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1500
Ancient World Evidence
Sumerian artwork in 3000 BC depicts Sumerian lyres, which were large, low-pitched string instruments. The player sits to play this large instrument that rests on the ground. Throughout history, this idea of a large, low-pitched string instrument will continue to reappear (Siemers). (Ignore the 1500 date on timeline, this is meant only as a place holder) -
1500
String Instrument Development Emerges
The Renaissance ideals inspired great change, including the development of string instruments. Thanks to the innovation of the printing press and the rise of a middle class, music became more accessible to a larger group of people. Viols of varying sizes and pitches, such as the contrabass viol which is similar to the modern double bass, could play together in groups known as consorts (Siemers). -
1518
Pictoral Evidence
Evidence of a large viol is found in this German woodcut collection titled Das Schempartbuch. Other artwork from Europe and the Italian High Renaissance also depict images of these instruments during this century (Siemers). -
1528
Renaissance Double Bass
Renaissance scholars such as Castagilone would write about emergence of the contrabass viol. Castagilone wrote that the deepest sounds in a Renaissance consort came from a contrabasso di viola. Throughout history, the lowest voice in a group of string instruments, or an orchestra, has been recognized as one of the most important instruments in these settings (Siemers). -
1530
Influence of the Viol
The Viol was a vital predecessor to the modern double bass. This can be seen by the double bass's vertical playing potion, a tuning system based on fourths, use of an underhand bow, low sloping shoulders, corners between upper and lower bouts that are squared off, occasional use of a flat back, and a chromatic fingering system. The Viol was also the first bowed instrument that was capable of playing in the contrabass octave (Siemers). -
1542
Ganassi's Regola Rubertina
Ganassi proposes a tuning system for the viol based on fourths. In the mid sixteenth century, this tuning system would be applied to larger viols that could play in the contrabass octave (Siemers). -
1556
Violin Family of Instruments Appear
Jambe de Fer's Epitome Musicale describes a new family of string instruments in northern Italy. There were high, middle, and low instruments similar to a violin, viola and violincello. These instruments would eventually replace viols due to their tonal qualities and increased sound projection. The double bass would later be influenced by this family of intruments (Siemers). -
1580
The First True "Double Basses"
As Renaissance consorts grew in size, a demand for a deeper bass voice was created. Larger viols da gamba resembling early models of the double bass emerged, capable of playing further down into the contrabass octave. These instruments read the same part as the viols while sounding down an octave, providing a model for the double bass to double the cello part in future ensembles. However these instruments would not become popular until the baroque period (Siemers). -
1580
Ex-Tarisio-Violone
The Ex-Tarisio-Violone was built by Gasparo da Salo. This violone/viola de gamba shows the emerging influence of the violin family such as the pointed violin shaped corners and the typical violin scroll. Originally a six-string violone, it has been modified as a four-string double bass (Siemers). -
The Baroque Ensemble and the Double Bass
The Baroque era saw a development of larger ensembles with more contrasting instruments. The viol's delicate tone was more suited for the complex modal polyphony of smaller, intimate ensembles. In order to compete with brass and woodwind instruments of these new, complex ensembles, there was a need for louder string instruments including one that could play in the contrabass octave. The emergence of figured bass also gave the bass voice harmonic and structural significance in this era (Siemers). -
The Violone
In large baroque ensembles, the bass line, either played by the viola de gamba or the violincello, would sometimes be doubled in the contrabass register by the violone. The baroque violones were the large contrabass versions of the viola de gamba that were known as the first true double basses. Regionally, this large viol went be a variety of names and was preferred as the contrabass string instrument of this time period (Planyavsky). -
Baroque Opera
The double bass's extended range was used for special musical effects in some of the first operas. For example, Monteverdi's Orfeo specifies for a contrabass viol for the a few pieces. -
Roots of the name "double bass"
