Informationen zu "Bernhard Alt Ed: David Heyes Suite Double Bass Quartet"
Verlag: Recital Music
Verlagsnummer: RM620
EAN: 9790570456208
ISMN: M-57045-620-8
Beschreibung
Basses 1 & 2 play in solo tuning - Basses 3 & 4 play in orchestral tuning
Bernard Alt and Arcady Dubensky, two names probably only known amongst
bassists, composed the first two double bass quartets ever. The Alt quartet
was premiered and published in 1933, although it is unknown if it was written
that year, and Dubensky's work was completed on 16 May 1933 in New York,
although it is unknown when it was premiered and had to wait for almost 80
years before it was published. Which was written first? We will probably
never know, but both are interesting and inventive works in their own right,
and were a good and positive start for a medium which has flourished and
developed immeasurably throughout the second half of the 20th-century.
Interestingly, both composers were also violinists and each wrote for double
bassists in their orchestra - Alt for the Berlin Philharmonic and Dubensky
for the New York Philharmonic. Bernard Alt is little known today even amongst
bassists, and information about him is scant, but published details state
that he was born on 7 April 1903 in Silesia and studied violin at the Stern
Conservatoire and the Hochschule fur Musik in Berlin. Apparently he also
studied violin privately with Paul Juon and Alfred Wittenberg (1928-1945),
and joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as a first violinist. Alt
composed a number of works for his Philharmonic colleagues, including suites
for trombones and flutes, and his four movement Suite for double bass quartet
is probably still the work by which he is best known. Bernhard Alt died on 7
February 1945 in Berlin. Klaus Stoll writes: '...Four members of the already
widely celebrated double-bass section of the Berlin Philharmonic gave the
Suite its first performance in 1933. The great success of this occasion
encouraged the ensemble to give many more performances, including some in the
Berlin Philharmonic's subscription concert series, and inspired other
composers to write similar works.' The performers were Linus Wilhelm,
Herrmann Menzel, Alfred Kruger and Arno Burckhardt. There was no template for
a double bass quartet in the 1930s, although many examples of cello quartets
existed, and both Alt and Dubensky pursued different paths to solve the same
problems. The four stringed bass, tuned in fourths, favours a number of keys
particularly in the higher registers, and Alt's solution, probably informed
and inspired by his double bass colleagues, was to use two tunings - basses 1
and 2 are in solo tuning and basses 3 and 4 are in orchestral tuning. Th.A.
Findeisen also used the same tunings a year later in Leipzig, but Dubensky
favoured a single tuning, again probably decided by his New York Philharmonic
bass colleagues, and both ideas are eminently workable and successful. One
other issue is the problem of the generally low tessitura of the double bass
quartet and Alt uses an S.A.T.B. approach, with each bass inhabiting its own
particular register, ensuring clarity and space between the four parts. Bass
1 is in treble clef almost exclusively, bass 2 is a little lower and using
the alto range, bass 3 is the tenor voice of the ensemble and venturing
towards thumb position, and bass 4 acts as the grounding for the quartet.
There are many ways to write successfully for double bass quartet, and many
ways to exploit the unique characteristics of the instrument, and the first
works by Alt, Dubensky and Findeisen have spawned a wealth of amazing and
inventive works over the last 80 years. 'Alt's thinking about how four basses
might work together is expressed in a warm, post-Brahms style, and cast in
four neo-classical movements. The Preludium strikes a serious, even
melancholic pose, the Menuet juxtaposes beer-hall oom-pah-pahs with high,
tight chords and a darker section, the richly harmonized Adagio glows warmly,
the Humoreske revels in textural contrasts. Alt exploits the full range of
the instrument and standard techniques - the melody in harmonics over the top
of the Humoreske, for example - and his music here is direct in form and
content. It is lyrical, with clearly defined foreground and background, but
even the accompaniments are eloquent and the ensemble interaction sure. In
the context of its time and place, Alt's 'Romantique' Suite might seem quaint
hausmusik. From here it seems a doughty survivor, a tribute to sustaining
pleasure of chamber music.' [John Henken, LA Philharmonic website] Alt's
Suite is in four contrasting movements and lasts around 12-13 minutes. The
opening Praeludium is slow and stately and in the key of B minor, with basses
1 and 2 written in A minor for solo tuning. Marked 'Grave' (crotchet = 46),
it has a slow moving chordal accompaniment with gently shifting harmonies and
an upward moving theme for bass 1, which eventually develops into a solo
cadenza employing several effective double stops, before the opening theme is
restated but with a staccato accompaniment, slowly dying away to an octave
unison B. A gentle and elegant Menuett (Grazioso, con eleganza) follows, with
a simple and lilting waltz theme which is played by bass 1. A brief three bar
interlude, played entirely in harmonics, makes excellent use of the two
tunings, before leading into a more urgent and rhythmic middle section and a
staccato feel which beautifully contrasts the easy going return of the
opening theme. The third movement (Adagio, crotchet = 54) is probably the
emotional heart of the suite and, while the other movements are more
characteristic in style this has more depth and drama and is also the longest
of the four. Essentially a 'song without words', bass 1 is accompanied by the
other basses, often in rhythmic unison but with the occasional flourish to
add interest and variety. There is scope to explore a wide range of colours
and timbres and to exploit the lyrical and sonorous qualities of the double
bass quartet medium. A lively and rhythmic Humoreske (Allegretto) is fun and
light-hearted, although the Trio is slower and tranquil, creating an even
greater contrast with the bucolic opening and closing music. No great
emotional depths are plumbed here, but the music is well written for four
basses and there is scope for the players to shine and show off their lighter
and more humorous capabilities and sensibilities. First published in 1933 by
Carl Merseburger (Leipzig), the Suite was re-copyrighted by Friedrich
Hofmeister Musikverlag (Leipzig) in 1954 and has been in print ever since.
The music is fun, stylish, charming, elegant and rhythmic, and would have
been a revelation to audiences in the 1930s. Bernhard Alt composed music
which is always entertaining, with no movement outstaying its welcome, and is
an effective, accessible and light-hearted addition to any quartet programme,
even into the 21st-century. The musical styles may be slightly out of date in
the more sophisticated 21st-century, but this is still a great study or
recital piece for students to develop a range of ensemble and musical skills
with also has much to commend it for the advanced or professional quartet. It
is important to remember and celebrate our rich heritage and, whilst the
likes of Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Shostakovich were ploughing a different
and more challenging furrow, there is still space for the music of Alt and
the early pioneers of the double bass quartet and an opportunity to remember
a far gentler style, time and pace of life. Music to enjoy rather than to
challenge there is nothing wrong with that... David Heyes
