Why were bass solos so popular in the 18th century?!?

Links to research for this video:
The Viennese Violone: The Development, Blossoming, and Decline of a Musical Instrument in 18th Century Vienna by William Christopher Leverenz
etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws...
the incredible Viennese Tuning Channel from Korneel Le Compte
/ @viennesetuningchannel...
be sure to check out Korneel's great book Meta Hodos as well:
viennesetuning.files.wordpres...
INTERNATIONAL J.M. SPERGER COMPETITION for Double Bass
www.spergerwettbewerb.de/inde...
Joelle Morton's historical double bass site
www.greatbassviol.com/home.html
Gustavo Mazon-Finessi - Concerto for Double Bass in Viennese tuning, Mov. I, by Johann Baptist Vanhal
• Concerto for Double Ba...
Per questa with Dean Ferrell singing and playing
• Per questa bella mano ...
Toscanini Beethoven 5
• Beethoven Symphony No....
CSO Beethoven 9 (great shot of the basses in the start of Ode to Joy mvt 4)
• Beethoven 9 - Chicago ...
Berlioz: "Symphonie Fantastique" - 5th Mvt. - Leonard Bernstein
• Berlioz: "Symphonie Fa...
Heather Miller Lardin violone demo
• Perspectives - What Ex...
Klaus Trumpf interview
• Spergers Tonsprache - ...
-----------
all things double bass - doublebasshq.com
double bass merch - shop.doublebasshq.com/merch
double bass sheet music - shop.doublebasshq.com

[@TamR10]

Really enjoyed this little history lesson, look forward to exploring more of this series

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!!

[@orinobrien6955]

Dear Jason, Thank you so much for this witty and informative video! I am sending to a lot of students and friends, because it says in only 5+ minutes what it takes a long time to research. AND -- there are pictures!! This is so valuable -- and explains so well, in a concise and humorous way. Thanks!! Orin O.

[@viennesetuningchannel6101]

Totally agree. Very inspiring and stimulating for those whose curiosity will be aroused by this funny video. They will find more detailed, accurate, and complete information elsewhere if they want to find it. Everything in its place. There are enough "serious" sources out there. But as a thought-provoking five-minute introduction this is hard to beat. Well done.

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much, Orin-that’s an honor!

[@doublebasshq]

Korneel, I hope it keeps sending people to the excellent work you are doing!

[@gustavomfinessi]

Great video, Jason! Thank you for including my Vanhal! Cheers!

[@Atomic_pavarotti]

[@doublebasshq]

You’re the best, man! I love the work you’re doing-will do my best to feature what you’re doing any time i can. 😀❤️

[@gustavomfinessi]

@@Atomic_pavarotti ‘sup bro!

[@gustavomfinessi]

@@doublebasshq thanks man! I feel flattered. You’re a great inspiration for me and many of us. Thanks for your hard work in favor of our instrument.

[@joshablatzheim9075]

Thank you for your kind Interpretation of the Kontrabass!! You explain that with a wonderful speaking Voice,thank you so much!!! Greetings from Europe German French Swiss Border Area Yours Josha 🙋‍♂️🎼🎶🎻à la Kontrabass 🇪🇺🇩🇪🇫🇷🇨🇭 to the US 🇺🇸

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Another incredible video! Such a great topic. Thanks for sharing this Jason!

[@doublebasshq]

You bet, Geoff! Working on my After Effects skills-a work in progress for sure... 😀😬

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

@@doublebasshq You're nailing it!

[@Atomic_pavarotti]

Good video

[@doublebasshq]

Much appreciated, Andrew!

[@woutmoerman711]

Thanks. As an amateur double bass player I find this very helpful. Subscribed!

[@doublebasshq]

That’s great-thanks for subscribing and welcome!

[@davidbteague]

Your content is so very helpful.

[@doublebasshq]

I appreciate that!

[@francisnicolas1819]

Never thought I'd see a shout-out to Dean Ferrell's "Per Questa Bella Mano" on my KZbin feed

[@doublebasshq]

That's such a great rendition from Dean!

[@jbordenbass]

Great video! Some fancy editing you're doing there!

