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Double Bass Passione Amorosa

M

mcnaire2004

Jan 17, 2006
1,081
6
everywhere
#1
In a few months I'm going to start rehearsing Passione Amorosa with a cellist for next years concerto competition (I'm going to do Bottesini No. 2 again and hopefully finish higher than 3rd so I can perform).

How am I going to deal with the solo tuning issue's and which part do cellist usualy play? I'm not going to hit this for a while but I'd like to know what part we should be practicing.

Thanks for any help you guy's can provide.
 
#4
mcnaire2004 said:
I'm not talking about for me I'm talking about for the cello. It was written for 2 basses.
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Yeah, aren't you going to have to transpose the cello part up a whole step?

and Honestly if I had to do it with a cellist I would ask him to try and match octaves with me, and bring anything he could an octave down, because the piece really was meant for 2 basses, and sounds great that way.
 
#6
mcnaire2004 said:
I hope not. Do they make solo cello strings? B-E-A-D? Or is there a version written for this? That you know of?

I don't want to come off lazy but I'll try to avoid transposing anything if I can.
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According to my knowledge and a quick google search, there is no solo tuning for cello.
 
#14
I can't really imagine the piece played by a bass and cello as I've only heard it with two basses. Is there a version for bass and cello I don't know about, or is this actually done? Also, there is no solo tuning for cello, or solo strings for cello. If you talk to a cellist about solo tuning and having to change strings to play solos they'll look at you like your crazy. Cellos stay tuned in fifths for most music. I've performed the piece many times and know it very well. I'm not sure how you would play it up an octave, it would probably be best if the cellist played it down a minor seventh in order to match your octave and tuning. The piece has so many natural harmonics only found on the bass so it doesn't seem like it would work well on cello, but I'd be interested to know how it works out.
 
#15
dansolobass said:
I can't really imagine the piece played by a bass and cello as I've only heard it with two basses. Is there a version for bass and cello I don't know about, or is this actually done? Also, there is no solo tuning for cello, or solo strings for cello. If you talk to a cellist about solo tuning and having to change strings to play solos they'll look at you like your crazy. Cellos stay tuned in fifths for most music. I've performed the piece many times and know it very well. I'm not sure how you would play it up an octave, it would probably be best if the cellist played it down a minor seventh in order to match your octave and tuning. The piece has so many natural harmonics only found on the bass so it doesn't seem like it would work well on cello, but I'd be interested to know how it works out.
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We are playing the second movement. I'm playing top for the harmocics and she is playing bottom. I've heard about it being played with cello a few times. I believe Thomas Martin plays his with a cello on his CD.

Is it safe to have a light gage cello strings tuned up a whole step? (BEAD) It's still a fifth Dan.
 
#16
The second movement should work easily with cello. I'm not sure if any cellist would want to tune up their strings for fear of damaging them but I suppose you'd have to check with the one you're playing with. Transposing the second movement down a minor seventh shouldn't be too hard since there is less activity. I would opt for that choice. I wasn't aware of anyone playing it with cello instead of bass. The only recording I have of Tom Martin playing is with 2 basses. Good luck with the concerto competition!
 
#17
mcnaire2004 said:
I believe Thomas Martin plays his with a cello on his CD.

Is it safe to have a light gage cello strings tuned up a whole step? (BEAD) It's still a fifth Dan.
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No, his CD has Franco Petracchi on double bass.

And tuning a cello up a step is a stupid idea. Why are you so opposed to transposing the cello part? It's easier to do that than to risk breaking something on the cello. It will also sound better.

If you put the cello part up a step, you would still have to transpose the part down an octave.
 
#18
Besides everything said, there is an actual piece written by Bottesini for cello and bass "Duo Concertant sur les themes des Puritains" which is an expansion of the "Fantasia I Puritani"

And he played this in London with Piatti with another tuning (the lowest note was a B and the other were probably F# and C#) anyway... it is one of the wonders of the unknown repertoire! :crying:
 
#19
It's been played by people in the Berlin phil on bass and cello, and it works nicely. Not as nicely as two basses, however.
What doesn't work nicely is your crazy idea to tune someones cello up a whole step. You're either going to have to not use solo strings, or transpose. It's not very long, you can do it.
 
#20
If you hand the cellist both parts for a week, and ask him to find out whether it will be easier in A or G for him, then you know which part you have to transpose. Also, since both parts are originally for bass, let the cellist choose the easier one for him. Unfortunately, you will still have to transpose either the cellist's part or the piano part.
 

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