Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Alternative Form Available

A digitized version of this manuscript can be found here: Three solos for the violoncello with accompaniment for a bass music manuscript .

Preferred Citation

"Three solos for the violoncello with accompaniment for a bass" by Johan Arnold Dahmen music manuscript, C0422, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased from J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians by Steve Gerber in Fall 2012.

Processing Information

Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in February 2024.

Biographical Information

Johan Arnold Dahmen (also known as John Arnold or Johannes Arnoldus) was born in the Netherlands circa 1766, being baptized in The Hague on March 9, 1766. The son of musician Willem Dahmen, Johan grew up in a musical family and by 1787 was playing bass for the Collegium Musicium in Utrecht. In the winter of 1790 or 1791, Johan and his brother Peter, a violinist, left the Netherlands for London where both brothers continued performing, playing in Joseph Haydn's orchestra for the second series of concerts conducted by Peter Salomon; Joahn is listed as a principal instrument performer for Salomon's 1792 concert season.

Johan is known as possibly the last professional player of the viola da gamba, or gambist, and is known to have published at least 45 compositions, with an emphasis on string instruments. He passed away sometime at the beginning of September 1812 at the age of 46, with his burial recorded as September 5, 1812.

Scope and Content

Handwritten and printed music manuscript by Dutch composer Johan Arnold Dahmen containing three previously unrecorded cello sonatas in C major, G major, and Bb major, doubling Dahmen's known compositions in the genre.

The manuscript is an oblong folio, contained inside early leather-backed flexible marbled boards with titling "Solos Violoncello" in gilt letters along the front spine, although the compositions appear to be written for performance by two cellos. Consists of 12 leaves with 8 hand-ruled staves and is signed by the composer on the first page under the title, which reads "Thre[e] solos for the violoncello with accompaniment for a bass music manuscript". Believed to be the only existing handwritten score by Dahmen.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds other music collections such as the Sophocles Papas papers , and Nellie M. Lee music manuscript book .

The Archives at Yale's Hanover royal music archive contains two other printed compositions by Dahmen.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Cello and double bass music
• Manuscripts
• Music
• Music -- England -- 18th century
• Sheet music
• Sonatas (Cello and double bass) -- Scores