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Double Bass Reccomend me some..

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Pastorius43

Jan 16, 2006
30
0
Columbus, Ohio
#1
Classical music:) I've just been getting into it pretty recently, I don't know too much about it. I've just heard of Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden, Bach, and a few others. I'd also like some reccomendations on Double Bass repituar(sp) like concetos for double bass,works focusing on double bass, etc. Also, some must have classical recordings, string quartets, anything really...


Thanks:)
 
#2
Well, if you like reading, you should go to your local library and check out one of those introduction to classical music type books. I wouldn't know where to begin in answering your question.

I personally really love Shostakovich. Try listening to his 5th Symphony, 8th String Quartet, first Violin Concerto and first Cello Concerto.
 
#4
PaulCannon said:
Well, if you like reading, you should go to your local library and check out one of those introduction to classical music type books. I wouldn't know where to begin in answering your question.

I personally really love Shostakovich. Try listening to his 5th Symphony, 8th String Quartet, first Violin Concerto and first Cello Concerto.
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I'll look into getting one of those today. I'll see if they have any of Shostakovich's stuff at the library too.

Thanks :)
 
#5
While you're at it, look for some of these. These are pretty much standard Bass Audition repetoir

Orchestral Solos:
Mahler, Symphony No.
Prokofiev, Lt. Kije Suite
Ginastera, Variaciones Concertante
Haydn, Symphony No. 31
Stravinsky, Pulcinella

Orchestral Literature:
Bach, Suite No. 2, Double and Badinerie
Bach, Violin Concerto In E major
Mozart, Symphony No. 40
Mozart, Symphony No. 39
Haydn, Symphony No. 88
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5
Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
Brahms, Symphony No. 2
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5
Mahler, Symphony No. 5
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben
Strauss, Don Juan
 
#8
I'm personally a 20th century music junky. Try out some Ligeti (Lotano, Chamber Concerto). Stravinsky's Right of Spring or Firebird. George Crumb's Black Angels, Ancient Voices of Children, and Vox Balaenae are some of my favourites. Steve Reich's Drumming and Music for 18 are great. Also try some Schoenberg, Hindemith, Holst, Cage...


But those are my choices, at any rate. The classics are always great. Try Mahler 1, 4 and 8. (All of his are great, but I'm a bit partial to these).
 
#13
ClassicalBass said:
You should check out Elgar. As far as Concertos go, you can find (maybe online) Gary Karr's Virtuoso Contrabass Concerto cd. Also, anything with Edgar Meyer's name on it is guaranteed to be incredible. And Bottesini wrote a lot of great solo literature for the bass, check him out.
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Yeah, I love Edgar. Without him i wouldn't be playing double bass today. Thanks for reccomending Gary Karr. I looked him up, wow, his tone is amazing.
 
#16
I would suggest listening beyond great bass music. After all just because we are bass players doesn't mean that we should only listen to bass music.

Every symphony Mahler ever wrote (in my mind) is incredible. I especially enjoy his 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th.

I really enjoy Strauss. His tone poems are amazing. Don Juan, Don Quixote, Hamlet, etc.

Check out some Tchaikovsky. His 6 symphonies are great and are so incredible to listen to because there are movements and pieces for no matter what mood you are in, and his first movement usually consist of these absolutely amazing off beat waltzes.

Check out some violin music. Tchaikovsky Concerto is great, as well as Elgar, Dvorak, Shostakovich, Beethoven, and probably the most perfect of all time - Mendelssohn (his symphonies are great too).

Get some piano music too! Lizst wrote some amazing pieces. Also the Saint-Saens piano concerto is another incredible concerto. Chopin waltzes and Rachmaminoff's piano concertos are great.

I think this is a good place to start.

P.S. Of course the obvious that have been mentioned like the last Mozart symphonies (35-41) and all the Beethoven symphonies.
 
#18
Of course, Beethoven's 9th Symphony is pretty important in bass literature because of that exposed Chorale soli section in the beginning. That would be something good to look at, since it shows up in a lot of orchestral auditions and stuff like that.

Also, I think someone mentioned the Mahler frere' jaques bass solo? Biggest musical joke of all time.....take frere' jaques, lower the third by half a step, then give the solo to a bass player. Gotta love that......It's about as funny as Saint-Saens' "The Elephant".
 
#20
Pastorius43 said:
Classical music:) I've just been getting into it pretty recently, I don't know too much about it. I've just heard of Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden, Bach, and a few others. I'd also like some reccomendations on Double Bass repituar(sp) like concetos for double bass,works focusing on double bass, etc. Also, some must have classical recordings, string quartets, anything really...


Thanks:)
Click to expand...

Pastorious 34,
It's been quite a while since I was in college but I had my favorite solo pieces for bass and I still like them. I'll include some orchestral peices as well.

The Fuchs Sonata for Double Bass is a real gem

Gary Carr's recording of the Alec Wilder Sonata for Double Bass.

Gordon Jacobs Suite for DB

Orchestra

All four Brahms Symphonies, Great Bass Parts!

Don Juan by Richard Strauss. Killer Bass Part.

Pulcinella Suite by Igor Stravinsky

Gustav Holst's, Saint Paul Suite and The Planets

Samuel Barbers String Quartet.

Ric
 

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