Romance for Contrabass and Orchestra, by Patrick Neher (2018) This short (7:30) vignette is not a difficult piece. Orchestra is small: One of each: oboe, bassoon, clarinet, trumpet, euphonium (or bass trombone), tuba, tympani, triangle, and a moderate strings section.
This piece is published in three additional formats:
~ for solo cello and orchestra.
~ for solo bass and small wind ensemble
~ for chamber orchestra alone (no soloist)
Go to our purchase site to rent or buy
Patrick Neher has very recently completed his second concerto for contrabass and orchestra. He also has recorded it, along with Concerto #1 “Pop” on a new demo CD produced by ISG Publications and Bellingham Technical Orchestra (available now). If you want a demo copy of the CD, please use our inquiry page.
Concerto #2 is a bit more “serious” than Concerto #1 “Pop” and a tad longer. It utilizes the entire range of the double bass and has a special tuning to catch some interesting harmonics (G,D,A,D) but it can be played in regular tuning. The piece is of an expected three-movement structure, Allegro vivace, Lento (Pastoral Potpourri), and Vivace giocoso (Rondo) and orchestrated for full symphony orchestra.
Concert score (13 x 10 inches) and instrumental orchestral parts are now available for rent or purchase. The solo contrabass part and study score (8.5 x 11 inches) are sold separately. Buy here.
Patrick Neher has just finished writing his first concerto for double bass. Concerto #1 “Pop” for Contrabass and Orchestra is three movements, playful, energetic, and “not too long” (12:00 minutes). It is contemporary sounding but very accessible on first hearing with catchy melodies. It is an exciting new piece for the double bass repertory!
Patrick Neher plays Concerto #1 “Pop” for Contrabass and Orchestra, with The Bellingham Technical Orchestra (3rd mvt.). Orchestrated for chamber orchestra (1,1,1,2,2; 1,1,1; tymp, perc,4,4,3,3,2) and solo contrabass, the sheet music, study score with solo part, performance score and parts can by purchased at ISG Publications.
A piano reduction is being created and will be released soon.
We asked Patrick why, in all his years of composing compositions with double bass, he never wrote a concerto: “I think it is because there are already so many concertos for double bass that really do a good job of showing off a player’s abilities. Before now, I didn’t think I had anything to contribute to the repertory. Now, I have a lot of ideas, and this will not be the only concerto for bass that I will write – promise!”
And why is it subtitled “Pop?” “Well, the second movement is an Elegy to my father who passed away a little more than a year ago. My Pop…. and the composition is very much in a sort-of Hollywood style!”
This new concerto is recommended for adept high-school and college players, as well as for professionals who want to apply their new techniques to a soon-to-be-popular piece!
See more compositions for double bass at ISG Publications
Patrick Neher’s latest commission is a virtuosic yet playful Romance for Violin and Piano, written for L.P. How, violinist, and Debra Ayers, pianist. – both residents of Santa Fe, New Mexico and internationally acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians. The three-movement composition explores the entire range of both instruments in somewhat jazzy style for the second movement, and in neo-romantic rhapsodic styles for the first and third movements. ISG Publications has rated the work at a Challenge Level of 8-9 (out of 10), being suitable for professional musicians. The work is scheduled to be recorded and premiered in the 2014-15 performance season, by How and Ayers, produced by ISG Music Promotions
For additional information and to buy the sheet music, go to our sheet music site.
Theodor Albin Findeisen (1881-1936) wrote Nixenreigen Fantasie, for double bass and piano, around 191
0-1912, and the work is his Opus 9. Dr. Robert Matheson, bassist, composer, arranger, and professor has brought this and other works of Findeisen to light in his doctoral thesis. Dr. Matheson has chosen ISG Publications to disseminate Findeisen’s compositions, that have been out of print or were never published.
Findeisen’s music represents the only compositions for solo double bass from the early twentieth century’s compositional style akin to Richard Strauss or early Schoenberg. It is rich, full, romantic, and challenging, with full use of chromaticism and counterpoint.
“Nixenreigen” is based on a poem that tells of a musician’s walk home one night through the woods, when met by fairies frolicking about and dancing to his music. To have the double bass play the lead role in this story is quite a feat in itself. The entire range of the instrument is utilized in the composition, and even though the lyricism is beautiful, it is a wonderful technical challenge for any student or professional bassist.
ISG Publications is proud to present this newly published composition.