• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Rubato with Singers

DoubleBassBass

DoubleBassBass

Oct 6, 2013
102
57
Vancouver
#1
I am currently learning the "Mon coeur s'ourvre a ta voix" aria from Saint Saen's Samson and Delilah for a concert in about 4 weeks . For those that know it, the bass part is very easy but playing along to the recording that I have ( mezzo soprano and full orchestra) , I am a bit at odds matching the stretched timing of the singer to emote various phrases and I am not hugely experienced in this area. Singers seem to have great artistic licence in an operatic context. I am sure that its easier in real life watching the conductor and singing the phrases following the singer, watching the principal, etc but any advice about how to keep in time with the flow would be gratefully appreciated.

First rehearsal on Tuesday.

Edit: Since posting this earlier I think I may have answered my own question through learning the melody line and hearing the natural pauses for re-filling the lungs - I think that is what I was struggling with . As soon as I started breathing like the opera singer everything synced up in perfect stretched time. Hopefully I will be able to put that into practice in rehearsal!
 
Last edited:
#2
Exact placement of a pizzicato, be it the last or first note of a phrase, is always a challenge. It is a test of your listening skills, as you have found. I liken it to accurately hitting a moving target while you are moving too. There is a sweet moment in time when your pizz is absolutely right and you are left feeling uncomfortable if you are fractionally out either way. It is made harder if you are playing in a section and are not the Principal. Or you may disagree with their timing but have to follow it. You hope that by their body language they will indicate where to place the pizzicato, so sit where you can see them. If you are the only bass you should watch the Principal Cello and the Leader. Your body language will also help them with timing.

There is usually a reason why a 5-year or 10-year member of a professional section is paid more than a newbie. It is experience, both with the repertoire and with all the skills needed to pull your weight in an orchestra. To end up with a sense of balance between your own sound, the section sound and the overall orchestra sound takes time that is shortened by experience. You have to hear other parts right across the entire orchestra, be they a section or a solo, and be able to respond to changes instantly. Your mind must be ahead of the game and your ears are like antennae, listening in all directions.

The reason why conductors often look to the basses at pivotal points in the music is because we become leaders, not followers, at that moment. Our pizz sounds across the orchestra and others often time their entries and exits from us. Much time is spent rehearsing these pivotal points that are often well known by experienced players who may have performed the same piece many times with different conductors.

It all sounds hard ( which it is) but the better the players are in your orchestra the easier it becomes.

Best wishes and good luck,

DP
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DoubleBassBass
#7
IMO Gary did not do such a convincing job of this one. Shouldn't a soloist also be mindful of the direction their accompaniment is going towards the next first beat? Was some of his shifting a little slow and late?

Look up Maria Callas singing this aria on Youtube for (IMO) better flow of phrasing, use of rubato and a demonstration of well timed accompaniment that DoubleBassBass seeks to understand.

Cheers, DP
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back