----
August Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (2 November 1739 – 24 October 1799) was an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n 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...

, 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....

ist and silvologist.

1739-1764

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf was born in Laimgrube, Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria, as August Carl Ditters. His father was a military tailor, serving in the Austrian Imperial Army

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 of Charles VI

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...

, in a number of German-speaking regiments. Having retired successfully from his martial obligations, he was provided with Royal Letters of Reference and a sinecure with the Imperial Theatre. In 1745, the six-year-old August Carl was introduced to the violin and his father's moderate financial position allowed him a good general education at a Jesuit school and private tuition in music, violin, French and religion. After having left his first teacher, August Carl studied violin with J. Ziegler, who, a few years later, and through his influence, made August Carl be appointed as a member of the orchestra at the Benedictine

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

 church on the Freyung

Freyung

Freyung may refer to:* Freyung, Bavaria* Freyung-Grafenau, a district in Bavaria* Passau–Freyung railway, a branch line in Bavaria* Freyung , a public square in Vienna...

. By 1750, August Carl had obtained a post with the Viennese Schottenkircheorchestra.

Prince Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen noticed him and on 1 March 1751 hired him for his court orchestra. At the princely demesne he studied violin with Francesco Trani who, impressed with the ability of his pupil in composition, commended him to Giuseppe Bonno

Giuseppe Bonno

Giuseppe Bonno was an Austrian composer of Italian origin....

 who instructed August Carl in Fuxian counterpoint

Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...

 and free composition. After a few years the Sachsen-Hildburghausen closed the activity of his orchestra, since he had to leave Vienna to assume the regency in Hildburghausen

Hildburghausen

Hildburghausen is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. It is situated on the river Werra, 20 km south of Suhl, and 25 km northwest of Coburg....

, and August Carl was hired by the Empress for her own orchestra through Count Durazzo, Theatre Director at the Imperial Court. In 1761 August Carl was made violinist for the Imperial Theatre, and in 1762 orchestra conductor of the same institution. It was during this period that he became acquainted with Gluck

Christoph Willibald Gluck

Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...

. In 1763 he traveled to 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,...

 with Gluck, to attend the performance of the opera Trionfo di Clelia: this "Italian Tour" was to leave the greatest impression on his musical opus, impression received both by Gluck and by the Italian music treatment and practice. In 1764 he traveled to Paris but the documentation about this experience is scarce and uncertain. In 1764, August Carl was back in Vienna and made the acquaintance of Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...

, becoming one of his closest friends. Ditters' contract with Count Durazzo expired in the winter of 1764.

1764-1774

In 1764, Ditters assumed the post of Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...

at the court of Ádám Patachich, Hungarian nobleman and Bishop of Nagyvárad (Oradea

Oradea

Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...

, Romania). The following year he was introduced to Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch

Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch

Count Philipp Gotthard von Schaffgotsch was a German Prince-Bishop of Breslau and an important promoter of music.-Ecclesiastical career:...

, the Prince-Bishop of Breslau, who wished to create a cultural center around his court at château Jánský vrch

Jánský vrch

Jánský vrch is a castle located in the Jeseník District, which lies in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. The castle Jánský Vrch stands on a hill above the town of Javorník in the north-western edge of Czech Silesia, a territory historically known as Sudetenland.-History:The castle is...

 (Johannesberg) in Javorník

Javorník (Jeseník District)

Javorník or Javorník u Jeseníku or Javorník ve Slezsku, , is a town in the Jeseník District of the Olomouc Region, Javorník Hook, Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants.-Early history:...

, (today Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

). In 1771 Ditters accepted the post of Hoffkomponist (court composer), and it was during his tenure at Johannesberg that most of his creative output was produced. Over the next twenty years, he composed symphonies, chamber music, and opere buffe. In 1773 the prince-bishop

Prince-Bishop

A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

 made Ditters Amtshauptmann of nearby Jeseník

Jeseník

Jeseník , Frývaldov until 1948 is a city and a district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.- Districts :* Bukovice * Dětřichov * Jeseník * Lázně Jeseník - History :...

 (Freiwaldau), one of several measures to help entice the cosmopolitan composer to remain at isolated Johannesberg. Since this new post required a noble title, Ditters was sent to Vienna

Wien

Wien is the German language name for Vienna, the city and federal state in Austria.* Wien , in Vienna, Austria* Theater an der Wien, a theater in Vienna located at the former river WienWien may also refer to:...

 and received a noble title von Dittersdorf. His surname became "Ditters von Dittersdorf", but he is usually referred to simply as "Dittersdorf".

