Inhalt:
Heyes, D., ed
ORCHESTRAL TUNING See RM558 for Solo Tuning edition The 'Dragonetti
Concerto' was first published in 1925 by Alphonse Leduc in Paris as No.23 of
Edouard Nanny's 'Les Classiques de la Contrebasse'. For many years no one
questioned its authenticity, but as more research into Dragonetti's original
works for double bass was made, concerns began to arise. Many of Dragonetti
manuscripts survive in the British Library, thanks to Vincent Novello who
donated them in 1849, three years after Dragonetti's death and on Novello's
retirement to Italy, but there is no original manuscript for this work. As
bassists began to edit and perform a wide range of Dragonetti's works it
became clear that this concerto bore little resemblance to any of his other
pieces. The work does, however, have many similarities to Nanny's Concerto
for double bass, also to his other solo works and even studies from his
Method. Eventually most people came to the conclusion that this work is not
an original work by the great Venetian bassist but is by Edouard Nanny, and
in the style of the late 18th-century. Having said that, this is still a
charming and evocative work which has much player and audience appeal and is
very easy on the ears. Many of the challenges for the soloist are technical
and, almost a century after its first publication, it is still as popular as
ever. Published in 1925, the first movement was performed at London's Wigmore
Hall on 15 April the following year by Victor Watson (double bass) and Sidney
Crooke (piano), and was described a 'Contrabass Concerto by Dragonetti-Nanny.
ERRATA: Piano part: page 8 (1st movement), bar 87 - final chord of bar in
right hand should be C/D/F# - a dominant 7th chord in G major Edouard Nanny
was an important French double bassist and teacher, also composing and
transcribing many works for double bass. He was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
on 24 March 1872 and he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Professor
Verrimst, also teaching there from 1920-1940. He performed often as a
soloist, also working as an orchestral bassist with many orchestras such as
the Paris Symphony Orchestra, Concerts Lamoureux and the Orchestra de l'Opera
Comique, and in 1901 he founded the Henry Casadeus Society of Old
Instruments, chaired by Camille Saint-Saens, and intended to revive the works
from the past centuries. Nanny's Method for double bass is still in print,
over 90 years since its first publication and both volumes contain a wealth
of excellent technical studies and exercises which are as relevant today as
they were in the 1920s. His other volumes of studies are mostly out of print
and Recital Music plan to reprint some of his orginal works for double bass,
transcriptions and educational music to keep alive the name of Edouard Nanny
into the 21st-century. Edouard Nanny died in Paris in 1942. ERRATA: Piano
part: page 8 (1st movement), bar 87 - final chord of bar in right hand should
be C/D/F# - a dominant 7th chord in G major