Tag Archives: bass

Two Springtime Arias for basses

Patrick Neher’s new Two Springtime Arias for Two Contrabasses and Piano is now available on our contrabass in ensembles page. (be sure to scroll down the page to find it!)

This lyrical work, written in the spring of 2022, reflects on emotions of hope, sadness, joyfulness, frivolity, and curiousness. It is in two movements: “After Noon’s Lament” and “Reminiscence.” Performance time is just over 13 minutes. The composition is written for accomplished bassists of equal playing ability; amateurs and professionals. It is a good pedagogical piece as well but is designed for performance. The piano part requires a good command of the piano but is not terribly challenging – an accomplished student of accompanying will enjoy the expressive yet co-collaborative nature of the part.

Patrick Neher says; “Two Springtime Arias was written during the world-wide pandemic of Covid 19. When there was a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel, in the spring of 2022, I was inspired to compose an uplifting and challenging duet for basses, that expresses hope for a return to adventurousness; hope for a return to questing for knowledge (and shuttering of popular complacency). The duet is to be romantically interpreted with liberal tempo changes and rubato. While playing and working together, bassists will enjoy the comradship combined with feelings of accomplishment that they have created something meaningful… And they will have fun playing toegther!” ~PN, Dec. 2022

Audio Examples: Mvt.1 “After Noon’s Lament” and Mvt.2 “Reminiscence” both examples performed by Patrick Neher but are not intended to be the only “proper” interpretation. We’d like to hear Your Way!

Go to ISG’s contrabass in ensembles page to purchase.

Character Waltzes for Bass and Piano

Neher-CharacterWaltzes

ISG Publications announces the Second Edition of Patrick Neher’s Character Waltzes for Double Bass and Piano. This work, composed in 2014, is approximately 10-12 minutes and is four lyrical and short waltzes based on theatrical characters (there are “Izia”, “Marco”, “Frankie”,  and “Josephine”).

The level of challenge is rated at 8 (out of 10) for the composition’s use of the entire range of the double bass and having challenge equal to a professional bassist’s ability. See a video performance, for more information, samples, and ordering information, please head over to our music for contrabass page. For more information on Patrick Neher and his compositions, please click here.

ISG Publications / ISG Music Promotions is dedicated to publishing, presenting, and promoting today’s composers of music for double bass, cello, strings, and other instruments in combinations and solos that provide challenge for the player and lyrical yet contemporary accessibility for audiences.

patrickneher.com
patrick neher.com

Giampaolo Bracali – Soliloquy

Second Edition

ISG Publications is please to release the Second Edition of Giampaolo Bracali’s competition solo, Soliloquy. The late Maestro Bracali composed Soliloquy for the 2005 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, and it was the required new music piece for the competition. Though played by numerous bassists at the time, it seems to have been forgotten. With this issuance, we’d like to remind bassists of this seminal work. It is mostly lyrical and utilizes the entire range of the bass. Though a tad challenging for most bassists, it is a great study piece as well as a deeply thoughtful concert work. The Second Edition is attractively covered and printed with good contrast for your music stand. A PDF version for tablets is also available.

Please see our Contrabass Solos page for more information and purchasing.

New Release Pedagogy – Negri Two Studies

LUIGI NEGRI was a not-so-famous bassist of the 19th century. Born in 1837, he managed to make a name for himself even though overshadowed by Giovanni Bottesini. As a former student of Bottesini’s teacher, Luigi Rossi, and as successor to the head of the conservatory in Milan, he had a fair number of bass students and produced numerous compositions and etudes.

These two studies, Gran Studio no.1 and Studio no. 24, are from a compilation of studies that Negri produced around the year 1862. The book consisted of mostly violin studies (by such teachers as Kreisler), adapted by Negri for bass. But the two published here by ISG Publications are his original compositions and deserve to be re-published. They give us insight into the demands of bassists at the time – when Donizetti, Puccini, and Verdi were writing operas with very challenging (sometimes) bass parts!

Though not the most inspired of compositions, bassist will today be mightily challenged by these two studies, to play in the 19th century opera buffa style and Play in Tune!! You can obtain your copy of these two studies of Luigi Negri at our Pedagogy Page or our solo contrabass compositions page.

Dittersdorf Sonata for viola & contrabass, or 2 basses

DittersdorfKarl Ditters Von Dittersdorf composed this Sonata in Eb for viola and contrabass sometime in the 1780s. This new edition is a completely revised editing and arrangement of the work. The editing, done by Patrick Neher, professor of music, takes into account the two existing scores of the piece and adapts much to accommodate the modern double bass. It is thought that the music was composed for the Viennese Contrabass, tuned in D major. So, an edition for two basses has been produced as well. Both editions are available NOW!

DittersPg1To order the new edition of the Dittersdorf Sonata in Eb for viola and contrabass, or the Sonata in D for two contrabasses, go to our sheet music sales site:
ISG Publications

DittersBassesp1

ISG Publications publishes interesting sheet music for concert, and some pedagogical works. All of our titles have cello or double bass play prominent roles, and provide substantial challenge to the players to keep musicians and audience engaged for years.