Giovanni Bottesini

Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso.

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.

[1] 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.

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.

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.

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.