A double bass concerto is a notated musical composition, usually in three parts or movements (see concerto), for a solo

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

accompanied by an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. 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 In music, a reduction is an arrangement or transcription of an existing score or composition in which complexity is lessened to make analysis, performance, or practice easier or clearer; the number of parts may be reduced or rhythm may be si ...

(the orchestra parts arranged for piano).

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. It was around 1650 that the overwound gut string was invented. 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 and Eduard Tubin 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 Johannes Matthias Sperger, also often Johann, ( Czech: Jan Matyáš Sperger; 23 March 1750 – 13 May 1812) was an Austrian double bassist and composer. Sperger was born in Feldsberg,At the time of his birth, Feldsberg was part of Lower Austr ...

, wrote eighteen double bass concertos. Double Bass concerti were also written by

Johann Baptist Wanhal Johann Baptist Wanhal (12 May 1739 – 20 August 1813) was a Czech classical music composer. He was born in Nechanice, Bohemia, and died in Vienna. His music was well respected by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert. He was an instrument ...

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (2 November 1739 – 24 October 1799) was an Austrian composer, violinist, and silvologist. He was a friend of both Haydn and Mozart. (webpage has a translation button) Life 1739–1764 Dittersdorf was born in ...

, and

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

, although Haydn's has since been lost.

Michel Corrette Michel Corrette (10 April 1707 – 21 January 1795) was a French composer, organist and author of musical method books. Life Corrette was born in Rouen, Normandy. His father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Little is known o ...

changed the tuning of the double bass in 1773. Before this, double basses were tuned in thirds, known as Viennese-style tuning. 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. Further Development

Giovanni Bottesini Giovanni Bottesini (22 December 1821 – 7 July 1889) was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso. Biography Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist ...

, 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". 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. The Dragonetti-style bow is similar to the modern-day German bow and the Bottesini bow is the modern French bow. 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 Franz Simandl (August 1, 1840 – December 15, 1912) was a Czech double-bassist and pedagogue most remembered for his book ''New Method for the Double Bass,'' known as the "Simandl book", which is to this day used as a standard study of double ...

, who devoted himself to the technique and teaching of double bass and left behind a number of works. 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. The development from the 20th century to the modern age Synthetic strings have gained a lot of popularity in the last 50 years. 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. Dittersdorf Double Bass Concerto no

Double basses have changed since the 18th century, when the concerti by Vanhal, 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 The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch ...

. 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. 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. 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.

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, around 2 years after Haydn was hired as a full-time composer for the Prince’s Orchestra. 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, 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 ereation: 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

(1739-1799) ** Concerto in E♭ major ** Concerto No. 2 in E Major *

(1750~1812) ** Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 3 in B-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 4 in F major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 7 in A major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 8 in E-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 10 in E-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 11 in B-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 15 in D major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 17 in B-flat major ** Double Bass Concerto No. 18 in C minor * Franz Anton Hoffmeister 1754-1812 ** Concerto No. 1 in D major ** Concerto No. 2 in D major ** Concerto No. 3 in D major * Antonio Capuzzi ** Concerto in D (F) major * Domenico Dragonetti ** Concerto in G major, D. 290 ** Concerto in D dur ** Concerto in A major No. 3 ** Concerto in A major No. 5 ** Concerto in A major (Nanny) *

(1821–1889) ** Gran Concerto in F♯ minor ** Concerto No. 2 in B minor ** Concerto No. 3 in A major (concerto di bravura) *

Serge Koussevitsky Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling " Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevi ...

** Concerto in F♯ minor, Op. 3 (1902) * Mauricio Annunziata ** Concerto No. 1 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Argentino", Op. 123 ** Concerto No. 2 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Afroargentino", Op. 125 ** Concerto No. 3 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Porteño", Op. 129 ** Concerto No. 4 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Popular", Op. 135 ** Concerto No. 5 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Andino", Op. 141 ** Sinfonia Concerto for Double Bass, Piano and Orchestra, Op. 137 * Georgi Conus ** Concerto in h moll, Op. 29 (1910) * Edouard Nanny ** Concerto in E minor *

Nikos Skalkottas Nikos Skalkottas ( el, Νίκος Σκαλκώτας; 21 March 1904 – 19 September 1949) was a Greek composer of 20th-century classical music. A member of the Second Viennese School, he drew his influences from both the classical repert ...

** Double Bass Concerto (1942) *

Eduard Tubin Eduard Tubin ( – 17 November 1982) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and choreographer. Life Tubin was born in Torila, Tartu County, Governorate of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Both his parents were music lovers, and his fa ...

** Double Bass Concerto (1948) * Stefan Boleslaw Poradowski ** Double Bass Concerto (1929) * Andrzej Cwojdziński ** Concerto (1959) * Serge Lancen ** Concerto pur contrebasse et cordes *

Anatoly Bogatyrev Anatoly Vasilyevich Bogatyrev ( be, Анатоль Васільевіч Багатыроў, russian: Анатолий Васильевич Богатырё́в; – 19 September 2003) was a Soviet and Belarusian composer and music teacher, seen ...

** Double bass concerto (1964) * Aldemaro Romero ** Concierto risueño (2006) *

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

** Double Bass Concerto (1966) *

Virgilio Mortari Virgilio Mortari (December 6, 1902 – September 5, 1993) was an Italian composer and teacher. Biography Mortari was born in Passirana di Lainate, near Milan in 1902. He studied at the Milan Conservatory with Costante Adolfo Bossi and Ildebrando ...