Final years

Dittersdorf was the music teacher of Johann Baptist Vanhal

Johann Baptist Vanhal

Johann Baptist Vanhal also spelled Wanhal, Waṅhall or Wanhall was an important classical music composer born in Nechanice, Bohemia to a Czech family.- Biography :...

. About 1785, Haydn, Dittersdorf, Mozart and Vanhal played string quartets together. Haydn and Dittersdorf played the violins; Mozart, the viola; and Vanhal, the cello. The recorder of this event, the composer and tenor Michael Kelly

Michael Kelly

-Politics:*Mike Kelly , Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives*Mike Kelly , Australian lawyer, soldier and politician*Mike Kelly , politician and U.S...

, stated that they played well but not outstanding together, but the image of four of the great composers of the time all joined in common music-making is still one of the classic images of the Classical era.

In 1794, after twenty-four years at Johannesberg, von Dittersdorf experienced a serious clash with von Schaffgotsch and was expelled from the palace. The next year he was invited by Baron Ignaz von Stillfried to live at his spare castle Červená Lhota in southern Bohemia. His final decade was occupied with overseeing operatic productions and with compiling and editing his own music for publication.

He died at the estate Nový Dvůr (Neuhof) at château Červená Lhota

Cervená Lhota Castle

Červená Lhota is a château situated about 20 km north-west of Jindřichův Hradec in south Bohemia, Czech Republic. It stands at the middle of a lake on a rocky island. Its picturesque Renaissance building is a destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its name Červená Lhota meaning "red...

, Southern Bohemia. His grave lies in the town of Deštná

Deštná

----Deštná is a town in the Czech Republic.- Districts :* Deštná * Lipovka * Nedbalov* Nový Dvůr - External links :*...

. Three days before he died, he finished writing his autobiography.

Style and Fame

Ditters' early work was a prefiguration of his serious output that was to come in later years—an almost Italianate style focused on melodic development without the overt flourishes characteristic of le style français.

He was an important composer of the Classical era. After some early Italian opera buffa

Opera buffa

Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...

, he composed a number of German Singspiel

Singspiel

A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...

e, with Der Apotheker und der Doktor (1786, generally known today as Doktor und Apotheker) in particular being a tremendous success in his lifetime, playing in houses all over Europe. His symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

 (around 120 of them) include twelve based on Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

's Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses (poem)

Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem in fifteen books by the Roman poet Ovid describing the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar within a loose mythico-historical framework. Completed in AD 8, it is recognized as a masterpiece of Golden Age Latin literature...

(six of which have survived to the present day). He also wrote oratorio

Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...

s, cantata

Cantata

A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....

s, concerto

Concerto

A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

s (including two for the double bass and one for the viola), chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

, piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 pieces and other works. His memoirs, Lebenbeschreibung, were published in Leipzig in 1801. His works, such as the double bass concerto, were published in Leipzig by the Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag

Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag

Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag is a publisher of classical music, founded by Friedrich Hofmeister in Leipzig in 1807. Early listings included composers Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. Hofmeister was the first to publish Mahler's Second Symphony. Pedagogical works, such as...

.

Concertos

• Grosses Concert per 11 strum. (1766)
• 18 concertos for Violin
• 3 concertos for 2 Violins
• 5 concertos for Viola
• 1 concerto for Cello
• 2 concertos for Contrabass
• 1 concerto for Viola and Contrabass
• 1 concerto for Piano
• 5 concertos for Oboe
• 1 concerto for Oboe d'Amore
• 5 concertos for Harpsichord
• 2 concertos for Quartet
• 2 concertinos

Concertos: Manuscripts

• Concerto for Oboe (in C major) (MS: Dittersdorf 32; now publ. Artaria)
• Concerto for Flute (in e minor) (MS: Dittersdorf 36; now publ. Artaria)
• Concerto for 2 Violins (in D major) (MS: mu6402.2532; now publ. Artaria)
• Concerto for 2 Violins (in C major) (MS: mu6402.2530; now publ. Artaria)

