| Variations of Name | Ladislao Josef Filip Pavel Sawerthal, Ladislao Joseph Philip Paul Zavertal |
| Biography | Ladislav Josef Filip Pavel Sawerthal was an Italian - Czech composer , conductor and violinist . He was the son of the Bohemian composer and military bandmaster Václav Hugo Sawerthal and the Italian opera singer Carlotta Maironi da Ponte.
Sawerthal received his first music lessons from his parents and subsequently studied at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella di Napoli in Naples, among others with the violin with Francesco Paolo Tosti . After working in his father's orchestras in Treviso and Modena in the years 1869 and 1870, he went to the theater of Milan in 1871 as a conductor. In 1872 he left for Scotland , where he worked as a music teacher and conductor of various concert bands in Glasgow until 1881.
In 1877 he also collaborated with the famous German conductor Hans von Bülow . During his years as a military bandmaster of the Royal Artillery Band in Woolwich (1881-1906), he intensively immersed himself in the London music scene and from 1895 to 1905 was artistic director of the Sunday concerts in the Royal Albert Hall . He retired in 1906 and returned to Italy.
The halcyon days of theRoyal Artillery Band, and particularly of the Orchestra, began in 1881 under the baton of the eminent Moravian conductor, and composer, Ladislao Zavertal. His reputation had preceded him, and audiences swelled quickly at his Woolwich concerts, which included appearances by many distinguished guests, leading to frequent state banquet performances, by royal command of Queen Victoria. The audiences often included such devoted luminaries as Sir Edward German, Antonín Dvorák, and Sir Edward Elgar - the latter drawing inspiration from the Orchestra in some of his own compositions. Dvorak, a personal friend of Zavertal's visited him at his home in London on many occasions, and sought his advice on scoring for orchestra. His Symphony No. 9 ('From The New World') was rehearsed by the Royal Artillery Orchestra at Woolwich under the observation of the composer. Zavertal recommended he re-score the chromatic scale passages, originally designated to the strings, instead, for woodwind (in those days, string players performed chromatic scales by sliding between whole tones, which, at speed, was not always convincing. It was many years, before the now standard 'half-step' fingering system would be adopted by string players. The result impressed Dvorak greatly. The symphony was first performed privately in 1893 to an invited audience in the Royal Artillery Theatre. Zavertal introduced to Britain, music by Smetana (overtures and incidental music from 'Prodana Nevesta', and 'Vitava'). On hearing the band for the first time (at a church parade), Dvorak commented "It sounds like a beautiful organ." Zavertal became the most highly decorated military bandmaster (bandmaster = director of music) of all time [see 'Section 10' below]. On 22nd November 1899 he was presented with a gold-mounted baton bearing the Imperial Crown, and inset with amethyst, garnet, sapphire, and diamond gem stones, as on the actual crown. Two years later, the Band would be required to play in the funeral procession for the late Queen, headed by the Royal Artillery Mounted Band, and would also become the first band (as both orchestra and band) to play at the Queen's Hall, on 21st March 1902. He remained conductor until 1907. |