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Robert Zimmerman, Bel Canto Basso Studies for the Double Bass |
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Editor's remarks:
For years I've lamented the lack of musical studies written in the lower positions of the double bass. The studies presented here are difficult, both technically and musically, and yet are transcriptions of the vocalizes of Marco Bordogni who was a voice teacher in the first half of the 19th century. They have long been used by trombonists to develop musical phrasing and the ability to sustain a phrase. They are in the style of italian opera; the style in which much of the solo bass literature of Bottesini is written.
It should be noted that what appear to be accent marks (>) in all of these studies are not accents. These are a 19th century notational device designed to show where the emphasis appears within a phrase.
It is important to emphasize these notes with vibrato and weight. Bottesini's double bass music was full of these marks which were later removed by modern editors who feared that they would be mistaken for accents. I have not removed these markings because they often show the contours of the phrase.
The individual piano accompaniments to BEL CANTO; MELODIC STUDIES for the DOUBLE BASS are available through Zimmerman Press. With piano accompaniment, any of these studies would be appropriate on a recital.
Robert V. Zimmerman
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