Double bass concerto

Other composers from the late Baroque to classical periods, such as Johannes Matthias Sperger, wrote eighteen double bass concertos.

[6] This changed the way composers of the Viennese School to write virtuosic double bass solos.

The appearance of Italian composer Domenico Dragonetti officially changed the status of the double bass.

Among his many works are two concerti for double bass which use extremely high harmonic passages that, when Bottesini first introduced them, were deemed "unplayable".

[10][11] Around the late 20th century to present-day, Simandl has slowly been replaced by a new technique and theory of the double bass from François Rabbath.

[13] They have a lot of benefits, including they are vegan, have a more consistent tone, easier to play, and last longer on the bass.

Another solution is to refrain from large tuttis, or employ chamber orchestration, when the double bass is playing in its lower register.

Few major composers of the classical and romantic eras were disposed to writing double bass concerti, as there were few instrumentalists capable of taking on the demands of playing as a soloist; it was only through the efforts of virtuosos like Dragonetti, Bottesini, Koussevitsky, and Karr that the double bass began to be recognized as a solo instrument.

One difference concerns the fingerboard; bassists would tie old strings or cloth to make frets on their instrument, much like a viola da gamba.

This is in contrast to the present day, where the bassist is in charge of tuning purely based on their left hand finger placement due to a lack of frets.

It is assumed that this concerto dates back around 1763,[5] around 2 years after Haydn was hired as a full-time composer for the Prince’s Orchestra.

[5] Haydn wrote it specifically for the second bassoonist that also played double bass in the orchestra, Johann Georg Schwenda.