The Violin: Some Account of That Leading Instrument and Its Most Eminent Professors, from Its Earliest Date to the Present Time; with Hints to Amateurs, Anecdotes, etc.Dubourg, George
History
The Violin: Some Account of That Leading Instrument and Its Most Eminent Professors, from Its Earliest Date to the Present Time; with Hints to Amateurs, Anecdotes, etc.
Dubourg, George
Violin; Violinists -- Biography
THOMAS PINTO, who attained the honor of dividing with Giardini the
leadership of the band at the King’s Theatre, was born in England, of
Italian parents. His early genius for the Violin was so well directed as
to render his playing, as a boy, a theme of astonishment; and, long
before he was of age, he was employed as the leader of large bands at
Concerts. At this time, however, he fell into a train of idle habits,
and began to affect the fine gentleman rather than the musical
student—keeping a horse, and sporting a special pair of boots, as his
custom of a morning, while a switch in his hand displaced the forgotten
fiddle-stick. From this devious course he was reclaimed by the accident
of the arrival of Giardini, whose superiority to all the performers he
had ever heard, inclined him to think it necessary that he should
himself recur to practice; and this he did, for some time, with great
diligence. A very powerful hand, and a wonderfully quick eye, were the
masterly possessions of Pinto, and enabled him to perform the most
difficult music at sight. He played thus, indeed, with more advantage
than after studying his subject; for then, in his carelessness, he would
trust to his memory, and frequently commit mistakes—missing the
expression of passages, which, if he had thought them worth looking at,
he would have executed with certainty. After leading at the Italian
Opera whenever Giardini’s more extensive avocations caused him to lay
down the truncheon, Pinto was engaged as First Violin at Drury-Lane
Theatre, where he led for, many years. On the death of his first wife,
Sybilla, a German singer, he married another singer, Miss Brent (the
celebrated pupil of Dr. Arne), and settled in Ireland, where he died in
the year 1773.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account