken their place in the violinist’s pedagogical repertory next to those of Rode and Kreutzer. Although, strictly speaking, he belongs to the nineteenth century, yet Fiorillo may almost be reckoned among composers of a much later date since his principal works only began their long course of popularity after they were adopted by Spohr and Ferdinand David. This is especially true of the thirty-six caprices. In the early nineteenth century London was a most popular and welcome scene for harpists. British Sophia Dussek born Corri, later Moralt (1775 -1831) was a Scottish singer, pianist, harpist, and composer. She was a principal vocalist in Salomon's presentation of Haydn's Creation in the Great Rooms of King's Theatre on 21 April 1800. Several famous French virtuoso harpist composers such as Vicomte de Marin, Dalvimare were the dominant players of the moment .Federigo Fiorillo met in London the famous Belgian harpist born in Namur, François –Joseph Dizi (1780-1840) who had the reputation of a brilliant harpist and composer and contributed to improving the harp structure. He inspired Ferderigo to compose his two sonatas op. 36 for harp and flute which he dedicated to him. Fiorillo also wrote two books of harp studies in collaboration with Dizi as well as several fantasias and popular music airs for harp and flute accompaniment on opera themes from Mozart. The Three Serenatas are composed of different small melodies, which makes them popular and of easy listening.