From The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music
| Born | Schwetzingen, 15 June 1763 |
|---|---|
| Died | Karlsruhe, 13 April 1826 |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | composer |
| Like his father Innocenz (ca. 1730-98), he was a cellist in the Mannheim court orchestra. When the court moved to Munich in 1778 he stayed in Mannheim, playing at the National Theatre (for which he wrote his first stage works). In 1783 he joined the orchestra in Munich, where his Singspiel Die Mitternachtsstunde (1798) was popular; after touring Europe, he returned as deputy Kapellmeister (1798-1800). As Kapellmeister at Stuttgart, 1807-12, he was a close friend of Weber’s; he was next Kapellmeister at Karlsruhe, and composed stage works for both courts.
Danzi wrote some 25 stage works, including Singspiels, incidental music, melodramas and a grand opera; he also wrote sacred music, songs, symphonies, concertos and numerous chamber works, notably wind quintets. Cantabile melodies, bold harmonies, chromatic inner parts and imaginative scoring characterize his style. |