Concertos: selection of best known concertos

• Concerto for Oboe in G major (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• Concerto for Oboe in C major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Oboe in D major L.25b
• Concerto for Oboe in C major L.39
• Concerto for Oboe in C major L.40a
• Concerto for Oboe in C major L.24
• Concerto for Oboe in G major L.42
• Concerto for Oboe d'Amore in A major L.43b
• Concerto for Flute in e minor (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Cello in D major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Contrabass (Double Bass Concerto) No.1 in E major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Contrabass (Double Bass Concerto) No.2 in D major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Contrabass (Double Bass Concerto) in E flat major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Contrabass, Viola and Orchestra (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Viola and Orchestra in F major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in C major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in G major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Harp (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concerto for Cembalo/Harpsichord in B major (The Danish Royal Library)
• Concertino for 2 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Oboes, 2 Horns, Basson and Bass

Symphonies

Dittersdorf left about 120 symphonies with solid attribution. There are about another 90 symphonies which may be Dittersdorf's work, [according to the catalogue published by Geyer Helen, Torino 1985]. Most of the symphonies are preserved only in manuscripts. Many manuscripts are inscribed di Carlo de Dittersdorf or similar, however they are copies of now lost original scores.

• Sinfonia nel gusto di cinque nazioni (Paris, 1767)
• 6 Symphonies Op. 1 (Amsterdam, 1768?)
• 6 Symphonies Op. 4 (Paris, 1769?)
• The Periodical Ouverture (London, 1769)
• 3 Symphonies Op. 5 (Paris, 1769?)
• Symphonies Périodiques (Amsterdam, 1770–72)
• 3 Symphonies Op. 6 (Paris, 1773?)
• 4 Symphonies Op. 7 (Paris, 1773?)
• 3 Symphonies Op. 8 (Paris, 1773?)
• 6 Symphonies Op. 13 (Paris, 1781)
• 3 symphonies exprimant 3 métamorphoses d'Ovide: Les 4 âges du monde, La chûte de Phaéton, Actéon changé en cerf (Wien, 1785)

Symphonies: Manuscripts

• Grande symphonie: Le carnaval ou La redoute (MS)
• Symphony (in a minor) Il deliro delli compositori, ossia Il gusto d’oggidi’ (MS: Ser.H Fasc.34 Nr.317; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in A major) Nazionale nel gusto (MS: Ser.H. Fasc.39 Nr.76; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in D major) Il combattimento delle passioni umane (MS: Ser.H Fasc.34 Nr.315; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in F major) (Grave F7) (MS: Ser.H Fasc.34 Nr.312; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in d minor) (Grave d1) (MS: R.M.21.a.13.(3.); now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in g minor) (Grave g1) (MS: S.m.15957; Ser.H Fasc.33 Nr.293; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in E major) (Grave E1) (MS: IV-A-39 / A- 3498; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in E flat major) (Grave Eb9) (MS: IV-A-59 / A-3515; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in F major) (Grave F4) (MS: IV-A-38 / A-3497; now publ. Artaria)
• Symphony (in D major) (Grave D6) (MS: IV-A-66 / A-3522; now publ. Artaria)

Symphonies: selection of best known symphonies

• Sinfonia Concertante in D major (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• Symphony in C major (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• Symphony in D major (Breitkopf & Härtel)
• Symphony in F major
• Symphony in d minor
• Symphony in g minor
• Symphony No. 1 after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”
• Symphony No. 2 after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”
• Symphony No. 3 in G after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” (“The Metamorphosis of Acteon Into a Stag”)
• Symphony No. 4 in F after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” (“The Rescue of Andromeda by Perseus”)
• Symphony No. 5 after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”
• Symphony No. 6 after Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”
• Sinfonia Concerto for Viola, Contrabass and Orchestra in E flat major

Chamber Music

• 15 Divertimenti (Il combattimento dell'umane passioni is in this collection)
• 5 Cassazioni (2 published: Paris, 1768; the other 3 are MS)
• 4 Serenate for 2 Horns and Strings
• 35 Partite for Winds Instruments
• Petit Ballet en forme d'une contredanse
• 24 dances for the Redoutensaal
• 6 String Quintets for 2 vl., vla., vcl., ctbs. (1782)
• Sonata da camera a 5 stromenti
• 6 String Quartets (1789)
• Quartet in E flat major
• 6 Sonatas for 2 vl. and vla. Op. 2 (Amsterdam, s. d.)
• 6 Trios for 2 vl. and b. op. 6 (Paris, 1771)
• Another 12 Trios (id.)
• 3 Trios for vl., vla. and vcl.
• Sonata for vl.
• 2 Duets for 2 vl.
• Duet for vla. and vcl. or ctbs. in E flat major
• 14 duets for vl. and bass
• 136 pieces for Piano
• Divertimento for two Violins and Violoncello in E flat major
• Notturno (in D) for 4 flutes