** Concerto per Franco Petracchi *

Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Vis ...

** Divertimento Concertante for double bass and orchestra (1968–1973) * Johann Baptist Vanhal ** Concerto in E♭ major (pub. 1969) *

Gordon Jacob Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob CBE (5 July 18958 June 1984) was an English composer and teacher. He was a professor at the Royal College of Music in London from 1924 until his retirement in 1966, and published four books and many articles about ...

** Concerto for Double Bass (1972) * Friedrich Schenker ** Double Bass Concerto (1973) *

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encoura ...

** Concerto for double bass and orchestra (1974) *

Einojuhani Rautavaara Einojuhani Rautavaara (; 9 October 1928 – 27 July 2016) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. Th ...

** Angel of Dusk, concerto for double bass and orchestra (1980) *

Wilfred Josephs Wilfred Josephs (24 July 1927 – 17 November 1997) was an English composer. Life Born in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, the fourth and youngest son of Russian and South Shields Jewish parents, Wilfred Josephs had his first musical studies in Ne ...

** Double Bass Concerto Op. 118 (1980) *

Jiří Hudec Jiří Hudec (born 15 August 1964) is a retired male track and field athlete from the Czech Republic who competed in the 110 metres hurdles. He won three medals at the European Athletics Indoor Championships, representing Czechoslovakia before it ...

** Burleska for double bass and orchestra (1981) *

Juliusz Łuciuk Juliusz is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Juliusz Bardach (1914–2010), Polish legal historian * Juliusz Bursche (1862–1942), bishop of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland *Juliusz Bogdan Deczkowski (1924–1998), no ...

** Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1986) *

Kurt Schwertsik Kurt Schwertsik (born 25 June 1935) is an Austrian contemporary composer. He is known for creating the "Third Viennese School" and spreading contemporary classical music. Life Schwertsik was born in Vienna. A pupil of Joseph Marx and Karl Schiske ...

** Double Bass Concerto Op. 56 (1989) * Gennady Lyashenko ** Concerto for Double bass and chamber orchestra (1989) *

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Mus ...

** Strathclyde Concerto No. 7 for Double Bass and Orchestra (1992) *

Harald Genzmer Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrada ...

** Concerto for Kontrabass and String Orchestra (1996) * Raymond Luedeke ** Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1997) *

Ståle Kleiberg Ståle Kleiberg (born 8 March 1958) is a contemporary classical composer and musicology, musicologist from Norway. Biography Kleiberg was born in Stavanger in 1958. He graduated from the University of Oslo with a degree in musicology and later f ...

** Double bass Concerto (1999) *

Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer (born November 24, 1960) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. He has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. Meyer is a member of the Telluride Bluegras ...

** Concerto in D for Double Bass and Orchestra (2002) * Robin Holloway ** Concerto for Double Bass and Small Orchestra Op. 83 (2002) *

Kalevi Aho Kalevi Ensio Aho (born 9 March 1949) is a Finnish composer. Early years Aho began his interest in music at the age of ten, when he discovered a mandolin in his home and began to teach himself how to play it. He soon was taken under the tutelag ...

** Double Bass Concerto (2005) *

Anthony Ritchie Anthony Damian Ritchie (born 18 September 1960) is a New Zealand composer and academic. He has been a freelance composer accepting commissions for works and in 2018 he became professor of composition at The University of Otago after 18 years ...

** Whalesong (2006) * Katarzyna Brochocka ** Double Bass concerto (2007) *

Dai Fujikura Dai Fujikura ( ja, 藤倉大 ''Fujikura Dai''; born 27 April 1977) is a Japanese-born composer of contemporary classical music. Biography Dai Fujikura was born in 1977 in Osaka, Japan. He moved to London when he was 15 to study at Dover Coll ...

** Double Bass Concerto (2010) * Rolf Martinsson ** Double Bass Concerto * Andrés Martín ** Double Bass concerto (2012) *

Edward Kravchuk Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

** Concerto for Double Bass, Drum set, Piano and Strings (2014) * Thomas Goss ** Double Bass Concerto in E Minor * Behzad Ranjbaran ** Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (2018) *

Arda Ardaşes Agoşyan Arda or ARDA may refer to: Places * Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece *Arda (Italy), a river in Italy *Arda (Douro), a river in Portugal *Arda, Bulgaria, a village in southern Bulgaria * Arda, County Fermanagh, a townland in County F ...

** Concerto for Double Bass and a cappella choir (Romeo and Juliet) *

Pere Valls i Duran Pere may refer to: *Pere, Hungary, a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county * Rangimārie Te Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pere (1937–2020), Māori New Zealand educationalist and spiritual leader *Wi Pere (1837–1915), a Māori Member of Parliament i ...

** Gran Concert Obligat * Fredrik Högberg ** "Hitting the First Base" Concerto for Double Bass and Strings * Wenzel Pichl ** Concerto in D major *

Missy Mazzoli Missy Mazzoli (born October 27, 1980) is an American composer and pianist who is a member of the composition faculty at the Mannes College of Music. She has received critical acclaim for her chamber, orchestral and operatic work. In 2018 she becam ...

** Dark with Excessive Bright (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Double Bass Concerto Concertos