Contemporary classical double bass players are performers who play the double bass, the largest and lowest-pitched

bowed Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by a bow rubbing the strings. The bow rubbing the string causes vibration which the instrument emits as sound. Despite the numerous specialist studies devoted to th ...

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

. They perform European art music ranging from

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

suites and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

-era Classical pieces to contemporary and avant-garde works in a variety of settings, ranging from huge

symphony 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, ce ...

s to small chamber groups, or as soloists. Historical double bassists such as Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1846) and

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 ...

(1821–1889) established a tradition for playing the instrument that was carried on in the 20th and 21st century with a number of double bass players. Gary karr

Some of the most influential contemporary classical double bass players are known as much for their contributions to pedagogy as for their performing skills, such as US bassist

Oscar Zimmerman Oscar G. Zimmerman (September 21, 1910 – April 2, 1987) was an American musician, teacher and double-bass player. Life and career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1910, Oscar Zimmerman was the double bassist with the Rochester Philhar ...

(1910–1987), known for his teaching at the Eastman School of Music and, for 44 summers at the Interlochen Music Camp in Michigan and French-Syrian bassist François Rabbath (born 1931), who developed a new bass method which divided the entire fingerboard into six positions. Bassists noted for their virtuoso solo skills include US player Gary Karr (born 1941) and Finnish bassist-composer Teppo Hauta-Aho (1941–2021). This is a list of notable professional classical double bass players, including orchestral performers, soloists, chamber musicians, and teachers.

Historical

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 Austria ...

(1750–1812) composer * Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1846) composer, conductor *

(1821–1889) composer, conductor * Franz Simandl (1840–1912) composer * Edouard Nanny (1872–1943) composer *

Serge Koussevitzky 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 Koussevit ...

(1874–1951) composer, conductor

North America

Edwin Barker Edwin Barker is an American double bass player who graduated from the New England Conservatory. He is Principal Double Bass with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor of Music at Boston University College of Fine Arts. Career ...

Jeff Bradetich Jeffrey David Bradetich (born 1957) is an Americans, American professor and performer of double bass. He currently teaches at the University of North Texas College of Music. Bradetich made his New York City debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall (now ...

Bruce Bransby Bruce Bransby is an American double-bassist and university professor. Performance career Bruce Bransby began his musical career as a trombonist and pianist, but discovered his calling as a double bassist while in college at California State Un ...

Maximilian Dimoff Maximilian Dimoff (born June 23, 1968) has been the principal bassist of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1997. Career He has appeared with the orchestra at their summer venue, the Blossom Festival, performing Koussevitsky's Concerto for Double Bass. ...

* Timothy Cobb * David Currie * Mark Dresser * Paul Ellison *

Diana Gannett Diana Gannett is an American classical double bassist and educator, Professor Emeritus of Double Bass at the University of Michigan School of Music. Career Previous appointments include the faculties of Yale University School of Music, Theatre & D ...

John Geggie John Geggie is an Ottawa-based Canadian bassist (double bass) who performs jazz with several Ottawa-based groups and performers.Larry Gray Larry Gray is a Chicago musician known for his compositions and skill on the double bass and cello. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh.University of Il ...

* Barry Green * Mark Morton * Gary Karr *

Albert Laszlo Albert Laszlo was formerly the principal bass of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, formerly faculty of the Juilliard School College and Pre-College Divisions as well as the College-Conservatory of Music (University of Cincinnati), and is currently f ...

Eugene Levinson Eugene Levinson is the former principal double bassist of the New York Philharmonic and teaches at the Juilliard School. Career According to the New Method for Double Bass (Carl Fischer edition), Levinson, who was born in Kiev, began to study mu ...

* Salvatore Macchia *

Jeremy McCoy Jeremy McCoy (born January 19, 1978) is an American bass guitar player, known for playing on the road and in the studio with several artists around the world. Beginning career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Jeremy spent his childhood and youth i ...

