Practical approach
“By the end of the 1790s the stability and uniformity that had marked the orchestra for 50 years were eroding. From about 1815 on orchestras again entered into a period of rapid change. New instruments were introduced, and the balance among instruments changed. Four-part scoring was replaced by organization into sections of instrument. A new kind of orchestra leader emerged: the conductor, who directed the orchestra with a baton rather than by playing an instrument.[1]”
It is this new approach of the orchestral work and its color changing described by John Spitzer and Neal Zaslaw in their book, that we will try to identify in this practical approach.
Some examples of the idioms specific to the Viennese tuning:
In the whole solo literature for the Viennese violone, we can identify some idioms very specific to the instrument and its tuning.
What is very specific to this passage of the first Theme of the first movement of the 18th concerto of J. M. Sperger is that the performer will play it with all natural harmonics. Thanks to the Viennese tuning and the presence of the open “f#” string, the possibilities of different harmonics are extended. This gives this passage a very specific color and lightness.
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Viennese tuning “D, A, d, f#, a” |
Fourths tuning “E, A, d, g” |
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First movement “Adagio molto”, bars 15-25.
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Visually the hand is practically not moving in terms of fingerings, hand more compact. Frets give a lot of clarity to the scales; we can hear distinctively all the notes. |
Very good sound, a lot of fundaments. It works well. We hear a lot of nuances as the forte-piano and the accent. The only thing is that the articulation in the scale is not always perfect. |
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First movement “Allegro con brio”, bars 38-73.
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Thema very compact, more articulated because we limit movement and shifting. We can stay concentrated on the articulation. |
Nothing to say about the tuning specifically but in terms of articulation, we still do not get all the small notes. This difficulty to give full clarity of articulation is because of the shifts we have with the left hand in the realization of the small notes in this passage. When we get to the arpeggio, it is becoming more heavy than resonant. The positive point is that we have a lot of low frequencies which are impressive in the “forte” part. |
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First movement “Allegro con brio”, bars 77-80. |
The chords sound very good. The sound is clear. With the Viennese tuning, you can use a “barré” fingering to play the chords in one position. This is technically practical but also increases the resonance and the feeling of harmony. |
The arpeggios are very articulated, and we have a nice pulse at the beginning of each chord, but it stays a bit heavy in terms of sound. We hear the strings crossing in the octave jumps; it is difficult to not touch any other strings. |
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Second movement “Larghetto”, bars 48-55 and 142-148. |
Bars 48-55: In the first 3 bars, the presence of the frets and the possibility to play in “barré” give a lot of legato and phrasing to the line. After that, when we play the arpeggio, we get a lot of resonances. It's really pleasant because you can hear the full chord throughout the pattern which is really idiomatic for the Viennese tuning. Bars 142-148: The use of the open “f#” gives a lot of clarity to the chromatic line. All the notes here are played using the frets. The frets allow the pitch of the note to have the same brightness and sound as open strings. It is really easy to give the appropriate tension to the chromatism and it is quite audible as well. |
Bars 48-55: We can hear that the legato at the beginning of the Thema is better the second time. We must work on it to not get the sound to stop when we change the direction of the bow. The arpeggio is well articulated but we hear each note more than an arpeggio. There is no resonance. Bars 142-148: The passage works, but we hear the shift of string between the second and the first one. The color of the sound is a bit muffled at the start of the line, then becomes suddenly open after the “a flat” when we play the rest of the line on the top “g” strings. I do not hear a crescendo between the 2 and 3 bars when we still play on the second string to avoid an open “g”. |
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Fourth movement “Allegro molto”, bars 268-282. |
The chords sound very good. The sound is clear. All chord arpeggios can be played in one position. The frets make the notes sound clear and maintain the chord position. We only have to concentrate on the change of harmony. This is heard especially at the end of the passage. |
Very clear and clean passage. We can hear well all the notes equally in the arpeggios and the passage sound relatively easy. |
In general, we can conclude that Beethoven's Second Symphony is perfectly suited to the Viennese tuning and that many idioms related to this tuning can be found there.
Third symphony “Eroica” in Eb Major Op. 55: audio examples
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Viennese tuning “D, A, d, f#, a” |
Fourths tuning “E, A, d, g” |
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First movement “Allegro con brio”, bars 109-123.
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The line is perfect in terms of articulation, tone, and rhythm. We can really feel the harmonic line thanks to the clarity of the pitch of each note and the powerful “sforzandi”. |
The articulation of the line is perfect. We hear the change of rhythmical pattern and the accentuated notes. The notes have a clear pitch. Could hear more “sforzando” during the first four bars. |
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Second movement “Marcia Funebre Adagio assai”, bars 1-8. |
The second movement works really well with this specific Viennese-tuned instrument. It is an instrument from 1806, about the same period as the 3rd symphony. There is a lot of dark colour and projection in the sound, which is not usual with all Viennese instruments. |
The fourths tuning give a lot of lower tone which fit perfectly with the character of the “March”. The only thing is that the little appoggiaturas are not always perfect. |
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Fourth movement “Finale Allegro molto”, bars 160-173. |
Perfect. All the notes are very well articulated and with a very clear pitch in the chromaticism. Good harmony support. The Viennese tuning is practical because it allows less movement of the hand and less shifting. However, the presence of the frets and the fast articulations made the movement a bit tiring to play for the left hand in the long run. We have to give extra articulations and extend the fingers to get power and clarity. My general comment about playing that movement and the 3rd symphony in general with the Viennese violone is that it works but requires a good technic of the instrument. |
Perfect. All the notes are well articulated. The main direction and the harmonic line are well understandable. The double bass supports the harmony well. |
One of the big issues with the use of the Viennese tuning in the orchestra which increases with the evolution of the style of the music is the presence of the frets and the f# string.
