Francesco Zappa (1717-1803)
- Sinfonia (Es-Dur) Nr.1 (c.1770)
Performers: Atalanta Fugiens
Further info: Zappa: Six Simphonies
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Italian cellist and composer. The dedication of his six trios for two
violins and bass (London, 1765) shows that he had given the Duke of
York, the dedicatee, music lessons in Italy (the duke had been in Italy
from late November 1763 to mid-1764). By 1767, the year of the duke’s
death, he had entered his service as maestro di musica, as shown by the
title-page of his trio sonatas op.2. He then apparently took up
residence in The Hague as a music master. He was still there in 1788,
according to the place and date of a manuscript Quartetto concertante
(in D-Bsb). He had a reputation among his contemporaries as a virtuoso
and he toured Germany in 1771, playing in Danzig and, on 22 September,
in Frankfurt. According to Mendel, he made another concert tour of
Germany in 1781 (though this may be an error for 1771). Zappa’s writing
is lyrical, but tends towards a seriousness of manner in which the
galant elements are tempered by a Classical dignity. His works with
obbligato cello demonstrate an easy familiarity with thumb position
fingerings, slurred staccato bowings and idiomatic string crossing
patterns.
