Antonio Rolla
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Antonio Rolla was an Italian
violin
and viola
virtuoso
and composer
.
Antonio Rolla studied violin with his father, composer Alessandro Rolla
. In 1803 the family is moved to Milan
where Antonio began to work at a young age. He became a violinist with the Teatro di Pavia
in the spring of 1807, but lost the post with the fall of the Napoleonic Empire in 1814. Having maintained contacts with the town of his birth, Rolla presented a concert at the Teatro Ducale in Parma on 11 June 1818. In a letter written in 1820, Niccolò Paganini
praised Rolla's ability after they had played violin duets at the request of his father. In 1821, Rolla became the concertmaster of the Teatro Comunale
in Bologna
and performed along with his father at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1823. The same year, he accepted the position of concertmaster at the Staatskapelle
in Dresden on the recommendation of Paganini. Rolla contracted an illness in 1836 and died the following year at the age of 38.
Rolla was highly regarded as an instrumentalist and composed a few works, notably for violin and viola, of which the most famous are the posthumously published 24 Cadenzas for solo violin.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Antonio Rolla studied violin with his father, composer Alessandro Rolla
Alessandro Rolla
Alessandro Rolla was widely acknowledged in his time as a violin and, especially, viola virtuoso, composer and teacher. His contribution to technique, repertoire and history of music is greatly underestimated...
. In 1803 the family is moved to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
where Antonio began to work at a young age. He became a violinist with the Teatro di Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
in the spring of 1807, but lost the post with the fall of the Napoleonic Empire in 1814. Having maintained contacts with the town of his birth, Rolla presented a concert at the Teatro Ducale in Parma on 11 June 1818. In a letter written in 1820, Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
praised Rolla's ability after they had played violin duets at the request of his father. In 1821, Rolla became the concertmaster of the Teatro Comunale
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and performed along with his father at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1823. The same year, he accepted the position of concertmaster at the Staatskapelle
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden is an orchestra based in Dresden, Germany founded in 1548 by Kurfürst Moritz of Saxony. It is one of the world's oldest orchestras...
in Dresden on the recommendation of Paganini. Rolla contracted an illness in 1836 and died the following year at the age of 38.
Rolla was highly regarded as an instrumentalist and composed a few works, notably for violin and viola, of which the most famous are the posthumously published 24 Cadenzas for solo violin.
Selected works
- Sinfonia (1816)
- Concerto a violino (1817)
- Divertimento a flauto (1818)
- 12 Valzer (12 Waltzes) for string orchestra, Op.1
- Rondò alla polacca for violin and orchestra, Op.3
- Variazioni for violin and string trio, Op.10
- Variazioni brillanti in F for viola and orchestra, Op.13 (1822)
- Terzo rondò alla polacca preceduto da un Adagio di introduzione for violin and string orchestra, Op.15
- Tema variato for violin and string quintet or string orchestra
- Divertimento for 2 violins and orchestra
- Variazioni for violin and orchestra
- Introduzione e variazioni sopra un tema dell'opera "La Gazza ladra" di Rossini for violin and string quartet or orchestra
- Andante con variazioni for viola and orchestra
- 6 Piccole pastorale (6 Idylles) for viola solo (1836–1837)
- Esercizi (Exercises) for violin solo
- Studi (Studies) for violin solo
- 24 Cadenze (24 Cadenzas) for violin solo