The Baroque Double Bass Violone - Tapa dura

For double bassists interested in assessing the original documents for themselves, I can think of no better introduction to the subject, or list of sources...a tremendous amount of information may be gleaned from Planyavsky's book. Much praise is due both to the author, for his pioneering, inspiring and long-standing contributions to this field, and the translator, James Barket, for having made them widely accessible to the English-speaking community at last. * Bass World * A rich history of the violone is developed both in prose and in 58 illustrations...an important work to have rendered in English...an important read for anyone interested in the early history of stringed instruments. * CASJ * ...an important resource for double bassists and others interested in the origin and evolution of the instrument. -- Jerry Fuller * The Strad * Planyavsky's book is full of very valuable information. Now that it is available in English there is no longer an impediment keeping players of these large instruments from learning about their history. * Early Music * Planyavsky's significant contributions to the English-language musical literature could stimulate the continued development of bass playing by enlightening players and their public as to the bassist's role in orchestra, chamber music, and solo playing, as well as the bassist's place in history. * Strings * He has been the most prolific writer on this subject during the last thirty years...a tremendous amount of information may be gleaned from Planyavsky's book. Much praise is due both to the author, for his pioneering, inspiring and long-standing contributions to this field, and the translator, James Barket, for having made them widely accessible to the English-speaking community at last. * International Society Of Bassists * ...Planyavsky's book...should lead the way to future studies in early bass instrumentation. * Journal of The American Musical Instrument Society *

In the nineteenth century, use of the violone, a bass instrument with many sizes and variations, was nearly eliminated from musical repertoires, and its traditional parts were parceled out to other instruments such as the violoncello. The following phases of revival of the double-bass have been hampered by a lack of physical evidence and diligent research into the historical uses of the instrument. The Baroque Double Bass Violone is a comprehensive study that examines a cross-section of standard works to enhance contemporary violone research, and provide information for musicologists, music publishers, ensemble leaders, and revivalists, all of whom have been unable to reconstruct an essential part of Baroque music. This translation finally makes the most exhaustive study of the double bass violone accessible to English-speaking musical enthusiasts. The book includes lists of terminology, the most comprehensive bibliography to date, and 48 illustrations that make this a compendium of string bass research.