# In Brahms' time, did the double bass have a C-extension?



## GSHAPIROY (Oct 25, 2017)

It seems that in Brahms' time, the double bass could only play as low as EE. His Symphony #2 in D Major, op. 73 (first movement, m. 13) makes it quite clear that he was unable to write lower than an EE. However, in earlier music, we find lower notes for the double bass. In Mozart, there are numerous EE-flats, and occasionally, even a CC (Piano Concerto in F Major, K. 413 (third movement, m. 87), "Jupiter" Symphony in C Major, K. 551 (second movement, m. 19, 21)).


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## Euler (Dec 3, 2017)

C-extension was invented the year Brahms died. In those Mozart pieces the bass doesn't have its own part, it doubles the cello; when the cello goes below E2, the double bass would have played in the same octave. In fact the classical-era double bass didn't even reach E1 -- its lower compass was A1, or F1 for a five-string violone (this is what Beethoven probably wrote for).


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## GSHAPIROY (Oct 25, 2017)

Euler said:


> C-extension was invented the year Brahms died. In those Mozart pieces the bass doesn't have its own part, it doubles the cello; when the cello goes below E2, the double bass would have played in the same octave. In fact the classical-era double bass didn't even reach E1 -- its lower compass was A1, or F1 for a five-string violone (this is what Beethoven probably wrote for).


Well, on modern orchestras, the basses are able to play the low notes, so usually the bass continues to play an octave lower than the celli. Why didn't Brahms write in the DD-Sharp then in his second symphony?


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## GSHAPIROY (Oct 25, 2017)

Euler said:


> C-extension was invented the year Brahms died. In those Mozart pieces the bass doesn't have its own part, it doubles the cello; when the cello goes below E2, the double bass would have played in the same octave. In fact the classical-era double bass didn't even reach E1 -- its lower compass was A1, or F1 for a five-string violone (this is what Beethoven probably wrote for).


Okay, well what about the EE-Flat in the symphony K. 551/I, m. 125?


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