Linda McKnight Linda McKnight is a double bassist particularly known for her teaching and solo performances. She is part of the music faculties at Manhattan School of Music, Columbia University, New York University, Columbia Teachers College, and Montclair State ...

* Homer Mensch * Edgar Meyer * Orin O'Brien *

Donald Palma Donald Palma is a prominent classical double bassist, conductor, bass instructor, and educator of ensemble performance. He is a native of New York City, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School. Palma studied with several noted bassists including ...

* Scott Pingel * Frank Proto * Joel Quarrington * Hal Robinson * Stuart Sankey *

Karl E. H. Seigfried Karl E. H. Seigfried is a German–American jazz, rock, and classical bassist, guitarist, composer, bandleader, writer and educator based in Chicago. Seigfried has performed and taught on the double bass "in virtually all musical styles – ...

* Peter Seymour * Dennis Trembly * Bertram Turetzky *

Frederick Zimmermann Frederick Zimmermann (May 18, 1906 – August 3, 1967) was an American double bassist and teacher. He played in the New York Philharmonic from 1930 to 1966 and taught at the Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Columbia University, Manhatt ...

* Oscar G. Zimmerman * Trevor Dunn *

Monica Witni Monica Witni Cassin ( Bowden; July 5, 1918 – September 7, 1982) was an American composer, pianist, playwright, and double bass player. She published music under the names Monica Witni, Monica Witni Cassin, and under the pseudonym Mirriam Bowden H ...

Europe

Leon Bosch Leon Bosch is a double bassist known for his expressive bel canto style.http://www.nac-cna.ca/en/news/viewnews.cfm?ID=749&cat=catNACO. He was principal double bass of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields,http://www.leonbosch.co.uk/article02.pd ...

* Gavin Bryars * Jurek Dybal *

Gerald Drucker Gerald Drucker (5 August 1925 – 19 March 2010) was a British classical double bass player, photographer and double bass teacher. Principal Double Bass at the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, an ...

* Renaud Garcia-Fons * Heinz Karl Gruber * Teppo Hauta-Aho * Rinat Ibragimov *

Jorma Katrama Jorma Kalevi Katrama (5 June 1936 – 2 January 2022) was a Finnish instrumentalist who specialized in violin and double bass. Katrama died on 2 January 2022, at the age of 85. Solo albums *Contrabasso con amore FINLANDIA RECORDS (Warner) 450 ...

* Joëlle Léandre * Uxía Martínez Botana * Duncan McTier * Chi-chi Nwanoku *

Franco Petracchi Franco Petracchi (born September, 1937) is an Italian double bass soloist and teacher. He is a native of Pistoia, Tuscany, and the author of ''Simplified Higher Technique''. In his method, he introduces some conventions to playing in the thumb-pos ...

* François Rabbath * Jean-Pierre Robert *

Edicson Ruiz Edicson Ruiz Bioeng (born 11 May 1985 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan double-bass player. At age 17, Ruiz became the youngest member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the second in the Philharmonic history after a harp player in the 1 ...

* Rodney Slatford * Allan von Schenkel *

Ludwig Streicher Ludwig Streicher (26 June 1920 – 11 March 2003) was a contrabassist from Vienna, Austria. Familiar to many as the former principal bass of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and bass soloist, he is also known as an instructor and as the author ...

* Joris Vanvinckenroye *

Rainer Zepperitz Rainer Zepperitz (August 25, 1930 - December 23, 2009) was a German double bassist. Background Zepperitz was born in Bandung (Java). In his childhood he first learned the violin before moving to the relocation of his family to Germany at the D� ...

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South America

Asia

Mikyung Sung Mikyung Sung (Korean Language, Korean: , sometimes spelled Mikyung Soung, born September 1, 1993 in Seoul, South Korea) is a classical double bass player. Education Born into a musical family, Mikyung Sung first studied piano and cello, then sta ...

Historical

North America

Europe

South America

Asia

See also