Presents
Friedrich Dotzauer
Quartet for Bassoon, Violin, Viola & Cello, Op.36
Dotzauer's Bassoon Quartet in B flat Major, Op.36 dates from 1827 and is thought to have been composed either for the famous German bassoonist and instrument maker Carl Almenraeder or possibly the well-known Dresden bassoonist Gotthelf Heinrich Kummer of the famous Kummer family. We had access to a very clean first edition which we have reprinted. In three charming movements, as was generally the case for such works, the Quartet is a vehicle for the bassoonist, although Dotzauer takes care to give the string players interesting supporting parts. The work opens with a buoyant Allegro and is followed by a tuneful Andantino, concluding with an exciting Rondo.
Encouraged by his father to pursue a musical career, Johann Justus Friedrich Dotzauer (1783-1860) studied the piano and violin before eventually choosing the cello as his main instrument. His talent was clear to all early on and he began giving concerts by the time he was fifteen. A few years later, he was serving as a cellist in the court orchestra of Meiningen. Eventually he was able to obtain the prestigious position of solo cellist in the Royal Orchestra at Dresden. His playing dazzled all who heard it, and his skills as a teacher resulted in what became known as the "Dresden school" of cello performance. He concertized to much acclaim throughout Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and France, continuing to perform in public right up until his retirement in 1850. Many of his students became famous cellists in their own right and include such names as Friedrich Grützmacher, Bernhard Cossmann and Julius Goltermann.
Parts: $14.95
