Pietro Pettoletti

(1795? - 1870?)
a guitarist of probable Italian descent in Germany, Sweden
and Russia
The guitarist and composer Pietro (Piotr) Pettoletti (see him on
left in a rare image, from the no.10-11 of Gitarist, 1904, p. 227)
lived in the first half of the Nineteenth Century. He was probably
of Italian origin (or perhaps Danish), but spent the greater part of
his life living in foreign countries. At first he lived in Germany,
then, by age twenty five, in Sweden, where he taught piano and
guitar. Subsequently he moved to Russia, employed by a wealthy
landowner to teach guitar to his children. Pettoletti stayed for a
long time in St. Petersburg, where he established residence,
achieving a reputation as concert performer and as teacher. He
often performed in duo with his brother Joachim, a violinist and
guitarist at the Orchestra of the Italian Opera of St. Petersburg.

There he met Andrei Osipovich Sychra, the most renowned

guitarist in Russia at that time. He encouraged Pettoletti to study
and improve the 7 string (Russian) guitar, and to compose for it.

Pettoletti had many students, who in turn continued his style of

teaching. He died in Petersburg, at about 1870, when he was 75
years old. Pettoletti composed about 50 works calling for the
guitar, above all Fantasies and Variations based on themes from
operas by Italian composers. A few of his works demand some
virtuosity. He published his works in Germany, Denmark and
Russia during the first decade of the Nineteenth Century.

(Transl. M. Penny)

opus
Title Instrument(s) Editor
no.

Sei Valzer 1 guitar Simrock, Bonn

Divertimenti 6 guitar & 2 guitars Gjothstrom Stockolm

Variazioni (SOL) 7 guitar Gjothstrom, Stockolm

Variazioni (Tyrolienne) 8 guitar Gjothstrom, Stockolm

Pot Pourri 9 2 guitars (*) Magnusson, Stockolm

Divertimento 11 2 guitars (*) Lose, Copenhagen

Fantasia (Air de la Norvege) 12 guitar Bernard, S.Petersburg

Troika (Var.) 14 guitar Buttner, S. Petersburg

Fantasia (Air national Russe) 15 guitar Schott, Mainz

 Fantasia (Les Huguenots) 16 4 guitars (*) Davignon, S. Petersburg

Divertimento (Montecchi e
17 guitar (7c) Buttner, S.Petersburg
Capuleti)

Fantasia (God bless the tzar!, SOL) 18 guitar (7c) Buttner, S.Petersburg

Fantasia (Den rde sarafan, RE) 19 guitar (7c) Buttner, S.Petersburg

Var. (How have I made you sad?

21 Guitar (7c) Buttner, S.Petersburg
mi min.)

Fantasia (Bellini) 22 2 guitars (*) Bernard, S. Peterburg

Raccolta di (4) pezzi 23 guitar (7c) Buttner, S.Petersburg

Variazioni (LA) 23 guitar Lee, S.Petersburg

Fantasia (La straniera) 24 2 guitars (*) Bernard, S.Petersburg

Studio (La folle) 25 guitar Bernard, S.Petersburg

Variazioni (Pirata) 26 guitar Schott, Mainz

Duo 27 fl/vn and guitar Cranz, Ambourg

Fantasia (Dernire pense de Weber) 28 guitar & piano Schott, Mainz

Impromptu 29 guitar Buttner, S.Petersburg

Duettino 30 guitar & piano Buttner, S.Petersburg

Fantasia (Romanza di Paschkoff) 31 guitar Buttner, S.Petersburg

Fantasia (melodia russa) 32 guitar Schott, Mainz

La Cachoutcha - guitar (7c) Davignon, S. Petersburg

Morceaux (Lucia di Lammermoor) - guitar Cranz, Hambourg

Ms
Intro, Var. (6) et Polonoise (LA) - 2 guitars (http://img.kb.dk/ma/RiBSms/RiBSms-
190.pdf)

Ms
Variazioni (3, LA) - guitar http://img.kb.dk/ma/RiBSms/RiBSms-
193c.pdf

Ms
Prelude (re min) - guitar http://img.kb.dk/ma/RiBSms/RiBSms-
193c.pdf

(*) = Terz-guitar

Bibliographic Note
Valerian Rusanov, Piotr Pettoletti in Gitarist, n. 10-11 (1904) p. 225-230
Erling Mldrup, Guitaren, et eksotisk instrument i den danske musik (The guitar, an exotic instrument in
Danish music), Ed. Kontrapunkt, 1997, pp. 73-81,125, 167.