Double bass concerto

A double bass concerto is a notated musical composition, usually in three parts or movements (see concerto), for a solo double bass accompanied by an orchestra. Bass concertos typically require an advanced level of technique, as they often use very high-register passages, harmonics, challenging scale and arpeggio lines and difficult bowing techniques. Music students typically play bass concerti with the orchestral part played by a pianist who reads from an orchestral reduction (the orchestra parts arranged for piano).

History
Many of the first concerti for solo bass were written in the late classical period by Domenico Dragonetti and Johannes Matthias Sperger. Dragonetti was a bass virtuoso who introduced advanced new techniques for the instrument, such as playing very high register passages, bouncing bowings such as ricochet and spicatto, and harmonics. Dragonetti's friendship with the composer Beethoven helped the latter to learn about the true potential for the instrument. This influenced Beethoven to write more advanced, technically difficult bass parts in his symphonies, notably the double bass recitative in his ninth symphony.

Several concerti were also written by Johann Baptist Vanhal, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, and Joseph Haydn, although Haydn's has since been lost. Giovanni Bottesini, a nineteenth century bass virtuoso and composer, made enormous contributions to the solo double bass repertoire. Among his many works are two virtuostic concerti for double bass and orchestra which use extremely high harmonic passages that, when Bottesini first introduced them, were deemed "unplayable". In the 20th century, many composers created new works for the instrument, including Serge Koussevitsky, Eduard Tubin, Hans Werner Henze, and John Harbison.

Challenges
The double bass has not been a popular choice for a solo instrument, mainly due to the difficulties of balancing the soloist and orchestra so that the former is not overshadowed by the orchestra's volume. The low register of the double bass makes it difficult to project; to help resolve this problem, many composers (most notably Bottesini) wrote solo parts in the high register of the instrument. Another solution is to refrain from large tuttis (or employ chamberistic orchestration) when the double bass is playing in its lower register. Few major composers of the classical and romantic eras were disposed to writing double bass concerti, as there were few instrumentalists capable of taking on the demands of playing as a soloist; it was only through the efforts of virtuosi like Dragonetti, Bottesini, Koussevitsky, and Karr that the double bass began to be recognized as a solo instrument. As the twentieth century began, the standard of double bass technique improved by a significant degree, making it a more popular choice for composers.

Selected list 
 Arda Ardaşes Agoşyan
 Concerto for Double Bass and a cappella choir (Romeo and Juliet)
 Kalevi Aho
 Double Bass Concerto (2005)
 Mauricio Annunziata
 Concerto No. 1 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Argentino", Op. 123 (2015)
 Concerto No. 2 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Afroargentino", Op. 125 (2015)
 Concerto No. 3 for Double Bass and Orchestra "Porteño", Op. 129 (2016)
 Anatoly Bogatyrev
 Double bass concerto (1964)
 Giovanni Bottesini
 Gran Concerto in F minor
 Concerto No. 2 in B minor
 Concerto No. 3 in A major (concerto di bravura)
 Antonio Capuzzi
 Concerto in D (F) major
 Georgi Conus
 Concerto in h moll, op.29 (1910)
 Andrzej Cwojdziński
 Concerto
 Peter Maxwell Davis
 Strathclyde Concerto No. 7 for Double Bass and Orchestra (1992)
 Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf
 Concerto in E major
 Concerto No. 2 in E Major
 Domenico Dragonetti
 Concerto in G major, D290
 Concerto in D dur
 Concerto in A major no 3
 Concerto in A major no 5
 Concerto in A major (Nanny)
 Pere Valls i Duran
Gran Concert Obligat 
 Fernand Fontaine
 Concerto As dur
 Jean Françaix
 Concerto for double bass and orchestra (1974)
 Harald Genzmer
 Concerto for Kontrabass and String Orchestra (1996)
 Thomas Goss
 Double Bass Concerto in E Minor
 Hans Werner Henze
 Double Bass Concerto (1966)
Franz Anton Hoffmeister
 Concerto No. 1 in D major
 Concerto No. 2 in D major
 Concerto No. 3 in D major
 Robin Holloway
 Concerto for Double Bass and Small Orchestra Op. 83 (2002)
 Fredrik Högberg
"Hitting the First Base" Concerto for Double Bass and Strings
 Jiří Hudec
 Burleska for double bass and orchestra (1981)
 Gordon Jacob
 Concerto for Double Bass (1972)
 Tadeusz Zygfryd Kassern
 Concerto op. 12 for Double-bass solo
 Serge Koussevitsky
 Concerto in F minor, Op. 3 (1902)
 * Edward Kravchuk
 Concerto for Double Bass, Drum set, Piano and Strings (2014) 
 Serge Lancen
 Concerto pur contrebasse et cordes
 Juliusz Łuciuk
 Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra 
 Raymond Luedeke
 Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1997)
 Gennady Lyashenko
 Concerto for Double bass and chamber orchestra (1989)
 Rolf Martinsson
 Double Bass Concerto
 Virgilio Mortari
 Concerto per Franco Petracchi
 Edouard Nanny
 Concerto in E minor
 Wenzel Pichl
 Concerto in D major
 Stefan Boleslaw Poradowski
Double Bass Concerto
 Behzad Ranjbaran
 Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (2018)
 Einojuhani Rautavaara
 Angel of Dusk, concerto for double bass and orchestra (1980)
 Anthony Ritchie
 Whalesong (2006)
 Nino Rota
 Divertimento Concertante for double bass and orchestra (1968–1973)
 Aldemaro Romero
 Concierto risueño
 Nikos Skalkottas
 Double Bass Concerto (1942)
 Johannes Matthias Sperger
 Concerto in D major, No. 15
 Eduard Tubin
 Double Bass Concerto (1948)
 Johann Baptist Wanhal
 Concerto in E major

References 

Category:Concertos