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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Giovanni Bottesini
Person · male · Kingdom of Italy · Crema · born 1821 · died 1889 · recording since 1991
Italian composer, conductor, and double bass player
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Also known as 乔瓦尼·博泰西尼
Timeline
21 events▣ Album 18◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1820s
1880s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: In memoriam Giovanni Bottesini
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Bottesini: Double Bass Concertos / Gran duo concertante / Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
Album
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
· Album
Album: Bottesini: Fantasia on themes of Rossini; Passioni Amorose; etc
Album
source: musicbrainz
2020s
Biography
English biography1,147 words · 6 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1372117796
Biography
Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso.
Biography
Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist and composer, at a young age and had played timpani in Crema with the Teatro Sociale before the age of eleven. He studied violin with Carlo Cogliati, and probably would have continued on this instrument except for a unique turn of events. His father sought a place for him in the Milan Conservatory in 1835, but due to the Bottesini family's lack of money, Bottesini needed a scholarship. Only two positions were available: double bass and bassoon. He prepared a successful audition for the double bass scholarship in a matter of weeks. Only four years later, a surprisingly short time by the standards of the day, he left with a prize of 300 francs for solo playing. This money financed the acquisition of an instrument of Carlo Giuseppe Testore, and a globe-trotting career as "the Paganini of the Double Bass" was launched.
On leaving Milan, he spent some time in America and also occupied the position of principal double-bass in the Italian opera at Havana, where he later became director. Here his first opera, Cristoforo Colombo, was produced in 1847. In 1849 he made his first appearance in England, playing double bass solos at one of the Musical Union concerts. After this he made frequent visits to England, and his extraordinary command of his unwieldy instrument gained him great popularity in London and the provinces.
Apart from his triumphs as a performer, Bottesini was a conductor of European reputation, and was conductor at the Théâtre des Italiens in Paris from 1855 to 1857 where his second opera, L'Assedio di Firenze, was produced in 1856. In 1861 and 1862 he conducted in Palermo, supervising the production of his opera Marion Delorme in 1862, and in 1863 in Barcelona. During these years he diversified the toils of conducting by repeated concert tours through Europe. In 1871 he conducted a season of Italian opera at the Lyceum theatre in London, during which his opera Ali Babà was produced, and he was chosen by Verdi to conduct the first performance of Aida, which took place at Cairo on 24 December 1871.
During this period it was common to programme concerts between the acts of operas. Bottesini would frequently perform solos and duos in these concerts and they were very popular. His fantasies on Lucia di Lammermoor, I puritani, Beatrice di Tenda and especially La sonnambula are virtuosic tours de force that are still popular with those who are highly accomplished on the instrument.
Bottesini wrote three operas besides those previously mentioned: Il Diavolo della Notte (Milan, 1859); Vinciguerra (Paris, 1870); and Ero e Leandro (Turin, 1880), the last named to a libretto by Arrigo Boito, which was subsequently set by Luigi Mancinelli. He also wrote The Garden of Olivet, a devotional oratorio (libretto by Joseph Bennett), which was produced at the Norwich festival in 1887, eleven string quartets, a quintet for string quartet and double bass, and many works for the double bass, including two concertos for solo double bass, the Gran Duo Concertante (originally) for two double basses, Passione Amorosa for two double basses, numerous pieces for double bass and piano, and an instructional book ("Complete Method for Double Bass").
Shortly before his death, in 1888 he was appointed director of Parma Conservatory on Verdi's recommendation. Bottesini died in Parma on 7 July 1889. His solo works remain standard repertoire for accomplished double bassists to this day. Bottesini was a freemason, initiated 20 June 1849, in the Bank of England Lodge No. 263, London.
Personal life
Bottesini married twice. Firstly, on 23 August 1849 he married the Italian dancer Teresa Revelani at the Sardinian Chapel in London. Secondly, on 14 October 1878, after a 26 year long relationship, he married the Anglo-Spanish opera singer Claudina Fiorentini whose real name was Florentine Williams. Together they had one adopted daughter, Provvidenza.
The Paganini of the double bass
Giovanni Bottesini was widely acclaimed, and his virtuosic skill on the double bass has often been compared to that of Niccolò Paganini on the violin. Owing to the contributions of Bottesini, as well as Johannes Matthias Sperger and Domenico Dragonetti, the double bass came to be increasingly regarded as a versatile and expressive instrument.