[@doublebasshq]

You too, sir! I’m loving the workout scenes from your latest video. 😁

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

at 1:55 what a beautiful snip of violone-playing! And the bow! So special, working well.

[@ChrisDavisTrumpet]

Your videos are incredible! Great work!

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much!

[@acefrantura6936]

Wow! Fantastic video! Really appreciating your effort. 🙏 keep ‘em comin 🤩

[@UNOdoublebass]

Thanks for this video. Alexander Pershounin did his dissertation on the demise of solo double bass literature, although his focus was on the disappearance of the 3-string bass as the reason.

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@Leopoldofca]

Awesome Video!! Congrats. 🤟🏼

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Symphing12]

I would love to see videos about those other composers! Vanhal and Sperger are interesting in particular!

[@viennesetuningchannel6101]

In that case, why not check out this Viennese Tuning Channel and The Sperger Project. Sperger was a very, very good composer (not only of bass music) contrary to what some people may still think. The Sperger Project has as its aim to rediscover and record the 18 bass concertos. They are absolutely worth it. All the best!

[@doublebasshq]

Sweet-will do!

[@doublebasshq]

Viennese Tuning Channel is the best, btw!!!

[@Symphing12]

@@viennesetuningchannel6101 I'm already subscribed to you and love your content! I have been reading through Meta Hodos as well. Very insightful writing.

[@17sweet17be]

Nice video again Jason :-)

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@georgerichardson7560]

Awesome video Jason! Would be great to see a video on Sperger at some point, I feel like he's an early double bass master not often talked about or not really discussed in great detail :)

[@doublebasshq]

He’s on the list!

[@johannsperger4679]

There's a Sperger Biography by Dr. Klaus Trumpf, coming out soon (Schott Editions). So far, only in German. Around 500 pages. Sperger was a fantastic guy, great composer (apart from bass pieces, that is. Many symphonies, lots of chamber music, a breathtakingly beautiful Cantata...), organist, and an astonishing bass virtuoso as we can see from his 18 concertos - all of very high quality - and other solo pieces. Time for a Sperger renaissance it would seem...

[@georgerichardson7560]

@@johannsperger4679 I will keep an eye out for the book, hopefully there will be a copy in English available at some point. Thank you for the heads up :)

[@charleswilkinson8086]

Thank you. That was amazing 👏 I do like a bit of history

[@montibass]

Great video. I'd love to hear more about pichlberger and that piece in particular. I have never heard it before. Is there a transcription available? This would be awesome on a recital with pieces like Failing and B.B. Wolf.

[@17sweet17be]

Mozart's KV 612 "Per Questa Bella Mano" (composed for Pichlberger) in a splendidly unapologetic arrangement by the unsurpassed Dean Ferrell.

[@doublebasshq]

Yeah, I’ve had a hard time turning up much about Pichelberger. That Dean Ferrell version of Per Questa is incredible. The sheet music I showed is from Korneel Le Compte’s incredible Meta Hodos book-it’s linked in the description below and is free, so check it out if you want to learn more. 500+ pages, witty, and incredibly informative about this era!

[@lochlanfitzgerald7719]

Great video

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@kuru9157]

hey Jason can you please do a video on Eduoard Nanny or Isaia Billé, i would really love to learn more about one of them, or even both. also this was a great video, keep them coming! also, "Who were these people?" or whatever you're gonna land on, is one of my favorite series!

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much! I need to do some research on both Bille and Nanny-great idea to dig into both of them-thanks!

[@rominn2184]

So much knowledge and incredible background!! You are a bass expert!! Where do you play? You must teach lots. Bravo!

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you very much! I do some solo recitals in various locations, and I play sometimes in my local orchestra here in San Francisco.

[@codybloodsworth8062]

Jason, I think it would be cool if you did a video essay about the history of bass not being standardized and the variations, similarly to Paul Brun’s book A New History of Double Bass.

[@doublebasshq]

I love that book-I have it and have been meaning to work it into some of these videos!

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

At 5:24 this beautiful bass player is in a room which may hint at historical interest by being an archive (of music perhaps?)

[@Bigbadbassman]

Very fun and informative. Thank you!

[@doublebasshq]

You bet!