Double Bass was derived from an instrument that could double the bass line in the contrabass register. Other names: contrebass (French), contrabasso (Italian), string bass, upright bass (Siemers). -
Bach's Use of the Violone
Bach used the violone to double the cello in the contrabass octave, as written in Bach's Urtext when he specified for a Violono Grosso. This was confirmed by Jon Finson in his article "The Violone in Bach's Brandenburg Concerti" (Finson). -
The Viennese Double Bass
After the Turkish occupation in Vienna, economic growth allowed for luthiers such as Füssen and Posch to flourish. They created gamba type instruments that included a flat back and a distinctive pegbox. The Füssen method, based on old violin-making techniques, emphasized using one type of wood, often maple, for the bass. These basses usually had five strings, seven gut frets, fingerboard inlays, and a fingerboard made of spruce, fruitwood or beech. They fell out of use around 1830 (Siemers). -
Violone/Viol and the Emerging Violin Family
Viols would not fall out of use into the classical era of music, however the violin family forced these instruments to be renovated. Thicker strings replaced the thinner viol/violone strings in order to produce more volume and match the tone of the violin instruments. Eventually, more aspects of the violin family of string instruments would influence the double bass. A variety of tunings were used including a violin inspired quintal tuning system (Siemers). -
The Viennese Classic School
A school of double bass playing emerged in Austria during the 1760s. This school explored the solo possibilities of the double bass and achieved technical virtuosity. These bassists included Johann Sperger, Antonio Capuzzi, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Karl Kohaut, Wenzel Pichl, Johann Sperger, Johann Baptist Vanhal, and Anton Aimmerman. A number of these bassists played for Franz Josef Haydn at the Esterhazy estate, influencing Haydn's double bass parts (Siemerman). -
Viennese Classic School: Continued
This school used a Viennese violone based on the Renaissance and Baroque violone, despite the other double basses becoming more like the violin family. This school extended Baroque concepts of bass playing, using rich ornamental styles of continuo playing as a foundation for its florid style. They used a five-string violone tuned to F'-A'-D-F#-A, making chords and arpeggios easy to play. Harmonics are also used throughout these pieces that were written for double bass (Siemers). -
Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846)
Born in 1763 in Venice, Italy, Dragonetti was the first double bass virtuoso to gain international recognition. Matching the quality of the Viennese Classic school of double bass, he was able to persuade the acceptance of the double bass as a solo instrument. His compositions for double bass have become standard in the double bass repertoire. He advocated for the quartel-tuned three string bass, tuned A',D,G, and the underhand bow grip (Siemers). -
Dragonetti Continued
Dragonetti impressed musicians and audiences with his innovative techniques for double bass, including playing with Beethoven. His reputation led him to play countless concerts, including ones with Nicolo Pagannini. He also played in a highly respected duo with cellist Yorkeshireman Lindley in London. They were both principle players in the King's Theatre for 52 years. Undoubtedly, he raised the technical standards for the instrument and continues to influence solo double bassists (Siemers). -
Haydn and the Double Bass
In 1763, Haydn wrote a double bass concerto for Esterhazy bassist Johann Georg Schwenda. Although this piece has been lost, it was catalogued and its musical theme was written down. In his symphonies 6-8, Haydn was influenced by the Viennese Classic School in creating his solo double bass passages. He also was one of the first composers to begin writing separate double bass parts from the cello part, a practice that would continue to develop in the Classical Era of music (Siemers). -
Dragonetti's Bow
As opposed to a modern German bow, Dragonetti's bow had a large upward arch (Siemers). -
Dragonetti's Double Bass
Named the Gasparo da Salo, this bass was converted from a six string instrument to three strings. Being one of the first basses to be made in a violin form, he acquired this bass as payment from playing at the Chapel of San Marco (Siemers). -
Classical Era Double Bass Modifications
As the violin family influence increased, the contrabass violone would become increasingly modified. Five or six-string violones/basses would be converted into four-string double basses. Thicker strings were installed, which led to modifications on internal bracing such as a heavier bass bar and sound post. Varying systems based on fourths of fifths became standard in various regions of Europe (Brun). -