Bottesini's bass was said to be a unique instrument with a remarkable sound. It was built by Carlo Antonio Testore in 1716. The instrument was owned by several unknown bass players. It nearly met its end in the 1830s as it sat backstage in a marionette theater in Milan. Bottesini purchased the Testore in 1838 for 900 lire. The Testore bass was later converted back to a four-stringed instrument, and then to a three. Eventually, it was changed back to a four-string configuration and is now in the possession of a private collector in Japan.
Selected works for solo double bass
Adagio melanconico e appassionato
Allegretto Capriccio "Alla Chopin"
Allegro di Concerto "Alla Mendelssohn" (aka "Gran Allegro")
Capriccio Di Bravura
Concerto Di Bravura No.1 [Concerto No.1] (1840)
Concerto/Concertino No. 2 in B minor for double bass and orchestra [Concerto No.2] (1853) [1]
Concerto in F♯ minor [Concerto No.3] (1871) for double bass and orchestra. Accidentally miscredited or published as concerto No.1 (also known as Concerto for Students in some publications/arrangements/lower transpositions, studienkonzert in German publications)
Gran Duo Concertante
Gran Duo for clarinet in A and bass and orchestra
Duo for cello and double bass – Rossini
Elegia in re no. 1
Elegia No. 2, "Romanza Drammatica"
Elegia No. 3, "Romanza Patetica"
Fantasia sulla "Beatrice di Tenda" di Bellini
Fantasia sulla "Cerrito"
Fantasia sulla "La Sonnambula" di Bellini
Fantasia sulla "Norma" di Bellini
Fantasia sulla "Straniera" di Bellini
Fantasia sulla "Lucia de Lammermoor" di Gaetano Donizetti
Fantasia sulla "I Puritani" di Bellini
Gran Duo Passione Amorosa per due contrabassi
Introduzione e Bolero
Introduzione e Fuge
Introduzione e Gavotta
Introduzione e Variazione di "Carnivale di Venezia" di Rossini
Meditazione (Aria di Bach) (an arrangement of the Air from Bach's Orchestral Suite in D major)
Melodia No. 1
Melodia No. 2
Rêverie (originally for violoncello and orchestra)
Tarantella in la minore (frequently paired with Elegia No. 1 and referred to as Elegia e Tarantella. Numerous manuscripts by Bottesini himself show that these two pieces were clearly intended to be performed together)
Tre gran due per contrabassi
Variazione sulla "Nel cor più non mi sento" di Paisiello
Other chamber music
Tutto il mondo serra – soprano, double bass and piano
Un Bacio solo – soprano, double bass and piano
Guardami ancor – soprano, double bass and piano
È il pianto del mio cor – soprano, double bass and piano
Canta Roberto! – soprano, double bass and piano
Retourner a la paix des champs – soprano, double bass and piano
Une bouche Aimée – soprano, double bass and piano
Duetto – clarinet, double bass and piano
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 19 | 86.7th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 21 | 94.3th |
| Recording span (years) | -102 | 5th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (19 release groups · 18 studio albums)
Albums · 18
In memoriam Giovanni Bottesini
1991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:04:18
1Introduzione e Gavotta5:442Elegia in Re5:243Nel cor piu non mi sento (Variazioni su tema di Paisiello)5:484Romanza drammatica8:215Introduzione e variazioni su "Il carnevale di Venezia"10:546Melodia in mi8:267Grande allegro di concerto "Alla Mendelssohn"13:1883 arie per contrabasso: Serenata de Il barbiere di Siviglia1:3693 arie per contrabasso: Aria de "Il trovatore" di Verdi2:35103 arie per contrabasso: Finale de La sonnambula di Bellini2:12A Showcase of Works for Double Bass
1992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 53:37
1Gran Duo Concertante for Violin & Double Bass15:312Andante Sostenuto for Strings6:523Duetto for Clarinet & Double Bass8:234Gran Concerto in F-sharp minor for Double Bass: I. Allegro moderato11:445Gran Concerto in F-sharp minor for Double Bass: II. Andante6:376Gran Concerto in F-sharp minor for Double Bass: III. Finale: Allegro con fuoco4:30Bottesini, Vol. 2: Romanza drammatica
1992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:11:50
1Fantasia "Lucia di Lammermoor"10:542Romanza drammatica8:253Introduzione e bolero8:504Romanza "Une bouche aimée"5:135Capriccio di bravura9:136Elegie in D5:247Fantasia "Beatrice di Tenda"11:488Grande allegro di concerto12:031994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:11:00
