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Double Bass Solo Classical Pieces

C

Craken

Feb 13, 2006
38
2
Scotland
#1
Hello. I have been playing URB for a few years now and I have been wanting to learn some bowed solo classical pieces, but i'm not sure where to start. Can anyone recommend any pieces that I could learn? It doesn't matter what difficulty they are, even if it is too difficult for me to learn right now it would be nice to hear.

I am out of the loop when it comes to classical double bass.
 
#2
The easiest thing that comes to my mind and still is a well written piece is the marcello sonata. Goin on from there the capuzzi concerto, Eccles sonata, the dittorsdorf concerto, the dragonetti concerto, the koussevitsky concerto, the Bach cello suites, bottesini wrote 2 concertos and many other pieces all at high difficulty. There's also the vanhal concerto which is probobly around the level of the kousevitsky if I'm not mistaken. There are several other minor works by koussevitsky and bottesini.
I'm sure I'm missing some here but if you are not yet in thumb position I would play the marcello sonata, if you are comfortable in thumb position and can read tenor clef the Eccles would be a good place to start. I'm my experience with the bass, I have gone to my instructor in asking what to play.
 
#3
If you are looking for solo as in unaccompanied, check out the Dragonetti Waltzes. Do you have a pianist available to accompany you? There are pre-recorded piano tracks that are helpful if you don't. Invalid Link Removed

"Solos for the Double Bass Player, with Piano Accompaniment", edited by Oscar Zimmerman, Invalid Link Removed is a nice collection, although a lot of it is pretty advanced.
 
#4
Marcello wrote a number of sonatas; I suggest the G major for you to start with. Vivaldi wrote 6 for the cello that we bassists stole a long time ago. They usually don't go into the thumb positions, and my students start there after they finish The Jolly Dutchman, The Elephant, etc.

Another excellent solo is the Sonata by Eccles; expressive, challenging, but playable, and we all learn it. The Chanson Triste and Waltz by Koussevitsky are good, too.

A wonderful collection of bass solos with piano accompaniment is entitled Solos For The Double Bass Player, by Oscar Zimmerman and published by Schirmer. I've been playing out of that book for over 40 years.

As for the bass concertos, I'd start with the Capuzzi. It's very playable. Then, I'd tackle the Koussevitsky. It ain't easy but it's very musical and expressive. I never played the Vanhal but it's very well known. I like the Bottesini #2 in A minor; it's a really good one and quite difficult. Good luck and check back!
 
#8
speaking of unaccompanied....

there is a suite i've been meaning to purchase for years (laziness) by Hanz Fryba (?) called "suite in an olden style". comparable to bach cello suites. i have a recording by vincent pasquier, which is how i discovered it.

also, there are a bunch of unaccompanied pieces by francois rabbath. some more difficult than others. "iberique peninsulaire" (?) is probably one of the easier ones.
 
#9
The Fryba is awesome. Miloslav Gajdos "Prelude and Fugue in A minor" is pretty cool, too. There is a lot of unaccompanied classical bass music out there.

Bertram Turetzky's "Poems, Portraits, Ballades, and Blues" is a collection of solo pieces dedicated to different people in different styles.

Then, there's "Failing" by Tom Johnson.
 

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