Double bass concerto

Last updated

A double bass concerto is a notated musical composition, usually in three parts or movements (see concerto), for a solo double bass accompanied by an orchestra. Bass concertos typically require an advanced level of technique, as they often use very high-register passages, harmonics, challenging scale and arpeggio lines and difficult bowing techniques. Music students typically play bass concerti with the orchestral part played by a pianist who reads from an orchestral reduction (the orchestra parts arranged for piano).

Contents

History

The Origin of the Double Bass Concerto

Concerti originated in the Baroque era. At first, double bass concertos were very rare due to the gut strings. These strings were difficult to move with the bow and did not resonate or project as loud. [1]

It was around 1650 that the overwound gut string was invented. [2] This greatly increased the popularity for composers to write double bass solos.

The main eras of double bass concerts are the Classical and Romantic period. These are considered the main concerto eras until the 20th and 21st century when the Andrés Martí [3] and Eduard Tubin [4] concertos were written.

Early double bass concerti

The earliest bass concerto was composed by Carl von Dittersdorf in the mid 1700s. He wrote two bass concertos as well as a symphonic concerto for viola and double bass.

Other composers from the late Baroque to classical periods, such as Johannes Matthias Sperger, wrote eighteen double bass concertos. Double Bass concerti were also written by Johann Baptist Wanhal, and Joseph Haydn, although Haydn's has since been lost. [5]

Michel Corrette changed the tuning of the double bass in 1773. Before this, double basses were tuned in thirds, known as Viennese-style tuning. [6] This changed the way composers of the Viennese School to write virtuosic double bass solos. The appearance of Italian composer Domenico Dragonetti officially changed the status of the double bass. Dragonetti did not use the Viennese-tuned bass.

At this point, composers of the Viennese School began to try to write new double bass works. Dragonetti was a bass virtuoso who introduced advanced new techniques for the instrument, like playing in the high register, bouncing the bow (riccochet and spiccato), and using more harmonics around the instrument. [7]

Further Development

Giovanni Bottesini, was known as the Paganini of double bass, a nineteenth century bass virtuoso and composer. He made enormous contributions to the solo double bass repertoire. Among his many works are two concerti for double bass which use extremely high harmonic passages that, when Bottesini first introduced them, were deemed "unplayable". [8]

Bottesini preferred the three-string double bass that was popular in Italy. In contrast to Dragonetti's preference for the older, palm-up bow, Bottesini adopted a cello-style bow, with the palm down. [8] The Dragonetti-style bow is similar to the modern-day German bow and the Bottesini bow is the modern French bow. [9]

This improvement had a great influence on later generations. Another indirect influence was the rise of an outstanding school of double bass players in the Czech region, represented by Franz Simandl, who devoted himself to the technique and teaching of double bass and left behind a number of works. [10] [11]

Around the late 20th century to present-day, Simandl has slowly been replaced by a new technique and theory of the double bass from François Rabbath. He has taken the work of Simandl and increased the technique to work around the entire fingerboard, improving modern-day double bassists’ technique even more to play old and new concertos. [12]

The development from the 20th century to the modern age

Synthetic strings have gained a lot of popularity in the last 50 years. [13] They have a lot of benefits, including they are vegan, have a more consistent tone, easier to play, and last longer on the bass. Some composers, of course, still prefer to find special effects on gut strings, but some companies have started making strings that sound exactly like gut strings, for example D’addario Zyex Strings.

Challenges

The double bass has not been a popular choice for a solo instrument, mainly due to the difficulties of balancing the soloist and orchestra so that the former is not overshadowed by the orchestra's volume. The low register of the double bass makes it difficult to project; to help resolve this problem, many composers (most notably Bottesini) wrote solo parts in the high register of the instrument. Another solution is to refrain from large tuttis, or employ chamberistic orchestration, when the double bass is playing in its lower register. Few major composers of the classical and romantic eras were disposed to writing double bass concerti, as there were few instrumentalists capable of taking on the demands of playing as a soloist; it was only through the efforts of virtuosos like Dragonetti, Bottesini, Koussevitsky, and Karr that the double bass began to be recognized as a solo instrument. As the twentieth century began, the standard of double bass technique improved by a significant degree, making it a more popular choice for composers.

First six bars of solo bass part of Dittersdorf's Concerto for Double Bass No. 2. Note the arpeggiated passage in bar 3. Dittersdorf Double Bass Concerto no. 2 opening line.png
First six bars of solo bass part of Dittersdorf's Concerto for Double Bass No. 2. Note the arpeggiated passage in bar 3.