Classical Tuning Sytems By Region
The French used a quintal tuning system with the pitches C', G', D, A. Having a low C string made from gut created problems with clarity and response. A practice evolved to remove the low string, leaving a three-string bass in quintal tuning. The German tradition valued the depth of the low bass sound, and used a quartel tuning E', A', D, G, which would eventually become the standard for the double bass. The Italians, English and Spanish used this system but removed the lowest string (Brun) -
Three Strings Versus Four Strings, Quartel Tuning Versus Quintal Tuning
The double bass had the most variations in tuning and number of strings compared to the other string instruments. Removing the lowest string improved tone and clarity. The additional tension caused by the fourth string dampened the bass's vibrations. However, four strings had less limitations for playing music and required far less transposing. Quintel tuning matched the other string instruments, but was not practical due to the excessive shifting that would be required (Brun). -
Simplification of Double Bass Parts
Since the Baroque era, the double bass and cello played from the same part while the double bass sounds down an octave. Double bassists would simplify the music when it was poorly suited for the instrument, such as a fast technical passage. There were conflicting schools of thought for simplification, as the French preferred emphasizing the harmonic root (basse fondamentale) while the Italians preferred emphasizing the lowest notated note regardless of the harmonic context (Siemers). -
Mozart's Per Questa Bella Mano
Mozart seemed to have learned about the Viennese school of double bass playing through Haydn, as the aria Per Questa Bella Mano contains a duet between double bass and bass voice. This was written for the Viennese double bassist Friedrich Pischelberger and a five-string viol. This aria confused musicologist since the passage seemed impossible on a modern double bass. Mozart is credited to be the last major composer to write for the Viennese double bass (Siemers). -
Wenzel Hause's Kontrabcifi Schule
This method book was the first truly comprehensive method book to be written for the double bass. Hause used the 1-2-4 fingering system, which has become the standard for modern double bass playing. -
Method Books for Double Bass Emerge
Early method books included the authors J.F.B.C. Majer and J.Ph.Eisel. Michael Corrette's method book was a comprehensive guide that addressed 3, 4, and 5 string basses. Left hand fingerings and bowing fundamentals were covered in these books. These books reflected the confusion of the variety of tunings and technical approaches to double bass, which has made them irrelevant to the modern double bass. Other notable books came from J.S Petri and Nicolai (Siemers). -
The Prague Double Bass School
Wenzel Hause established a successful school for double bass at the Prague Conservatory while serving in the theatre orchestra in Prague. This school was able to standardize double bass playing worldwide. Josef Hrabe, Emanuel Storch and Franz Simandl were notable successors of this school. This school helped establish the foundation for double bass pedagogy that is still in use to this day (Siemers). -
Disapperance of the Viennese Classic School
The end of the Viennese Classic School was marked by the death of Johann Sperger in 1812, the last great virtuoso of this school. One reason this style of bass playing disappeared was due to the limited amount of keys you could play in using the Viennese tuning, which could not keep up with the chromaticism of the upcoming Romantic music. The Viennese double bass was also not able to keep up with the volume of the violin instruments nor the Romantic orchestra (Siemers). -
Disapperance of the Viennese School: Continued
This school was also not well known outside of its own region, which led to the history of this school to disappear from history as well. Fortunately, many of the works from this school that influenced the legacy of the double bass were recently rediscovered. A collection of musical scores possessed by Sperger were discovered in Schwerin, Germany by German bassist Klaus Trumpf in 1966 (Siemers). -
Beethoven and the Double Bass
Although Beethoven's double bass parts were mostly the same as the cello parts, his works were influential for the development of the double bass. In his later symphonies, Beethoven was able to create some separated double bass parts that replicated Romantic techniques. His 7th Symphony uses the low range of the double bass to create a special effect, specifically a thunderstorm with a low contra C (Siemers). -
Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
Born in Crema, Italy, Bottesini took the double bass to unprecedented new heights as a Romantic virtuoso, composer and conductor. Currently, his works for solo bass are still some of the most challenging pieces to perform. He attended the Milan Conservatory and left several years early. He played his first solo concert in 1840, and went on to play internationally for decades. Becoming good friends with Verdi, he conducted a variety of operas at The Imperial Italian Opera in Paris (Siemers). -
Bottesini Continued
Being one of the first virtuoso players to use an overhand bow grip, known as the French bow, Bottesini took the double bass to new levels and raised the standard for double bass playing. In particular, his bel canto style included the use of far reaching harmonics within melodic lines, imitating the sound of a flute. He also created the method book Metodo Di Contrabasso. His contribution to the double bass repertoire forever changed the path of the double bass (Saunders). -
Luigi Cherubini and Double Bass Standardization
Cherubini, who was head of the Paris Conservatory at this time, helped establish a double bass class in 1827. He also lead the acceptance of the E', A', D, G quartel tuning system as being the standard for all double basses. The four string double bass became standard for the new Romantic style. The conservatory also accepted both underhand and overhand bow styles, unique to the double bass. By the beginning of the Romantic era, a standardized system was finally in place (Siemers). -
Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique
Being one of the most well known romantic era programmatic pieces, Berlioz was innovative in his approach to the separated double bass part. In particular, the "Marche au Supplice" movement exemplifies the romantic treatment of the double bass. This is one of the first instances where the double bass has a significant melody that is seperated from the cello line. This opening double bass theme contributes to the dark, somber tone of this movement (Siemers). -
Franz Simandl (1840-1912)
Simandl was one of Josef Hrabe's students at the Prague Conservatory. Simandl created the Methode for double bass book that is still in use be double bass teachers worldwide. He played in various orchestras in Vienna, and in 1876 he played in Wagner's Bayreuth orchestra. By 1913, any double bass player in Vienna had been Simandl's student at one time (Siemers). -
The Romantic Era Double Bass
By this time, the double bass was done experimenting with different tunings and number of strings. The integration of the violin family double bass finally began to dominate, as Viennese style violones had to be modified to become more like the Italian violin double bass. The violin style double bass was much louder and more articulate than the violone, making it the double bass of choice in the evolving romantic orchestras (Greenough). -
Bottesini's Testore Double Bass
Referred to as his "old friend", he acquired his legendary bass in Milan. It was a 3-string double bass built in 1716 by Carlo Antonio Testore (Siemers). He would use this bass for the rest of his life, advocating that a 3-string bass was the "true double bass, for ease of playing as well as clarity and fullness of tone" (Saunders). -
Hector Berlioz Treatise On Orchestration
In his famous treatise, Berlioz claimed that simplification was flawed since it created a variety of interpretations that changed/disrupted the sound of the music. He also pointed out that it was lazy for composers to neglect learning about the double bass and what parts are well suited for it. Thankfully, Berlioz helped eliminate the simplification of double bass parts and influenced composers to write appropriate double bass parts that still provided harmonic/rhythmic structure (Siemers). -
The Octobass
In an attempt to expand orchestral instruments to new heights, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume created the octobass that reaches a sub-contra C''. These gigantic basses were attractive to the audience, and Berlioz was a fan of the effects they could produce. The lowest notes are so low, that our range of hearing cannot detect the pitch of the note. Levers are used to close different notes, and a gigantic bow was required. Only a few of these basses were made, and the quickly fell out of use (Brun). -
Serge Koussevitsky (1874-1951)
Koussevitsky was an influential double bassist, conductor and performer. He was known for his sensitive, vocal tone. His compositions are a staple in the double bass repertoire. He was also the music director at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1924, where he premiered several works from composers such as Bartok and Stravinsky. His Koussevitsky Foundation continues to inspire future musicians and composers (Siemers). -
