Dittersdorf Sheet Music and Biography
2 Nov 1739-24 Oct 1799
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf was born on 2nd November 1739 in Vienna and was a violinist and composer. It wasn’t until 1772 that he added von Ditterdorf to his name.
View and download his Viola Sonata in Eb, 1st Movement.
He began his musical career as a virtuoso violinist and worked in a church.
At the age of twelve, he gained a post with the court orchestra of the Prince of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. It was here that he met Christoph Gluck and Franz Josef Haydn and studied under Giuseppe Bonno, the court composer and Kapellmeister.
Dittersdorf became court violinist at the age of twenty-one which led to his first performance abroad in Italy with Gluck.
Career and Work
After an unfortunate disagreement, he left the imperial court at the age of twenty-five. He went on to take the post of Kapellmeister for the court of the Bishop of Grosswardein. Soon after, the chapel disbanded and left Dittersdorf unemployed.
In 1770 Dittersdorf became court composer for Prince-Bishop of Breslau, Schaffgotsch, which was in the middle of nowhere. The Bishop offered Dittersdorf numerous titles to stay in the role. He stayed in the post until the Bishop’s death in the mid-1790s and during this period was very productive and creative producing 11 comic operas including Il viaggiatore americano (The American Traveler) and an oratorio Davidde penitente (Penitent David).
In 1772 he was awarded noble status and appended ‘von Dittersdorf’ onto his name.
Ditterdorf formed a close friendship with Haydn who directed five of his operas and he played in string quartets with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna.
In poor health and with little money his final post was in a castle in Southern Bohemia for Baron Ignaz von Stillfried.
During his lifetime he composed over 120 symphonies, 45 operas, and multiple chamber, and sacred works. Two days prior to his death he completed his autobiography by dictation.
He died on 24th October 1799.
Dittersdorf Sheet Music Downloads and Further Reading
On music-scores.com we have a few arrangements of Carl Dittersdorf sheet music in PDF format for you to download.
For further information take a look at Wikipedia or Britannica.