As a player, I have tried different systems of tuning to apply to the Viennese instrument. How do I tune the frets to blend with the wind instrument and have the different sensibility of tuning that they will progressively bring to the orchestra. Do we have to tune them equally (temperament) or not? What importance should be attached to the open “f#” tuning? Whilst playing Beethoven’s symphonies with the Viennese tuning in professional HIP orchestras, I came across these questions and I tried to reflect on them.
What would be most practical is to tune the frets equally. It is the safest way to avoid problems with the orchestra and within the section, but your colleagues have to be aware of that if they don’t have frets. It is also what is suggested by Quantz in his treatise.[2] I took this as a good departure point, and experimented with it. My feelings, after several trials, is that I would keep in mind three other things:
First, I have the tendency to put the open “f#” a bit lower, to get a nice D-Major chord when you have such a situation. I wish to be able to use the chordal pattern that the Viennese tuning offers on the three top strings if the occasion arises. A second thing is that, for me, it is important to check the tuning of the “g” frets, especially on the second string, to get them in tune with the celli. This can avoid intonation problems when you are modulating a lot between pieces of the program. Lastly, if you want to get the best intonation possible, I suggest not playing too much open “f#”, or choosing carefully when you use it. I also mix the position used on the Viennese violone depending on the general color situation of the orchestra. This also helps to blend with the members of the section who are playing sometimes without frets when you play early 19th century repertoire. This thinking could be applied in each orchestral situation.
From the different analyses and experiments I did, as a player, I got the impression that the approach to the music of Beethoven must be different and more directed to the sound aesthetic we want to produce. I found the first and the second symphony of Beethoven more classical in style than the others. For me, the third symphony marks a transition in his music. Technically, the third symphony was playable on Viennese tuning, but I had the feeling that maybe I also need to give more power and ground to the sound to get the “Heroic” sound. It is the same feeling I got playing the fourth symphony on Viennese tuning. I could technically play the whole symphony, but I could not get enough direct projection and explosion in the “forte”, which was given by my colleague with a fourth tuning with a low “F”. So, I would conclude in my experiments that it was technically possible to play the 3rd and 4th symphonies of Beethoven with Viennese tuning, as a musician, I think I need to give more ground and direct projection to my sound. I would switch to a fourth tuning after the two first Beethoven symphonies.
Audio and video examples for Franz Schubert
The “Trout” Quintet D. 667: video examples
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Viennese tuning “D, A, d, f#, a” |
Fourths tuning “E, A, d, g” |
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First movement “Allegro vivace”, bars 1-25.
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The sound is really deep and clear. During the first pedal note, I can feel all the bass resonating. The presence of the frets makes the low notes clear and precise in the “crescendo”. I also like to play, especially the beginning with the low “F”, it is not obligatory, but it gives more power, more definition to the sound, and matches well with the piano line. |
The sound is clear with a lot of low tone and darkness, the bass is resonating well for the first crescendo in syncopations. |
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First movement “Allegro vivace”, bars 181-183 first beat.
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I would also play this passage with a low “F”. I would actually play the whole first movement with it. The low “F” makes string crossings easier, as well as the jumps to the first string at bars 183 and 185. I need to get a good articulation in the left hand to not get tired, but the frets help, and the line is more fluid. |
It works well, but I miss the continuity and the direction of the long phrase/line, because of the numerous shifts. With all the shifting, the part gets heavy, and I would like something light and fluid, which goes until the end of the section of 8 bars. |
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Fourth movement “Thema and variations”, Variation 1, bars 21-28a. |
In this variation, I can play all the chord arpeggios in one position. The frets help to give a clear tone to the notes. I only change when I have a change of harmony. For me, it gives more coherence in the line, and it resonates better. I can play my harmonic role. |
In this variation, the bass plays the harmonic chords in arpeggios. It is unpleasant to shift in the middle of them because it should be resonating as if you were playing them on the guitar. The shifting cuts the phrase and the resonance in the middle of the chord in the arpeggio. It happens each time in the two first chords of the pattern. For the 3rd and 4th ones, you can stay in one position, and you do not have the problem anymore. My aesthetic vision is that these chords must be beautifully constructed and resonant, to show harmony and give the tone.
