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Double Bass Eccles Vibrato

R

Rob Sleeper

Oct 13, 2005
230
0
36
Chicago
#1
What do you guys about using vibrato in the 1st mvt of the Eccles Sonata? Should I or should I not vibrate the notes. Edagar Meyer hardly uses any. Is it stylistically appropriate? But I don't want to sound like a Romantic peice.
Thanks,
Rob
 
#2
I think that's a personal choice. What do you think sounds good? I'm sure that someone will give you a "technical" answer about what historically is done or something like that, but, you know, it goes both ways, so whatever floats your boat I suppose.
 
#3
Here's a tip: Don't use Edgar's recordings as a basis of your own interpretations. They're great fun to listen to, but I think, in general, they don't make very good fodder for your own ideas. It always justs ends up sounding like an Edgar wannabe.

When I play the Eccles, I use plenty of vibrato. It seems like it should be sung. The vibrato shouldn't be ridiculously abundant, but it should be present.
 
#5
Just because it's baroque doesn't mean that vibrato isn't ok. The fact is that the first movement of Eccles sounds really lovely when tastefully vibrated.

Honestly, how many people actually play Baroque pieces in a "period" style? It's already being transcribed for the "wrong" instrument. Who are we trying to fool?
 
#6
i agree with paul, in my opinion vibrato can be very effective in this piece. maybe try and listen to some other recordings? entcho radanoukov has a really nice version if you can get you hands on it. he plays it quite differently than edagar meyer. for me, i'm not too keen on meyers way of playing this, at least on the recording i have of him with bela fleck (music for two). but that's just opinion.
 
#9
This may be an extension of my jazz sensibilities, but I tend to favor the musician injecting aspects of his or her own personality into the music, whether its baroque or bebop.

Edgar does this, and given his background, musical tastes, etc, it's easy to understand why he prefers to play the Eccles with little vibrato. (BTW, he plays the first repeat nearly entirely on the D string, I suppose for the darker color).

I've never heard Gary Karr's version, but I would imagine he uses a lot of the gorgeous vibrato and singing tone he's famous for.

Each approach, in my opinion, is valid. A definition of an artist might be someone who takes the information, processes it, and spits it back out with his or her own unique and, hopefully, beautiful stamp on it.
 
#10
I use it to accent the high points in the phrases. The first note of the opening I do without, then the second note (The Bb) I start without and then slowly put some onto it. It works really good if you use it with the swells of the dynamics. The climactic phrase (C C C Bb A Bb C D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C Bb...etc) I think sounds good drowned in heavy vibrato, it makes a really good contrast to the rest of the piece and helps clarify that this is, without any doubt, the high point of the piece. God, the Eccles sonata rocks. Makes me want to just get out there and start a mosh pit.
 
#14
I like Morton's recording of the 4th movement. I like his slower tempo in contrast to the traditional too-fast-to-hear tempo everyone prefers to take these days. You can really dance to it, and the 4th movement was originally supposed to be a kind of jig.

However, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I actually like Edgar's interpretation. I prefer his slow almost inaudible (and often absent) vibrato in pretty much everything he does.

Also, Gary's recording is old, and therefor hard to find, but he changes a few notes in the last movement making one particular passage incredibly difficult.

I don't think it's really fair to compare them, since they each play with such a unique style, but if I had to choose, I would say Edgar's sounds the most beautiful to me.
 
#15
JayR said:
Yeah Mark Morton's recording is really nice. Especially like how he plays the 2nd mvt. And everyone should own that CD because it has the only recording of the Capuzzi Concerto known to man and God.
Click to expand...

Buccarella recorded the Capuzzi with I Musici that's on an old Philips double LP. Additionally, there's recordings by Drew and Reinke. Combined with Morton's, there's four.
 
#16
"I like Morton's recording of the 4th movement. I like his slower tempo in contrast to the traditional too-fast-to-hear tempo everyone prefers to take these days. You can really dance to it, and the 4th movement was originally supposed to be a kind of jig."
That brought back a memory! When I was doing it for Rudolph Fashbender at Northwestern, I was trying too hard and he started to dance aroiund the room - he said, "It's a dance - dance to it!"
Tom Gale
 
#18
I've got a recording by Joel Quarrington. The vibrato's a little much, but it works.

I really like Edgar's stuff, don't get me wrong. It fits him perfectly. I'm just saying it usually just doesn't make a very good basis for your own understanding of a piece. Also, I have never heard his Eccles recording. I'm just assuming it sounds like most everything else he's recorded.
 

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