Dragonetti and Il DevastatoreShortly before he died in 1849 in London, Domenico Dragonetti was shown a French bow by a student of his who'd seen Bottesini in concert. Dragonetti is said to have laughed and said, in his charming and inimitable way of speaking, "Dot poco stick? Dot is arco?" -- and thrust it from himself.The reaction is, in fact, mild and conciliatory, given Dragonetti's disdain for the younger Bottesini and consider the older man's own bow, which might be described as "hyper-german" in style.
"We all must learn where to place our fingers." © 1997, Jeff Brooks (mtic@aol.com) |