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Frank Proto
Duo No. 2 for Violin and Double Bass
By Frank Proto
Blending different string instruments together has always
been a favorite activity among both composers and performers. The traditional string
quartet (2 violins, viola and cello) has of
course been the all-time favorite chamber music ensemble. From its early days
beginning with Haydn, through most of the great composers of the 19th
and 20th centuries, the quartet still reigns supreme. It's no wonder that this
combination is such a favorite. For the composer it offers at least four voices
over a 6-octave range combined with an expansive tonal palate and almost
unlimited virtuosity available at a moments notice. Listeners can experience
the ensemble in a wide variety of settings from a moderate size concert hall to
a living room.
Less common but still very popular, especially among
performers, is the duo. There have been
hundreds of works created, many by major composers, utilizing various
combinations of two string instruments, but combining the violin and the double
bass, with each instrument treated equally, still remains an unusual adventure
even in these opening years of the 21st century. In the past, many
reasons were given for this state of affairs; the most common being that the
competence of bassists was not up to the same prowess of their smaller
brethren. To any observer of the musical scene over the past 50 years it is
obvious that this theory has been put to rest. While it is undeniably true that
the classical music world reacts
to any form of change ever so slowly and customarily with great suspicion, even
those guardians of the status quo - whose mission is to protect us from any
alien matter and other corrupting influences that might infect our art - have
begun to see the light. Bassists are now being allowed into the neighborhood!
The Duo No. 2 for Violin and Double Bass was written in 2004 for violinist Larrie Howard and
myself. Like my Duo No. 1, it is
in four contrasting movements, calling for two stylistically versatile players.
The sections in the third movement calling for free
improvisations, based first on a short tone row and then on a group of related
phrases, can go in many directions. Rather than suggesting where I think that
they should go, I'll instead encourage the bassist to be aware of the musical
atmosphere that the work has inhabited and attempt to compliment its flavor.
Try to resist the temptation to work out and
play the same phrases (licks) each time. It's an improvisation after all! Use the violin part as a guide. Is it an
accompaniment or should it be treated as an equal? All answers are correct
– or wrong too.
The first performance of the Duo No. 2 took place on March 21, 2006 as part of the 2006
Hawaiian Contrabass Festival. The violinist was Darel Stark and the bassist was
Frank Proto.
