Thank You, George
Chamber pieces that include the double bass in early classical music repertoire is generally very sparse. Experts in the instrument were not easy to find, as its lineage was still fairly unexplored. The instrument itself had only just began to show up in ensembles in the 1600s, and its form and design were still widely different form region to region. Many considered the lower octaves to bee to intrusive and muddy for small works, and experimentations into the capabilities of its range were still limited. The tuning and intonation changed based on the musician, and the major nations all had their preferred bowing styles and fingerings. In short, there was little standardizations, and composers rarely had experience with its use until a few key personas stepped into the scene to give the double bass some light.
One fairly underappreciated figure in today’s world is George Onslow (July 1784- Oct 1853). In his time, he was a celebrated composer. He was elected the second Honorary Fellow of the Philharmonic Society of London, (Felix Mendelssohn was the first) and his compositions were premiered by some of the most prestigious musicians of the time period. Fredrick Chopin and Franz Liszt played his Grand Sonata for four hands, Op. 22 at their debut joint performance in Paris, 1834. Onslow created famous compositions throughout the 1820s in France and abroad, and was widely known for his trios, quartets, and quintets. This notoriety was despite his lack of formal training or critical review, though Onslow’s wealth offered him all the leisure necessary to overcome these obstacles. In 1801, after being inspired by Étienne Méhul's opera Stratonice, his journey into the world of classical composition and performance began, and unexpectedly, the double bass would benefit from is endeavors.
George Onslow’s performance of his string quintet, Op. 32, one of the cellists was absent. Signore Dragonetti, famed double bass virtuoso was in the crowd. An audience member suggested that he take the place of the missing cellist, and Onslow protested, claiming, “No! No!! A hundred times no! My 10th Quintet is being performed for the first time, and, notwithstanding all the talent which I recognize in Signor Dragonetti, I am sure the contrabass will have a detestable effect. It will howl in the middle of the other instruments; and how will he be able to soften its formidable sound?” After a few trials of Onslow himself to perform the piece unsuccessfully, he resigned to allow Dragonetti a try. After the first 8 measures, the audience, including Onslow, sprang to its feet and burst into applause. Based on the performance, Onslow decided to make a bass part for all of his quintets for two cellos.
I have told this tale before, but I enjoy it so much I wanted to share it again in today’s blog. You can read more about Dragonetti in the feature article about him here. As for Onslow, his contributions are tremendous in the world of classical repertoire, however, his career is eclipsed in later years by those of greats like Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn. In his day, he succeeded these artists because of his accessibility, pleasant melodies, and compositions that favored small ensembles, making his work accessible to the average musician. His music is included in the publishing house of Pleyel, another great composer whose fame fell underneath the later successes of famous composers like Mozart. In his day, Camille Pleyel was a best-selling publisher of chamber works for the public. His concert hall, the Salle Pleyel, is renowned for being the home of Chopin’s first and last public concert in Paris.
Onslow’s his quintets, especially the ones that include double bass, are a joy to listen to. Here is his String Quintet no 26 Opus 67 Molto Moderato e Grandioso as performed by the St. George Quintet in Brussels, February 29th, 2016. Thanks for reading!