# Bottesini B.D. rd. 2



## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Ladies and gentlemen, firstly thank you all for your votes of confidence and your generosity in prolonging my journey. I also extend by condolences to the lovely Mrs. Wagner.

Now I would like to introduce you to my music and explain to you why it is considered ground breaking and traditional at the same time. As you know I wrote many operas and pieces of chamber music but I shall concentrate here on that for which I am renowned the world over: my contribution to the repertoire and development of the uncrowned king of instuments, the double bass.

Up until and during the life time of Beethoven and Rossini, both of whom enjoyed much glory during their life times in Vienna, the double bass had been championed by a few daring men who took the instrument away from the role of supporting the celli by simply playing one octave below, and placed in a soloistic setting in concertos and chamber music. Unfortunately for such a brilliant idea you need to have soloists who can make the double bass worthy of this trust. Johann Sperger and Dominico Dragonetti, who was a personal friend of Rossini, went some way in developing the technique required to fulfil this challenging role. However, it was I who finally taught the world how the double bass should be played.

My main contributions in this area were extending the use of harmonics, both natural and artificial, to the point where melodies previously the domain of violins and flutes are now playable on the double bass; and secondly improving the expessiveness of the instrument through application of bowing techniques and use of vibrato similar to coloraltura soprano singers in the 'bel canto' style of Bellini and Donnetzetti.

Turning to my concerto for two double basses and orchestra, 'Passione Amorosa', I can show you where these innovations are put to use. The two soloists, who were originally myself and a one of my many students, take turns in paying sme very operatic almost cadeza like phrases. There is a passage here where the 1st soloist plays an arpeggiated accompaniment which is typical of my virtuoso writing and the 2nd solist plays an aria in the bel canto style. (at 2:50 in the video)

Here two American Virtuosi, Gary Karr and Daniel Nix, are perfroming the 2nd movement in a recital. they both use German bows. (The German bow has also undergone its own revolution recently.)

APPASIONE AMOROSA 2nd Mvt.

Until this time the bass was considered unable to sustain such dramatic melodic lines because the bow use was short and the sound was rather gruff. I used silk strings and a high solo tuning of up to a fourth above the normal tuning to produce a brilliant singing tone and I introduced the French (or violin type) bow to the technique in order to be able to sustain very long expressive phrases.

The extention of harmonics into the stratospheric range was another of my innovations. My set of variations on the famous melody 'Carnival of Venice' is a perfect example of how far the Double bass can go and I thank my fine descendant Boguslaw Furtok for an excellent rendition of this piece.

CARNIVAL OF VENICE

You can see that I introduced flying arpeggios of three and four octaves, and rapid alternating string crossing passages.

This pyrotechnical technique is however only half of my contribution to double bass playing; my more 'musical' (if you will allow the term) acheivments were in the expressive elegaic compositions I wrote exploiting the French bow. One of my most famous works is a short piece simply called 'Elegy in D'. Here is Catalin Rotaru playing it with a small string orchestra.

ELEGY IN D

This piece is not immediately impressive until you realise that it is played on a double bass. The long lingering prases which follow one another in a rhapsodic style were unthinkable to the previous generation, with their short bows and fat gut strings. The fact that some of the harmonics in this piece are hybrids (that is to say they start as harmonics and then get pressed down to continue the phrase) is also something of a Bottesini invention and although I was never credited with it, it is obvious to players that, historically, this starts only in my music.

The final work with which I shall try to impress the worth of my labour on the TalkClassical community is the 'Grand Duo' for Double bass and violin. This double concerto, unsurpassed in technical demands made on both players, is in the spirit of Paganini and while the violin part was originally written for a second double bass soloist, I found at the time I could secure more performances by transcribing and improving that part for violin. The result is a virtuosic tour de force for both players and it has become a favorite in concert halls around the world. I will leave you with the winner of the 2008 Bottesini Competition, Francesco Siragusa, and Francesco de Angelis on Violin to play this for you. (If you want to go straight to the solo playing start at 1:55.) Be sure to watch the last coulple of minutes too!

GRAND DUO CONCERTANTE

Your devoted Maestro,
Giovanni Bottesini


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