ASPEN MUSIC EVENT WITH JOSHUA BELL & EDGAR MEYER -- WHAT IS A DOUBLE BASS?

Edgar Meyer (Photo credit: judy h)

On Friday, 7/13/2012, I attended my first Aspen Music Festival event of this summer season. The Aspen Chamber Symphony, conducted by Robert Spano and joined by guest artists Susanna Philips(vocalist – soprano), Joshua Bell (violin) and Edgar Meyer (double bass), performed three works reflecting the Aspen Music Festival’s summer  2012 theme, “Made in America”.

According to the Aspen Music Festival, this theme:

 “…features the music of three groups of recognized and much-beloved composers: the current musical luminaries on the North American scene; émigré composers who created significant music in America, from Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky to Hindemith, Bloch, and Bartok; and the entire school of American composers who studied in Europe and returned to establish a truly American school, including MacDowell, Chadwick, Copland, Antheil, Rorem, and many others…”

July 13, 2012, Aspen Music Festival Featured Works

 

“Knoxville Summer of 1915 .op 24” by Samuel Barber

“Concerto for Violin and Double Bass” by Edgar Meyer

“Symphony No. 4 in D minor, op 120” by Robert Schumann

What is the Double Bass?

Even though I’m not very well-versed in classical music and I had never heard of Samuel Barber, the name Schumann was familiar, and I had heard quite a bit about Joshua Bell and Edgar Meyer. I was excited to see this event and I was especially curious to see a “double bass”.

As I said, there are a lot of things I don’t know about classical music, but I thought I basically knew the instruments. I was confused, however, when I read the description for the event and saw the term, “double” bass.  I had heard of the “string bass” or “stand-up bass”, but not double bass – I thought it might be a different instrument. In fact, because of this, during the entire event, I focused on the Bass section to look for differences between their instruments and that which Edgar Meyer was to play. I saw none.

After some post-concert research, I confirmed that the various names all referred to the same musical device. As far as the use of the term, double, I also learned that:

“The instrument's standard English name, double bass may be derived from the fact that it is approximately twice as large as the cello, or because the double bass was originally used to double the cello part an octave lower. It has also been suggested that the name derives from its viol family heritage, in that it is tuned lower than the standard bass viola da gamba. The name also refers to the fact that the sounding pitch of the double bass is an octave below the bass clef. The name contrabass comes from the instrument's Italian name, contrabbasso.” - http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Double_bass

The Aspen Music Festival Event Experience

 

My first Aspen Music Festival event of the season did not disappoint. I enjoyed Barber’s piece well enough and the Schumann symphony was entertaining and provided a dose of what I normally think of as “Classical” music. The highlight for me, though, was the “Concerto for Violin and Double Bass” featuring Joshua Bell and Edgar Meyer.

Though not as traditional in my mind as the Schumann piece, it entertained with an interesting, contemporary and different kind of flair. I particularly liked the masterful juxtaposition of the violin and double bass solo parts.

Joshua Bell, who remembers attending the Aspen Music Festival as a 15 year old student and “…howit changed his life” was exciting as well as excellent. I now understand why he commands such acclaim. I was more amazed, though, at how quickly notes can be played on thick bass strings. Edgar Meyer, a “frequent Music Festival guest and current member of the Aspen Music Festival”, accomplished this masterfully.

I found this work engaging because it featured true stars that are good friends and that both have close ties to the Aspen Music Festival; and it highlighted the reputation and quality of the Aspen Music Festival and School itself. Conductor, Robert Spano even suggested that although there were currently no other up-and-coming Joshua Bells or Edgar Meyers on the stage because they, like all stars, are unique, there surely were other individuals in that very orchestra capable of achieving similar success and acclaim in their future careers.  I will watch for them!