TECHNICAL SUGGESTIONS WITH SELECTIONS FROM DRAGONETTI DOUBLE BASS CONCERTO IN LA MAJOR

Abstract

The first movement “Allegro Moderato” and the second movement “Andante” of this concerto, composed by Edouard Nanny and thought to be attributed to Domenico Dragonetti, which, although it was a soloist’s preference until 20-25 years ago, today remains at the level of learning and will undoubtedly benefit the student in terms of self-development, are the subject of my thesis (Sabuncu, 2021). During the years I taught at the University of North Texas in the United States of America, these two movements of the concerto, rather than the third movement, were the subject of this study because they were pedagogically preferred. It is worth mentioning briefly that the concerto in A major was notated in G major due to the solo tuning of the double bass for the performance of the work. The aim of this article, which is based on my doctoral thesis, is to provide a pedagogical path and recommendations for this original work through technical exercises and etudes that will provide maximum benefit for the preparation of this work and for possible parts that may pose problems in its performance. In this way, the study is intended to guide the student in the preparation of basic double bass technique and the two parts of the concerto under two main headings: “Intonation” and “Right Hand and Dynamics”.