Life
His entire career, from training to his premature passing, was situated entirely within the period of Neoclassicism.
Bartolomeo Bortolazzi was born in Toscolano Maderno in 1772. From a young age, he showed a great predisposition for the mandolin, which led him to distinguish himself as one of the most famous virtuosos of the instrument between the 18th and 19th centuries.
He traveled extensively in Europe, especially in Austria and Germany, where he became known as both a performer and a composer of pieces for mandolin and guitar.
He also composed a mandolin method, which was vital for the instrument's dissemination and served as a reference point for numerous musicians.
Aneddoto
The Vienna method
During his stay in Vienna, he published a mandolin method that enjoyed significant circulation, contributing to the instrument's success outside of Italy.Works
Among Bortolazzi's most famous works is his Mandolin Method, printed in Vienna, which became a reference text for scholars and amateurs. He also composed numerous chamber pieces for mandolin and guitar, performed in various European contexts.
Briciole di storia
The journalist who dared to criticize Napoleon
When French troops arrived in Italy, the young man of letters Vittorio Barzoni was, like many, an enthusiastic supporter of the ideals of freedom. In Milan, he founded a newspaper, La gazzetta nazionale della Lombardia, to celebrate the new era. Soon, however, his admiration for Napoleon turned into bitter disappointment as he saw that the French were behaving in Italy not as liberators but as conquerors, looting works of art and imposing exorbitant taxes. Barzoni then performed an act of incredible courage, turning his newspaper into a forum for angry criticism against the Napoleonic regime. While everyone else celebrated Bonaparte, he denounced his tyranny and became one of the first authoritative and most isolated voices of dissent, paying for his courage with exile and persecution.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