[@andrewprzybyla8871]

Thanks Jason, for this video. I first read about the violone while wondering why Beethoven wrote down to the "C". I read that the lowest string was "C". I don't have the hyperlink to this scholarly research paper. This is a fascinating read, with quotes of Mozart and others. Will share later.

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks, Andrew!

[@pedrocarvalho6609]

where can i find the double bass recital clip? i love it ahah excellent video Jason!

[@doublebasshq]

It’s Dean Ferrell-I’ve got it linked up in the description. It’s worth a complete watching for sure!

[@SeverianoPaoli]

Hi Jason! First of all, thank you for your video and for all the work you do to spread knowledge about the double bass! I've got one perplexity, though. In your explanation, you say that Viennese basses used to had a smaller string length than later ones; in fact, most of the instruments from that era I've had the occasion to try out, some of which still in the original state, are actually longer than what we're used to. I've often found basses with a string length of 107+, which is more than the 104-105 we're used to nowadays. Have you based yourself on a specific model(s) or source? I'd be very interested to hear about it! All the best! :-)

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks for writing! I’m basing this script (mostly) off of a dissertation that I’ve got linked to in the comments. Interesting to know about the longer string lengths. Shows how non-standardized our bass instrument world has been for quite some time.

[@17sweet17be]

Indeed, the "typical" Classical Viennese Basses had long string lengths, sometimes even exceeding 110 cm. My own Viennese models are all at 108-110 cm. Strangely perhaps, this doesn't make them difficult to play. Many other factors beside string length influence playability.

[@LeeroyJanky]

It's a shame that, between Keyper and Sperger, there are a TON of concerti yet so few performances to be found. Then again, when i finally heard Dittersdorf #1 i immediately understood why it's only ever the 2nd one we hear about... 😅

[@codycunningham7573]

Hey Jason, in that one picture, I noticed three of the strings were gut. What were the black ones?

[@viennesetuningchannel6101]

Ho Cody, the black strings in this bass (it's mine) belong to a Viennese Tuning set that Genssler made for me a few years ago. They're state of the art, like all Genssler's strings. Not sure what exactly these are made of, but the outer black wrapping is a modern material that surely didn't exist in the 18th century :-)

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks, Korneel!

[@cookscatapults]

Hahahahaha Awesomenesssss

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

Yeah! Videos with Vanhal (stress first syllable) and Hoffmeister, I don't know "sperger", are you thinking of "Albrechtsberger"? More to the point perhaps, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf made some very decent music, but I guess he was not as productive as the "great" ones.

[@baroquecello]

Johann Matthias Sperger (1750-1812). He actually studied with Albrechtsberger for a time, but was a remarkable composer in his own right and a double bassist. He composed 18 concertos for the double bass as well as chamber music of every description, symphonies, and oratorios. Most importantly, his estate remained largely intact after his death and serves today as the most important resource for late 18th century bass playing in German speaking lands.

[@BadViola]

Today I Learned its not just violists being made fun of. I'm actually surprised because coming from a rock background where bassists are super cool (psychobilly, amirite?), hearing that joke about the no double bass concertos was a real plot twist!

[@davidbteague]

I would like to be able to copy and past drom your posts. I cannot. Can you fix this?

[@jeremypoythress4995]

Its confusing about the entire history of acoustic Bass to electric.its originally an Italian instrument but also played in france and europe.started out as a violin hybrid( aka the violone) it was played in different styles either with a bow or pulling strings. at first bass was a 3 string instrument, went to 5 strings etc., then finally settled on 4 string basses.then the upright bass came along when they needed something more loud and punchy for the brass section.many upright pioneers also played multiple instruments at the time( was specifically made to play with the lower register brass valve instruments).

[@ivoryconsort]

Bravo to Dean and Gustavo for your great playing. Jason, I just wish you didn't feel the need to make this important video so darkly humorous and "crash and burn" style; you also might have actually checked more carefully with the very information sources that you list for more accurate "history". There is no such thing as "Stupid History" - only inaccurate history, and the Bass (all kinds of bass) deserves better that.

[@amayablancorad]

I usually like many of your videos, I even bought my camera thanks to one of your videos, but I do not like this one. If you are going to talk about historical issues, why don't you look for information? In this video there are many historical incongruities and people are going to believe them.