W. A. MOZART | Sonata in E minor (originally for violin and piano) | instrumentation for double bass and piano
FILE FORMAT: PDF | 600 dpi (28 pages)
RELEASE: final
INCLUDED PARTS: Piano (score), 3x double bass
TUNING OF DOUBLE BASS: GDAE, AEBE and cGDAE
SOURCE: Urtext editions, based on composer's autograph
COMMENT:
Mozart’s famous E minor Sonata with the low-tuned double bass (GDAE, "orchestra tuning") is now available. I used to envy pianists and violinists for their opportunities to perform Mozart’s chamber works. Mozart never wrote anything comparable for the cello—let alone for the double bass. At first, I thought it wouldn’t even be worth experimenting in this direction, because I couldn’t imagine any of Mozart’s great works sounding “right” on the double bass. And yet, this version feels convincing to me.
The voices from Mozart’s score are transposed and distributed with great precision, though in somewhat unconventional ways: the double bass occasionally takes over the lowest line, which in the original was played by the pianist’s left hand. The idea was to integrate the instrument’s natural, low register into the work’s overall sound as much as possible, without losing any of Mozart's character.
There is no need to comment on Mozart’s musical style—his music practically defines the early Classical period. I can even imagine hearing this sonata at orchestral auditions in place of the Dittersdorf or Vanhal concertos (which, incidentally, are also not original compositions for the modern double bass), as it sits lower in the register and demands a wider range of articulation, bowing technique, and refined musicianship from the performer.
Watch on YouTube first movement to get the feeling how this instrumentation sounds:
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