Romantic Double Bass and Extended Range
New Romantic works wrote for double bass parts that go beyond the lowest note, E', to the contra C. Some failed solutions to this problem included Stone and Meeson's 4-string double bass tuned in fifths using heavy tension bars, and Hause's method of tuning the bass down a perfect fourth. The two successful methods for extended range included creating a five string bass that adds a lower string or installing a mechanical extension (Siemers). -
The Five String Doulbe Bass
Carl Otho, double bassist with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, was able to pioneer the use of a five-string double bass that reached a contra C'. Hans von Bülow featured this instrument in performances of Beethoven. Adolphe Soyer would be the first double bassist in the Paris Opera to use this instrument (Siemers). -
Double Bass Mechanical Extenstion
Bruno Keyl, principal double bassist of the Dresden Opera, invented the first mechanical extension that extended the fingerboard under the low E' string, reaching a contra C'. Levers are used to open the E' string down to the extended C', and other levers close the pitches in between these two notes. -
Double Bass Fingered Extension
Instead of having mechanical levers, the fingerboard is simply extended and the player closes the chromatic notes between the contra C' and E'. Some extensions include gates for each of the chromatic pitches as opposed to the single one at the E' (Siemers). -
Jimmy Blanton (1918-1942)
During the swing era of the 1930s, Jimmy Blanton was one of the first jazz double bassists to influence the modern school of jazz bass playing. He was notable for his precise time, and was one of the first jazz bassists to improvise solos. He was also one of the first jazz bassists to improvise with a bow. His most notable work was playing with Duke Ellington's big band (Siemers). -
The Double Bass in Jazz
The Double Bass would become a significant influence in the development of jazz, rising in popularity during the 1920s. The Double Bass would replace the tuba as the preferred jazz bass instrument. Walking bass lines outlining the roots of the chord changes became a standard comping practice (Siemers). -
Francois Rabbath (1931)
Born in Syria, Rabbath taught himself to play using method books. He created a unconventional method book titled New Technique for the Double Bass. Rabbath was also well versed in both the classical and jazz idioms. With the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Rabbath premiered famous bass concertos written by influential double bassist Frank Proto (Siemers). -
Gary Karr (1941)
Born in Los Angeles, Karr was a third generation bassist. He made his solo debut with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. His repertoire covered all the major composers for double bass, and he was one of the first solo double bassist to record extensively. He also founded the International Society of Double Bassists, which continues to promote classical and jazz bass. He also founded the Karr Doublebass Foundation in order to loan out quality basses to the less fortunate (Stern). -
Edgar Meyer (1960)
Currently a member of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center, Meyer has been an influential solo double bass player with countless recordings. He believes that the future of classical music is blending elements of folk, blue grass, jazz and rock with it. His recordings of the Bach cello suites rose the standard for double bass playing significantly (Saunders). -
Improvement to Mechanicl Extension
George Fawcett, bassist working at the Royal Aeronautical Establishment, improved the extension for his brother Harold, a double bassist in the London Orchestra. These levers move chromatically up and down as opposed to the old style which was designed the opposite direction. This design also did not require cutting away the scroll of the bass in order to install it, as opposed to the old German design (Siemers). -
Works Cited (1)
Brun, Paul, A New History of the Double Bass. Paul Brun Productions, 2000. Greenough, Forest, “The ‘Grunting of a Herd of Stampeding Pigs’ and the Decline of Orchestral Double Bass Virtuosity in the Nineteenth Century.” Colorado State University. Planyavsky, Alfred, The Baroque Double Bass Violone. The Scarecrow Press, Inc, 1998. -
Works Cited (2)
Saunders, Ian, “Representative Works From the Italian, French, and American Schools of Double Bass Playing.” University of Maryland, 2016.
Siemers, Brian J., “The History and Development of the Double Bass.” University of Cincinnati, 2001.