1Fantasia on Bellini's La Sonnambula8:412"Nel cor più non mi sento", Theme and Variations on Paisiello's Aria6:113Reverie3:104Introduction and Gavotte4:335Capriccio di bravura8:146Adagio melanconico ed appassionato5:157Gran Fantasia on Lucia di Lammermoor9:448Elegy in D4:169Introduction and Variations on the Carnival of Venice9:5710Grande allegro di concerto a la Mendelssohn10:591996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:04:32
1Fantasia on Bellini's Norma11:002Fantasia on Bellini's La Straniera9:513Melodia6:034Introduzione e bolero8:035Allegretto capriccio (a la Chopin)3:236Fantasia on Bellini's I Puritani9:587Elegia no. 2 in E minor6:108Fantasia on Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda10:04Music for Double Bass and Piano, Volume 1
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:05:34
1Elegy no. 1 in D major4:352Allegro di Concerto, "Alla Mendelssohn"12:053Melodia6:384Bolero8:235Elegy no. 3, "Romanza Patética"6:486Introduction and Gavotte4:277Capriccio di Bravura7:568Elegy no. 2, "Romanza Drammatica"7:459Allegretto capriccio3:1810Rêverie3:39Bottesini: Double Bass Concertos / Gran duo concertante / Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:12:34
1Concerto in B minor: Allegro moderato6:182Concerto in B minor: Andante5:473Concerto in B minor: Finale. Allegro4:154Concerto in F-sharp minor: Allegro moderato12:365Concerto in F-sharp minor: Andante6:226Concerto in F-sharp minor: Finale. Allegro con fuoco4:327Gran duo concertante14:248Rococo Variations18:20Tre grandi duetti per contrabbassi
1999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 58:56
1Gran duetto no. 1: I. Allegro12:242Gran duetto no. 1: II. Andante4:293Gran duetto no. 1: III. Polacca5:534Gran duetto no. 2: I. Allegro10:145Gran duetto no. 2: II. Andante4:596Gran duetto no. 2: III. Rondo, Allegretto9:197Gran duetto no. 3: I. Andantino3:028Gran duetto no. 3: II. Presto8:362000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 53:14
1Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in F sharp minor: Introduction: Allegro moderato12:142Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in F sharp minor: Andante7:183Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in F sharp minor: Finale - Allegro con fuoco3:544Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in B minor: Allegro moderato6:335Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in B minor: Andante6:016Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in B minor: Finale: Allegro3:507Gran Duo Passione Amorosa: Andante3:078Gran Duo Passione Amorosa: Allegro3:579Gran Duo Passione Amorosa: Andante4:3210Gran Duo Passione Amorosa: Allegro1:482002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:07:16
1Double Concerto for Cello and Double Bass: I. ♩ = 1106:162Double Concerto for Cello and Double Bass: II. ♩ = 655:563Double Concerto for Cello and Double Bass: III. ♩ = 1506:554Concerto no. 2 in B minor for Double Bass and Orchestra: I. Allegro moderato6:025Concerto no. 2 in B minor for Double Bass and Orchestra: II. Andante5:536Concerto no. 2 in B minor for Double Bass and Orchestra: III. Allegro5:047Concerto in D for Double Bass and Orchestra: I. ♩ = 1096:118Concerto in D for Double Bass and Orchestra: II. ♩ = 745:489Concerto in D for Double Bass and Orchestra: III. ♩ = 1905:0410Gran Duo Concertante14:07Opere per contrabasso e pianoforte
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:12:44
1Elegia in mi minore8:232Allegretto capriccio3:563Tarantella6:364Capriccio di bravura9:035Melodia in mi minore7:426Fantasia su temi de “La Sonnambula” di Bellini9:207Variazoni sul tema “Nel cor più no mi sento” da “La Molinera” di Paisiello6:118Introduzione e gavotta5:359Variazioni sul “Carnevale di Venezia”10:1810Elegia in re5:40The Bottesini Collection, Vol. 2
2008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:01:36
1Ero e Leandro - Opera: Prelude4:472Concertino in C minor: I. Moderato5:333Concertino in C minor: II. Andante6:294Concertino in C minor: III. Finale: Allegro4:295Il diavolo della notte - Opera: Sinfonia4:386Passioni amorose for two double basses and orchestra: I. Allegro deciso4:447Passioni amorose for two double basses and orchestra: II. Andante4:228Passioni amorose for two double basses and orchestra: III. Allegretto2:079Elégie in D5:2810Alì Babà - Opera: Overture5:2811Duo Concertante on Themes from Bellini's: I Puritani for cello, double bass and orchestra13:312008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:01:37
