Musicians in Dresden in 1720s

”There was rivalry among the musicians in Dresden in the 1720s.  Daniel Heartz describes some incidents:

Silvius Weiss, the famous lutenist, saw his livelihood threatened when he was attacked by a French violinist named Petit, who attempted to bite off the top joint of his right thumb.  On 13 August 1722 Veracini jumped to the ground from a third-storey window, according to Mattheson, who ascribed the incident to a fit of madness brought on by too much immersion in music and alchemy.  Veracini hinted darkly in his late treatise that there was threat against his life inspired by jealousy, perhaps implying that this was on the part of Pisendel or Volumier, his supervisors.  Veracini’s years  in Saxon service came to an end.  He left and did not return. One other curious bit of information concerning the orchestra is that Pantaleon  Hebenstreit became incapacitated by failing eyesight and had to stop playing his dulcimer-like invention, the pantaloon.

Siblin, Eric (2009) The Cello Suites.  Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, p. 182.

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