Double basses have changed since the 18th century, when the concerti by Wanhal, Dittersdorf, and Pichl were written. One difference concerns the fingerboard; bassists would tie old strings or cloth to make frets on their instrument, much like a viola da gamba. This is in contrast to the present day, where the bassist is in charge of tuning purely based on their left hand finger placement due to a lack of frets. [14] Another factor that makes playing Classical-era concerti more difficult on a modern instrument is the tuning. Many concerti from the late 18th century from the Vienna region were intended for a bass tuned (low to high) D1/F1-A1-D2-F♯2-A2 for a five-string bass. Four-string basses would omit the lowest string. This tuning used a D major arpeggio for the top four strings (or all the strings on a four-string bass), and this is the reason many concerti from this period are in that key. Some concerti are, however, in E♭, E, or even F major. In these situations, the bassist would tune the strings as needed, raising the pitch by as much as a minor third, possible due to the lower-tension gut strings from that period. The result was better balance: the other string instruments would have a duller, less resonant sound in E♭ major, while the bassist, reading a transposed part in D major, would have a more resonant tuning and the bass would project better. [15] Certain passages from that time included fast arpeggios, which were relatively easy to execute with Viennese tuning. However, now that basses are tuned in fourths, (low to high) E1-A1-D2-G2, many of these Classical-era concerti are difficult to play. Dittersdorf's Concerto No. 2 (pictured at right) is an example of this. That passage could be played with a bass in Viennese tuning using only open strings and harmonics. In standard tuning, it is much harder to play, and can be executed in several different ways, each way having major challenges for either the left or right hand. [16]

Haydn's Lost Double Bass Concerto

The only surviving parts of Haydn’s missing double bass concerto are the first two measures. It is assumed that this concerto dates back around 1763, [5] around 2 years after Haydn was hired as a full-time composer for the Prince’s Orchestra. [5] Haydn wrote it specifically for the second bassoonist that also played double bass in the orchestra, Johann Georg Schwenda. Typical to the time, this concerto was written in D major, [5] for Viennese-tuned double basses. Sam Suggs, a double bassist and composer, took the first two measures Haydn wrote and completed the rest of the piece in the style of Haydn. He calls it Haydn [Re]Creation: Reviving the Lost Concerto. He took the small melody Haydn wrote and made different permutations throughout the three movements. Suggs has not yet published this work, but performed it at the International Society of Bassists Convention in 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Selected list

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical period (music)</span> Era of classical music (c. 1730–1820)

The Classical period was an era of classical music between roughly 1750 and 1820.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cello</span> Bowed string instrument

The cello ( CHEL-oh), or violoncello ( VY-ə-lən-CHEL-oh, Italian pronunciation:[vjolonˈtʃɛllo]), is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 and A3. The viola's four strings are each an octave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef, with tenor clef, and treble clef used for higher-range passages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double bass</span> Bowed string instrument

The double bass, also known as the upright bass for distinguishing purposes, or simply as the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched chordophone, in the modern symphony orchestra. Similar in structure to the cello, it has four or five strings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandolin</span> Musical instrument in the lute family

A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of eight strings. A variety of string types are used, with steel strings being the most common and usually the least expensive. The courses are typically tuned in an interval of perfect fifths, with the same tuning as a violin. Also, like the violin, it is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viola</span> Bowed string instrument

The viola ( vee-OH-lə, Italian:[ˈvjɔːla,viˈɔːla]) is a string instrument that is usually bowed or plucked. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin (which is tuned a perfect fifth higher) and the cello (which is tuned an octave lower). The strings from low to high are typically tuned to C3, G3, D4, and A4.

A concerto is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typical three-movement structure, a slow movement preceded and followed by fast movements, became a standard from the early 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String orchestra</span> Musical ensemble

A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first and second violin players, the viola, the cello, and usually, but not always, the double bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domenico Dragonetti</span> Musical artist

Domenico Carlo Maria Dragonetti was an Italian double bass virtuoso and composer with a 3 string double bass. He stayed for thirty years in his hometown of Venice, Italy and worked at the Opera Buffa, at the Chapel of San Marco and at the Grand Opera in Vicenza. By that time he had become notable throughout Europe and had turned down several opportunities, including offers from the Tsar of Russia. In 1794, he finally moved to London to play in the orchestra of the King's Theatre, and settled there for the remainder of his life. In fifty years, he became a prominent figure in the musical events of the English capital, performing at the concerts of the Philharmonic Society of London as well as in more private events, where he would meet the most influential persons in the country, like the Prince Consort and the Duke of Leinster. He was acquainted with composers Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he visited on several occasions in Vienna, and to whom he showed the possibilities of the double bass as a solo instrument. His ability on the instrument also demonstrated the relevance of writing scores for the double bass in the orchestra separate from that of the cello, which was the common rule at the time. He is also remembered today for the Dragonetti bow, which he developed throughout his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Bottesini</span> Italian composer

Giovanni Bottesini was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso.

