While repertoire for the double bass may not be as abundant as cello or violin repertoire, there are some fantastic works to explore going back as early as the Classical Era.

While most of the double bass writing before the 20th Century consisted of orchestral excerpts, there were several standout sonatas and concertos to emerge from this time.

As the 20th Century unfolded, composers sought new ways to approach the instruments of the orchestra they knew well, and plenty of inventive and beautiful solo pieces for the double bass emerged.

In this post, we’ll take you through the highlights of the solo double bass repertoire - from grandiose double bass concertos to fun solo works, there’s a lot to unpack here.

Let’s jump into it!

Domenico Dragonetti - 12 Solo Waltzes

Italian composer Domenico Dragonetti, often considered the “Paganini of the Bass”, composed his 12 Waltzes for Solo Double Bass to be more of a collection of etudes showcasing the breadth of technical possibilities on the bass.

Dragonetti himself was arguably the best double bass player in the world in his time.

By age 13 he was appointed as the principal bass in the Opera Buffa in Venice, and quickly gained fame throughout Europe.

This said, it can be expected that one of his most prominent works for bass would require a significant technical facility to pull off.

Dragonetti’s 12 Solo Waltzes for Double Bass remain some of the most challenging works for the double bass, but are excellent etudes for developing technique.

Jan Křtitel Vaňhal - Double Bass Concerto in D

Jan Křtitel Vaňhal’s Double Bass Concerto in D has become a staple of the double bass repertoire. 

Editions of the piece have emerged in C and D, made playable for modern basses.

The concerto is an amazing display of the vast potential the double bass has to sing beautiful, soaring lines, just as a cello would in its mid-upper register.

If you thought the double bass was only effective as a cello doubling or a resonance machine in the low-end, this concerto will prove that wrong.

Iconic double bass player Petru Iuga teaches this concerto in this course, available exclusively on tonebase Double Bass:

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Mieczysław Weinberg - Sonata for Solo Double Bass, Op. 108

Mieczysław Weinberg, while historically hidden under the shadow of his close friend Dmitri Shostakovich, is nonetheless one of the great musical geniuses of the Soviet Era. 

The same is said about his Sonata for Solo Double Bass, which didn’t receive much of any attention until its publication in 2005 - over 30 years since its composition.

The piece was popularized by Nabil Shehata and Joel Quarrington, who both released significant recordings of the work.

While on paper the music may not appear to be too difficult, the sonata requires incredible control of lyricality. Harmonics, tricky double-stops, and rapid tempo changes require the player to be alert at all times, even when the music is slow and lethargic.

Giovanni Bottesini - Double Bass Concerto No. 2

Giovanni Bottesini is known as one of if not the most prominent double bass players and composers from the 19th Century.

While his compositions were mostly limited to the double bass, the pieces he did write for the bass were nothing but masterful.

Of his output, his Double Bass Concerto No. 2 is perhaps the most well-known work of his, and is cherished by double bass players around the world.

It’s successful at deploying the entirety of the bass’s usable register, and does so in a way that is compelling at all times.

Serge Koussevitzky - 4 Pieces for Double Bass and Piano

Serge Koussevitzky is another renowned double bass player and composer, active throughout the late 19th-early 20th Centuries.

Similar to Bottesini, he was active as a composer, conductor, and double bass virtuoso, and made significant strides as all three.

While he had a huge conducting career (he was the conductor of the BSO who commissioned Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Ravel’s arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition, among others), his work as a double bass player and composer has cemented him further in classical music history. 

His output as a composer is limited, but the works he did compose take the double bass to completely new heights.

These pieces - his 4 Pieces for Double Bass - are some of the most oozing and gorgeous works for the double bass to this day.

They embody a truly lyrical side of the double bass that also feel grounded in the qualities that make the double bass as timbrally significant as it is.

John Deak - B.B. Wolf

John Deak’s B.B. Wolf is just as playful as it is virtuosic.

The title refers to the “Big Bad Wolf”, the infamous villain in the fable “The Three Little Pigs”.

The piece, while featuring incredibly compelling double bass writing, gives the player narration opportunities - the player recites a monologue from the perspective of the Big Bad Wolf throughout, and the music in between the text reflects the emotional character of the wolf in that moment.

Regardless (or perhaps because) of the piece’s outlandish humor, it has still gone on to become one of the most prominent works for solo double bass.

Missy Mazzoli - Dark with Excessive Bright

Shining light to something from today’s era, Missy Mazzoli’s Dark with Excessive Bright is truly its title.

This contrabass concerto is a luminescent work full of exploratory textures and breathtaking writing for the bass, as well as some mesmerizing writing for the accompanimental string orchestra.

Commissioned in 2018 for bassist Maxime Bibeau, the work feels grounded in the 21st Century aesthetic climate it originates from, but also gives the bass player room to really project and play in dialogue with the other string players.

The 12 minute work is a kaleidoscope of a piece that never loses momentum, and the bass writing is sure to captivate.

Conclusion

There are truly no boundaries for what can be done with the double bass, and this brief list of repertoire is just a glimpse into the amazing music written for the instrument.

From explosive double bass concertos to playful contemporary works, there is something for every listener and performer.

If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about mastering your double bass repertoire, check out tonebase Double Bass.

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Happy practicing!