Friedrich Dülon
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Ludwig Dülon was one of the most prominent and famous flute-virtuoso musicians of the classical era
, being one of the first flutists to be considered gifted on flute
. At the age of 40 he had acquired more than 300 concerts in his repertoire. Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
devoted a 9-verse poem entitled The blind flute player Dülon on the journey.
and figured bass
, and the equally blind flutist Joseph Winter who had arrived in town on 16 March 1778. When he was 9 his musical talent struck by the fact that he had already composed a minuet
. It was natural for him to play Quantz's flute concerto, which he had learned by heart while listening to his father play it on the ridge, as well as improvise and dictate his own compositions so that they might be scribed. A year later the prodigy child Dülon was already performing as a soloist in Stendal
. His first public concert took place in Berlin
on 9 October 1781, like this his famous career as a touring virtuoso.
During the 1780s Dülon toured constantly all over Europe with his father and sister. During a visited to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
in Hamburg
in 1783, he played the A-minor sonata to him who then commented that it was really odd that the king, for whom he had written that sonata, could not play it unlike the blind Dülon. On the other hand Dülon suggested that Bach played his Hamburger Sonata in G Major, Wq. 133 instead. He was also on friendly terms with Karl Benda, son of Czech
violinist and composer Franz Benda
. In the summer of 1789, Friedrich Hölderlin
took flute lessons with Dülon in Tuebingen. Up to 1787 his travels took him to Leipzig
where he played duets with Johann George Tromlitz
, to Berlin
, where he met Johann Philipp Kirnberger and Johann Friedrich Reichardt
, and also London, where he performed at court.
In October 1790 he crossed paths with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
for the first time when of the festivities for Emperor Leopold II
's coronation in Frankfurt
, and later during one of Dülon's concert at Emanuel Schikaneder
's Theater an der Wien
in Viena on 15 April 1791, where he played a flute concerto by Giovanni Mane Giornovichi along with his brother-in-law Herr Reinstein. He then spent about five years in St Petersburg from 1792 as a royal musician before returning to Germany in 1798 with a pension granted by the Emperor Paul I of Russia
. From 1800 he resided in Marienburg
, where he wrote his autobiography by means of an alphabet which had been invented for him by a college professor in Dresden
. In 1823 he moved to Würzburg, where he died on 7 July 1826.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, being one of the first flutists to be considered gifted on flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
. At the age of 40 he had acquired more than 300 concerts in his repertoire. Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart , was a German poet, born at Obersontheim in Swabia.He entered the university of Erlangen in 1758 as a student of theology. He led a dissolute life, and after two years' stay was summoned home by his parents...
devoted a 9-verse poem entitled The blind flute player Dülon on the journey.
Life
Although Dülon went blind due to an eye infection caused by medical malpractice when he was only six weeks old, this did not prevent him from taking music lessons, first from his father, a music-loving tax official, and later from organist Johann Karl Anderson (1774-1815) who taught him pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and figured bass
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
, and the equally blind flutist Joseph Winter who had arrived in town on 16 March 1778. When he was 9 his musical talent struck by the fact that he had already composed a minuet
Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
. It was natural for him to play Quantz's flute concerto, which he had learned by heart while listening to his father play it on the ridge, as well as improvise and dictate his own compositions so that they might be scribed. A year later the prodigy child Dülon was already performing as a soloist in Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
. His first public concert took place in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 9 October 1781, like this his famous career as a touring virtuoso.
During the 1780s Dülon toured constantly all over Europe with his father and sister. During a visited to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
right|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1783, he played the A-minor sonata to him who then commented that it was really odd that the king, for whom he had written that sonata, could not play it unlike the blind Dülon. On the other hand Dülon suggested that Bach played his Hamburger Sonata in G Major, Wq. 133 instead. He was also on friendly terms with Karl Benda, son of Czech
Czech
Czech may refer to:* Czech cuisine* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe* Czech language* Czechs, the people of the area* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus...
violinist and composer Franz Benda
Franz Benda
Franz Benda was a Czech violinist and composer. He was the brother of Jiří Antonín Benda, and he worked for much of his life at the court of Frederick the Great....