Scordatura is a tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual chords or timbre, or to make certain passages easier to play. It is common to notate the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch resulting is altered. When all the strings are tuned by the same interval up or down, as in the case of the viola in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, the part is transposed as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf</span> Austrian composer (1739-1799)

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf was an Austrian composer, violinist, and silvologist. He was a friend of both Haydn and Mozart.

A harpsichord concerto is a piece of music for an orchestra with the harpsichord in a solo role. Sometimes these works are played on the modern piano. For a period in the late 18th century, Joseph Haydn and Thomas Arne wrote concertos that could be played interchangeably on harpsichord, fortepiano, and pipe organ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarinet concerto</span> Musical composition for solo clarinet

A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble. Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly the earliest known concerto for solo clarinet; its score appears to be titled "Concerto per il Clareto" and may date from 1733. It may, however, be intended for soprano chalumeau. There are earlier concerti grossi with concertino clarinet parts including two by Johann Valentin Rathgeber, published in 1728.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Anton Hoffmeister</span> Austrian Composer

Franz Anton Hoffmeister was an Austrian composer and music publisher.

D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. The D major scale is:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violone</span>

The term violone can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument. In modern parlance, one usually tries to clarify the 'type' of violone by adding a qualifier based on the tuning or on geography, or by using other terms that have a more precise connotation. The term violone may be used correctly to describe many different instruments, yet distinguishing among these types can be difficult, especially for those not familiar with the historical instruments of the viol and violin families and their respective variations in tuning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violin Concerto No. 1 (Paganini)</span>

The Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6, was composed by Niccolò Paganini and dates from the mid-to-late 1810s. It was premiered in Naples, Italy on the 31st of March 1819.

An organ concerto is an orchestral piece of music in which a pipe organ soloist is accompanied by an an orchestra, although some works exist with the name "concerto" which are for organ alone.

References

  1. Segerman, Ephraim; Abott, Djilda (April 1982). "Comm. 413: New Developments in Making Thick All-Gut Bass Strings". FoMRHI Quarterly. 27: 36 via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.
  2. Brun, Paul (2000). A new history of the double bass. Villeneuve d'Ascq: P. Brun Productions. ISBN   2-9514461-0-1. OCLC   49284380.
  3. Weitzel, Patricia (September–October 2020). "SONG FOR THE SINGING BASS: Andrés Martín's Concerto for Double Bass Showcases the Instrument's Beautiful Voice". Strings. 34 (296): 68–69 via Music Index.
  4. Connor, Herbert (1978). "Eduard Tubin - Estonian, Swede, cosmopolitan" (PDF). Swedish Journal of Musicology. 60 (1): 80 via RILM Abstract of Music Literature.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Morton, Joëlle (1998). "Haydn's Missing Double Bass Concerto". Bass World. 22 (3): 26–34, 37–38 via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.
  6. Ruiz, Edicson (October 2018). "Dittersdorf Double Bass Concerto K172". Strad. 129: 82–85 via MasterFILE Premier.
  7. Palmer, Fiona (1997). Domenico Dragonetti in England (1794-1846): The Career of a Double Bass Virtuoso. Oxford New York: Clarendon Press Oxford University Press. p. 63. ISBN   0-19-816591-9.
  8. 1 2 Boyder, Christopher Ira (2015). Giovanni Bottesini Double Bass Concerto No 2: A Performance Guide. CreateSpace Independent. ISBN   978-1-5171-3752-6.
  9. Bachmann, Werner; Seletsky, Robert E.; Boyden, David D.; Liivoja-Lorius, Jaak; Walls, Peter; Cooke, Peter (2001). Bow. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03753. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.
  10. Simandl, Franz (1904). New Method for the Double Bass (English and German). Carl Fischer, Inc.
  11. Borém, Fausto (1996). "A Brief History of Double Bass Transcription". Bass World. 21 (2): 8, 11–12, 15–16 via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.
  12. Fanelli, Michael (November 2008). "A List of Self Discovery and Passion for the Double Bass and Teaching". American String Teacher. 58 (4): 30–35. doi:10.1177/000313130805800405. S2CID   191655132 via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.
  13. McClowry, Sean (June–September 2002). "Winding up (survey of manufacturers of gut, pizzicato and steel/synthetic core strings)". Bass World. 26: 18–19 via Music Index.
  14. Chapman, David (June 2003). "Historical and practical considerations for the tuning of double bass instruments in fourths". The Galpin Society Journal. 56: 224–233 via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature.
  15. Le Compte, Korneel (2020). Meta Hodos: The Viennese Violone: A Personal Journey and Method.
  16. Bosch, Leon (September 2014). "Dittersdorf's Double Bass Concerto no.2 - first movement". Strad. 125: 77–83 via MasterFILE Premier.
  17. https://meinenoten.notenlink-shop.de/denis-grotsky-concerto-827862
  18. E., Zayas, Nestor (2010). The most significant concertos for double bass written since 1970 : reviews and performance approaches. OCLC   793231663.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)