Matthew Dubourg

Matthew Dubourg (* 1703 in London , † July 3, 1767 in London) was an Irish violin virtuoso and composer .

Live and act

Matthew Dubourg, a student of Francesco Geminiani , performed publicly as a child. Dubourg followed Johann Sigismund Kusser as Kapell- und Konzertmeister in Dublin in 1728 , where he worked until 1752. His official title was "Master and composer of state music in Dublin". Here he and his former teacher Geminiani played a key role in shaping the local musical life. On April 13, 1742, Dubourg conducted the world premiere of Handel's “ Messiah ” with only 16 choir singers. In 1752 he followed Michael Christian Festing as concertmaster of the "King's Band" in London. In 1761 Dubourg was "Master of her Majesty's Band" with an annual salary of 200 pounds, this position he held until 1765.

Noteworthy are the original handwritten decorations by Dubourg on several movements from the Violin Sonatas op. 5 by Arcangelo Corelli , which have been lost in the original since 1975 and still exist on microfilm , which were most recently in the estate of the music researcher Marc Pincherle .

At an evening opera performance in Dublin in 1742 under the direction of the composer George Frideric Handel , the following anecdote is said to have happened: Concertmaster Dubourg played a cadenza in which he at times deviated very far from the theme through complex modulations . When he returned to the topic, Handel is said to have exclaimed so loudly that part of the audience could hear: “You are welcome home, Mr. Dubourg”.

Dubourg also wrote some of his own works, most of which were performed in Great Britain and some of which were published in anthologies. One of his passions was to change well-known Irish folk tunes in the style of the late baroque.

Works

Violin concerto
Variations of Druid Tunes

literature

Brian Boydell: Dubourg, Matthew. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).

Web links

Sheet music and audio files by Matthew Dubourg on the International Music Score Library Project

Individual evidence

↑ Cynthia O'Brien-Rames: Master's thesis University of Vienna "Observations on, and a Comparison, of 'free' Ornamentations by" Corelli ', Dubourg and Geminiani to some of Corelli's Sonatas Opus 5 (2013)

personal data
SURNAME	Dubourg, Matthew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Irish violin virtuoso and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	1703
PLACE OF BIRTH	London
DATE OF DEATH	July 3, 1767
Place of death	London

[1] Cynthia O'Brien-Rames: Master's thesis University of Vienna "Observations on, and a Comparison, of 'free' Ornamentations by" Corelli ', Dubourg and Geminiani to some of Corelli's Sonatas Opus 5 (2013)