Joannes Carolus Diters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799)
- Sinfonia (D-Dur) | a Contrabasso e Viola concertanti,
| 2 Violini | Viola | Basso | 2 Oboi | 2 Corni (c.1770), KreD 127
Performers: Jiri Hudec (double-bass); Josef Suk (viola); Virtuosi Di Praga; Rudolf Krecmer (conductor)
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Austrian composer and violinist. Born to Paul Ditters, costumier at the
imperial court and theatre in Vienna, and his wife Anna (née Vandelin),
he received his earliest education at the Jesuit school in Vienna, where
he displayed a precocious talent as a violinist, enough so that in 1751
he was performing with local court orchestras. Here he came to the
attention of Giueseppe Bonno and Christoph Willibald von Gluck, the
latter of whom took him with him to Italy in 1763. There Ditters
achieved success as a virtuoso, and by 1765 he had been hired by
Archbishop Adam Patachich as Michael Haydn’s successor at Großwerdein
(now Oradea, Romania). He improved the quality of the ensemble, but in
1769 it was dissolved and Ditters relieved of his duties. He found other
employment with the Archbishop of Breslau, Count Philipp Gotthard von
Schaffgotsch as a state administrative functionary at Schloss
Johannesberg (now Janský vrch, Poland), and in 1773 he was appointed as
chief forester at nearby Javernig (Javornik). This appointment required
aristocratic rank, and Ditters was ennobled as von Dittersdorf at
Freiwaldau (Jeseník). In 1784 he returned to Vienna where he
participated actively in the musical life of the city. His rank allowed
him access to all levels of the court society, and his abilities earned
him the friendship of colleagues such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, with whom he performed in a string quartet (the cellist
was his student Jan Křtitel Vanhal). In 1790, however, he returned to
music as Kapellmeister to Duke Carl Christian Erdmann zu
Württemberg-Oels, a post that also included governmental administrative
duties. He moved to Oels (Olésnice) and then Karlsruhe in Upper Silesia.
A reversal of fortune caused him to retire in 1796, and he moved to the
small town of Neuhof (Červená Lhota), where he died only a couple of
days after completing his autobiography. He was a prolific and
progressive composer, particularly with respect to his use of the
characteristic symphony, sometimes based upon Classical stories. He was
conventional in terms of his harmony, but his skill in contrasting
instruments (as well as writing for unusual timbres and combinations)
demonstrates a good sense of color. His formal structures are often
conventional, and his textures mainly homophonic, but he was considered
one of the foremost composers of Vienna during his day. He can be
considered one of the most popular composers of Singspiels of his day,
with one work, Doktor und Apotheker, achieving international success.
The number of works composed demonstrates an almost inexhaustible
creativity and includes: 127 symphonies (with another 90 likely, making
him the most prolific composer in the genre of all time, if true), 18
violin concertos, five viola concertos, eight oboe concertos, four
keyboard concertos, nine other concertos (for oboe d’amore, harp,
contrabass, cello, flute, and two violins), four sinfonia concertantes
(including two for string quartet and orchestra, one for viola,
contrabass, and orchestra, and another for 11 solo instruments), four
serenades, five cassations, 16 divertimentos, 18 string trios, seven
string quartets, six horn quintets, six string quintets, 35 partitas, 72
preludes, 31 keyboard sonatas, 136 solo keyboard works, 16 violin
sonatas, 32 operas, three concert arias, 16 secular cantatas, 16 Masses,
a Requiem, four oratorios, 11 offertories, eight litanies, and 170
smaller sacred works such as Psalms, motets, and so forth.
