Francesco Zappa
Francesco Zappa (born in Milan, creative period 1763–1788) was an Italian cellist and composer. He is known for his virtuoso cello playing.
Life
Little is known about Zappa's life: what information is available comes largely from his own publications and manuscripts. Zappa was first employed by the Sicilian Count Catani, to whom he dedicated his first work, 6 Trio sonatas. He worked for the Duke of York, giving him music lessons during the Duke's stay in Italy, from November 1763 to the middle of 1764. When the Duke died in 1767, Zappa held the rank of maestro di musica (Kapellmeister), as the title page of his Trio sonatas Opus 2 records.
In 1771 he played a series of concerts in Germany, visiting the Polish city of Gdańsk and, on 22 September, Frankfurt am Main. According to Mendel (1879), he undertook another tour of Germany in 1781, and with "his gentle and beautiful sound" inspired wonder in all who listened.
By the end of the 1780s Zappa was employed as master of music in The Hague (Maître de musique à la Haye), and this is noted in the 1788 manuscript of his Quartetto concertante.
Musical output
Zappa composed symphonies, trios, sonatas, divertimenti and songs, but nothing more of his output has been transmitted.
1984 brought "His First Digital Recording in over 200 Years," as Frank Zappa performed Francesco Zappa's Opus 1 trios and Opus 4 sonatas on Synclavier and released the resulting album on CD and LP. While assumed by many to have been related, Frank Zappa stated in his biography, The Real Frank Zappa Book, that in fact they were not.
There is a new recording of two of Francesco Zappa's symphonies (the New Dutch Academy directed by Simon Murphy; Pentatone PTC 5186 365) released in 2009.
Works
- Duets:
- 6 Sonatas for keyboard/harpsichord, as Opus 4a (Paris, n.d.)
- 6 Duos (violin, cello/2 violins) (Paris, n.d.)
- Duo for 2 cellos, Ms., m. 5740, Sammlung Hausbibliothek
- Trio sonatas, 2 violins and bass:
- 6 Trios (London, 1765), as Opus 1 (The Hague, n.d.)
- 6 Trios as Opus 2 (London, ca. 1767)
- 6 Trios as Opus 3 (Paris, n.d.)
- 6 Trios as Opus 4 (London, n.d.)
- 6 Sonates à deux Violons & Basse, (The Hague, n.d.), Sammlung Thulemeyer
- Other Works:
- 6 Keyboard Sonatas, Opus 6 (Paris 1776), mentioned by Mendel (1879)
- 6 Symphonies (Paris, n.d.)
- 2 Romances, 1 violin, piano, as Opus 4 (The Hague, n.d.)
- 2 Romances, 1 violin (The Hague)
- Sonata for cello, Mus. ms. 23490, Berlin Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
- Sinfonia con Violoncello obbligato No. 1 for 2 violins, viola, violoncello obbligato, 2 oboes, 2 horns, Ms., m. 5737, Sammlung Hausbibliothek
- Quartetto Concertante for 2 violins, viola, cello, "composta all Aya li 8 Liuglio 1788," Ms. m. 5740, Sammlung Hausbibliothek
- 27 Pieces, 2 for piano, 5 for 1 violin, piano, as Opus 11 (The Hague, n.d.)
- 2 Sonata à tre for violin, violoncello obbligato, bass, in Early Cello Series, xxiii (London, 1983)
- Other works: Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Bad Schwalbach Evangelisches Pfarrarchiv, Milan Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi
References
- Karl-Heinz Köhler. "Francesco Zappa" in Friedrich Blume (ed.). Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Kassel, Basel et al. 1968), Band 14
- H. Mendel & A. Reissmann, (eds.). Musikalisches Conversations-Lexikon (Berlin, 1870-79), Band 11, 1879)
- David Ocker. "The Musical Times of Francesco Zappa," liner notes from the album Francesco Zappa, Barking Pumpkin Records, 1984
- Guido Salvetti & Valerie Walden in Stanley Sadie, (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary Of Music & Musicians (London, New York, Massachusetts 2001), 2nd. ed., ISBN 1-56159-239-0
- E. van der Straeten. The History of the Violoncello (London, 1915/R1971), quoted by Köhler (1968)
External links