Zappa, Francesco (b Milan; fl 1763-88). Italian cellist and composer. The dedication of his six trios for two violins and bass (London, 1756) shows that he had given the Duke of York, the dedicatee, music lessons in Italy (the duke had been in Italy from late November 1763 to mid-1764). By 1767, the year of the duke's death, he had entered his service as maestro di musica, as shown by the title-page of his trio sonatas op.2. He then apparently took up residence in The Hague as a music master. He was still there in 1788, according to the place and date of a manuscript Quartetto concertante (in D-Bds). He made a tour of Germany in 1771, playing in Danzig and, on 22 September, in Frankfurt. According to Mendel, he made another concert tour of Germany in 1781 (though this may be an error for 1771).
Zappa's cello writing is expressive rather than virtuoso. His style tends towards a seriousness of manner in which the galant elements are tempered by a Classical dignity and sometimes by harmonic richness of a pre-Romantic sort.
WORKS
Trio sonatas, 2 vn, b: 6 Trios (London, 1765), as op.1 (?The Hague, n.d.); 6 as op.2 (London, c1767); 6 as op.3 (Paris, n.d.); 6 as op.4 (London, n.d.); 6 sonates (The Hague, n.d.)
Other works: 6 kdb sonatas, op.6 (Paris 1776), mentioned in Mendel; 2 romances, 1v (The Hague),
n.d.); others works, A-Wgm, D-Bds, I-McBIBLIOGRAPHY
EitnerQ; GerberL
H. Mendel and A. Reissmann, eds.: Musikalisches Conversations-Lexikon (Berlin, 1870-79, 3/1890-91)
E. van der Straeten: The History of the Violoncello (London, 1915/R1971)
K.H. Köhler: 'Zappa, Francesco', MGGGUIDO SALVETTI
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