. In the summer of 1789, Friedrich Hölderlin
Friedrich Hölderlin
Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin was a major German lyric poet, commonly associated with the artistic movement known as Romanticism. Hölderlin was also an important thinker in the development of German Idealism, particularly his early association with and philosophical influence on his...
took flute lessons with Dülon in Tuebingen. Up to 1787 his travels took him to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
where he played duets with Johann George Tromlitz
Johann George Tromlitz
Johann George Tromlitz , born at Reinsdorf, near Artern, Germany, was a flautist, flute maker and composer.-External links:*...
, to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he met Johann Philipp Kirnberger and Johann Friedrich Reichardt
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
Johann Friedrich Reichardt was a German composer, writer and music critic.-Early life:Reichardt was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, to lutenist and Stadtmusiker Johann Reichardt . Johann Friedrich began his musical training, in violin, keyboard, and lute, as a child...
, and also London, where he performed at court.
In October 1790 he crossed paths with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
for the first time when of the festivities for Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
's coronation in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, and later during one of Dülon's concert at Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
's Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
in Viena on 15 April 1791, where he played a flute concerto by Giovanni Mane Giornovichi along with his brother-in-law Herr Reinstein. He then spent about five years in St Petersburg from 1792 as a royal musician before returning to Germany in 1798 with a pension granted by the Emperor Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
. From 1800 he resided in Marienburg
Marienburg
-The historical German names of these places:*Ordensburg Marienburg , the large brick castle built by the Teutonic Knights**Malbork, Poland, site of the Ordensburg Marienburg, formerly Marienburg in Westpreußen and during World War II, Nazi Stalag XX-B for enlisted men*Alūksne, Latvia*Feldioara,...
, where he wrote his autobiography by means of an alphabet which had been invented for him by a college professor in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1823 he moved to Würzburg, where he died on 7 July 1826.
Musical works
Dülon's surviving compositions include a flute concerto, 16 duos and a set of 11 caprices for solo flute.- Duets Opus 6 No. 2 in D major for Flute and Viola,
- Duets Opus 6 No. 2 in G major for Flute and Viola
- Duets Opus 6 No. 3 in D minor for Flute and Viola
- Duo Opus 5 No. 1 for Two Flutes
- Duo Opus 5 No. 2 for Two Flutes
- Duo Opus 5 No. 3 for Two Flutes
- Three Duos Opus 6 for Flute and Viola
Source
- C.M. Wieland: Dülon the blind flute player's life and opinions of his own, (Zürich, 1807-8) [autobiography]
- J.A. Rice: The Blind Dülon and his Magic Flute, ML, lxxi (1990), pp. 25-51 [incl. list of works]
- Ardal Powell: The Keyed Flute by Johann George Tromlitz (Oxford, 1996)
- Ardal Powell: The Flute, Yale University Press (2002), p. 131, New Haven, ISBN 0300094981
- Friedrich Blume: The music past and present. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1949-1986.
- Adolph Goldberg: Portraits and biographies of outstanding flute virtuoso and composer-dilettante, Berlin (1906), Moeck, Celle 1987 (rep), ISBN 3-87549-028-2
- Herbert Koelbel: From the Flute, Bärenreiter, 1966, ISBN 3-7618-0061-4
- Ursula Pešek, Željiko Pešek: Flute music from three centuries, Bärenreiter, Kassel 1990th ISBN 3-7618-0985-9
- Leta E. Miller: C. P. E. Bach and Friedrich Ludwig DÜlon: Composition and improvisation in late 18th-century Germany, Early Music (1995), vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 65-80, ISSN 0306-1078
External links
- German Wikisource has original text related to this article: Friedrich Ludwig Dulon.