Operas

• Amore in Musica (1767, Grosswardein
  Oradea
  Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
  
  )
• Arcifanfano, rè de’ Matti (1774 Johannisberg; 1776 Eszterházy)
• 25 000 Gulden oder im Dunkeln ist gut munkeln (1785, Vienna)
• Doktor und Apotheker (1786, Vienna)
• Betrug durch Aberglauben (1786, Vienna)
• Die Liebe im Narrenhaus (1787, Vienna)
• Hieronymus Knicker (1789, Vienna)
• Das rote Käppchen (1788, Vienna)
• Das Gespenst mit der Trommel (1794, Oels
  Olesnica
  Oleśnica is a town in the Trzebnickie Hills in southwestern Poland with 36,951 inhabitants . It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
  
  )
• Don Quixote der Zweyte (1795, Oels)
• Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1796, Oels)

Oratorios

• Isacco figura del Redentore (Grosswardein, 1766)
• Davide penitente (Johannisberg, 1770)
• La Liberatrice del Popolo Giudaico nella Persia, o sia l’Esther (Wien, 1773)
• Giobbe (Wien, 1786)

Cantatas

• Auf das... Geburtsfest seiner Majestät des Königs (1781)
• Auf Lichtmess
• 11 other cantatas

Sacred Music

• Missa in C major
• Missa a 4 v.
• Missa gratiosa in C major
• Missa in D major
• 12 other masses
• "Requiem" Mass in c minor
• 11 offertories
• Antiphony with choir, orchestra and organ
• 8 litanies
• 12 ariae ex canticis Salomonis (Augusta, 1795)
• 170 other sacred music works: arias, graduals, motettes et cetera.
• the aria Das Mädchen von Köln (from Ossian; Leipzig, 1795)
• 3 other arias for Soprano and orchestra

Discography

• Sinfonias on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Nos 1-3, Failoni Orchestra, Hanspeter Gmür, 1995, Naxos Nx 8553368
• Sinfonias on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Nos 4-6, Failoni Orchestra, Hanspeter Gmür, 1995, Naxos Nx 8553369
• Sinfonias. Grave d1, Grave F7, Grave g1, Failoni Orchestra, Uwe Grodd, 1996, Naxos Nx 8553974
• Sinfonias. Grave a2, Grave D16, Grave A10, Failoni Orchestra, Uwe Grodd, 1996, Naxos Nx 8553975
• String Quartets 1 & 3-5, Franz Schubert Quartet, 1989, cpo 999 038-2
• String Quartets 2 & 6, String Quintets in C & G, Franz Schubert Quartet, 1992, cpo 999 122-2
• Geistliche Musik (Requiem, Offertorium zu Ehren des Heiligen Johann von Nepomuk, Lauretanische Litanei), Regensburger Domspatzen, Consortium musicum München, Georg Ratzinger, 1996 + 1987, Freiburger Musikforum / ars musici AM 1158-2
• Sinfonien in D, Es, A, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Alvaro Cassuto, 2006, Naxos
• Double Bass Concertos, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Paul Goodwin, Chi-Chi Nwanoku, 2000, hyperion
• Sinfonies Exprimant (Les Metamoprphoses D’Ovide) Nos 1-6, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Bohumil Gregor, 1988 Supraphon

External links

• Carl (Karl) Ditters von Dittersdorf, biographical sketch
• Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf on NAXOS.com
• Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf on mozartforum.com, Who's Who Page
• www.karadar.com/Dictionary/dittersdorf.html Karadar Classical Music Dictionary
• www.1911encyclopedia.org/Karl_Ditters_Von_Dittersdorf 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica

Media

Sonate A-Dur By Karl Ditters Von Dittersdorf (1739–1799). Published by Doblinger Music Publishers (DB.DM-01196)