1Gran Duetto no. 1: I. Allegro13:072Gran Duetto no. 1: II. Andante6:513Gran Duetto no. 1: III. Polacca6:554Gran Duetto no. 2: I. Allegro10:085Gran Duetto no. 2: II. Andante5:566Gran Duetto no. 2: III. Rondo Allegretto4:307Gran Duetto no. 3: I. Andantino5:158Gran Duetto no. 3: II. Presto8:55Music for Double Bass and Piano 2
2008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:08:48
1Gran duetto no. 3: Andantino4:052Gran duetto no. 3: Presto7:533Concerto no. 2: Moderato5:284Concerto no. 2: Andante4:395Concerto no. 2: Finale: Allegro4:156Adagio melanconico ed appasionato "Elegie par Ernst"6:367Duet for Clarinet and Double Bass9:408Fantasia on Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda11:039Une bouche aimée5:1210Tutto che il mondo serra: Chopin Terzetto (tr. Etude, op. 25 no. 7)4:4811Meditazione: Aria di Bach5:09Bottesini: Fantasia on themes of Rossini; Passioni Amorose; etc
2010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:07:04
1Fantasia on themes of Rossini: La danza: Allegro non troppo2:372Fantasia on themes of Rossini: La serenata: Andante4:233Fantasia on themes of Rossini: I marinai4:224Passioni amorose: Allegro4:265Passioni amorose: Andante3:486Passioni amorose: Allegretto2:077Gran duetto No.2: Allegro agitato12:258Gran duetto No.2: Andante6:519Gran duetto No.2: Rondo: Allegretto9:4910Concerto a due contrabbassi (for 2 double basses and piano): Allegro maestoso3:4611Concerto a due contrabbassi (for 2 double basses and piano): Andante3:1712Concerto a due contrabbassi (for 2 double basses and piano): Allegro9:132012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 57:02
1Grand Duo concertant in A major15:272Grande allegro di concerto "alla Mendelssohn"11:413Une bouche aimée4:304Tutto che il mondo serra5:035Capiccio di bravura in A major8:356Duo concertant on Themes from Bellini's "I puritani"11:46Duetto / Capriccio / Gran quintetto
2015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 51:37
1Duetto for Clarinet and Double-bass with Piano Accompaniment: Allegro - Adagio - Andante -5:482Duetto for Clarinet and Double-bass with Piano Accompaniment: Allegro - Brillante - Un poco meno4:103Capriccio for Two Double-basses and Piano, op. 19: Allegro mdoerato - Recitativo a piacere - Tempo I - Recitativo come prima - A tempo (Allegro moderato) - Sostenuto - Meno - A tempo - Con caricature - Cadenza - A tempo (poco meno del Tempo I)13:404Gran Quintetto in C minor, op. 99: Allegro moderato10:525Gran Quintetto in C minor, op. 99: Scherzo. Allegro ma non troppo - Trio - D.C. sino al Fine5:296Gran Quintetto in C minor, op. 99: Adagio6:337Gran Quintetto in C minor, op. 99: Finale. Allegro con brio5:05Virtuoso Double Bass, Volume 3
2021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 48:54
1Fantasia: I Puritani11:072Allegro di Concerto alla Mendelssohn13:293Capriccio4:074Introduction and Variations on The Carnival of Venice10:135Bolero9:58
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Concert PiecesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:02:501Bolero9:38 2Elegia5:29 3Tarantella6:00 4Air5:40 5Introduzione e gavotta5:54 6Romanza drammatica8:58 7Allegretto capriccio4:08 8Contra-bass polka7:42 9Romanza nell' "Elisir d'amore"3:23 10Serenata de "Il barbiere di Siviglia"1:32 11Finale de "La sonnambula"2:09 12Aria de "Il trovatore"2:17 | Compilation | 1997 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Giovanni Bottesini head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 27 | 88.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 19 | 86.7th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 21 | 94.3th |
| Recording span (years) | -102 | 5th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Bottesini.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7eb3beec-1e34-4449-8bea-67928e665be2discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7eb3beec-1e34-4449-8bea-67928e665be2core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q354101genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q354101seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Bottesinibiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Bottesini
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: notable long tail (listeners 0, 27 language versions)
Image: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q354101 · MusicBrainz: 7eb3beec-1e34-4449-8bea-67928e665be2
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