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Fourth movement “Thema and variations”, Variation 4, bars 81-85 first beat. |
This variation is easier. I can concentrate on the work of the bow and make the general line come out. I have more sound on the final arpeggio. It also resonates more because of the high “a” in the natural harmonic. |
This variation is physically and technically demanding. Suddenly, I have to really pay attention to the intonation, especially in the last arpeggio. It is difficult to get a resonant sound and clear articulation compared to the cello. I suddenly must work more than in the rest of the quintet, to get a nice bass part, and yet it still sounds difficult and forced in the quality of the sound.
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I have played Schubert’s “Trout” quintet with various ensembles over the past 15 years, including international solo ensembles on modern double bass. I also had lessons at The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel with violist Miguel da Silva and pianist Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden. During these various work sessions at different stages of my journey as a double bass player, what emerged for me was that the “Trout” quintet by Schubert is generally not a technically challenging piece, but the piece’s fourth variation is technically much more difficult and soloistic.In this fourth variation, the cello and bass are brought to the forefront. The bass part is no longer in the comfortable register of the first positions on the neck, but must now play in arpeggios over two octaves, up to the top “a” (bar 84). Another issue was that it was difficult to get sufficient clarity on the lowest string of the bass. This clarity is important for constructing and balancing the chords with the left-hand piano part. However, I found that using the Viennese tuning can make the technical level of the work more homogeneous and provide better clarity, resonance, and overall effect. It is also what I concluded from my experiments. The fourth variation is played using a single position and simply switching from one string to the other, as visible in the video example.The fact of staying in a single position allows us to concentrate on the leading notes and to bring out the harmonic line, which is our main role in this piece. The frets also give more clarity to the bass and allow for better construction and balance of the voices. If we consider the entire piece, the resonance rendered by the D-Major tuning adds to the overall effect.
Octet in F Major D. 803: audio examples
Schubert’s other chamber music piece with a beautiful double bass part is his octet in F Major D. 803. After my experience with the “Trout” quintet, I wanted to do the same experiment with the octet, even though there was no evidence it was played on Viennese tuning. I found that the first entrance of the bass with an open “F” would sound well and bring out the tonality. I also found that the musical patterns were close to the bass part of the “Trout” in both the treatment and in the rhythms used.
After the experiment, I found that the Viennese tuning with bass in F adds a unique color to the bass part. It also gives more weight to the low F in the open string and gives more effect and resonance to the line. I also like the articulation and the brightness the frets give to the sound.
Overture “im italienischen Stil” for orchestra in C Major D. 591.
In this overture, I would like first to point out this first passage that we can link directly to a passage of the “Trout” quintet. We can clearly observe that they are similar in rhythm and string crossing to show the tonality with the quint in the overture and the octave in the “Trout”.
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Viennese tuning “D, A, d, f#, a” |
Fourths tuning “E, A, d, g” |
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Bars 83-92.
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This passage is a typical classical idiom, which perfectly suits the Viennese tuned violone. With the Viennese tuning, I experimented not only with playing all the passages with an open chord of D Major, but also to take first the “a” on the second string, and then when I wanted more crescendo, I changed to open strings to get the full resonance of the chord. It did work very well. The effect on the open chord after did add something in the crescendo. Also, when I tried the open chord on the piano, I did have too much resonance. The Viennese tuning gave a bright and joyful sound. |
The passage sounds very articulate and spiccato. I partly miss the impression of chord-arpeggios, but it is really easy to make the crescendo and to get precision. The passage can give a lot of punch, but we miss the resonance of the chord and the articulation when we get to the “forte”. |
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Bars 208 to the end. |
These bars were technically an effect. Because of the frets and the tuning, we can move less and play the chord in “G” in one bow gesture, with an “extension” fingering. It was technically possible to achieve this with the Viennese tuning, even without a “g” open string. |
With the tempo, these bars are quite technical. The hand moves a lot, and I am hiding notes to get only the important ones played. The rest of the line comes with the gesture. Anyway, it is practical to have the open “g” strings. |
4th symphony “Tragic” in C minor D. 417
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Viennese tuning “D, A, d, f#, a” |
Fourths tuning “E, A, d, g” |
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First movement “Allegro vivace”, bars 39-59.
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The sound is clear. The frets allow the pitch of the notes to be distinctive and give clarity and extra articulation to the little notes. The syncopations are very powerful thanks to the clear articulation and dark resonance of the bass. We get a lot of relief in the accents and syncopations. The clarity and the brightness of the instrument enhance the motives. |
The sound is clear with a lot of low tone and darkness. I find it difficult to clearly articulate the small notes each time. The syncopations on the fourth string sound a bit less clear in the articulation and the pitch of the note. The sound projection is easy. |
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Third movement “Menuetto Allegro vivace”, bars 1-14. |
The excerpt is easy and works well. We get a very precise pitch even in the low register and on the accentuated notes. |
The excerpt is easy. It sounds very articulated, but gets confusing in the low chromatism of bars 3 and 4. |
After these comparisons of excerpts of Schubert played on Viennese tuning and some excerpts played on fourths tuning, I had the opportunity to play the first movement of the 7th “unfinished symphony” in B minor D. 759 in a professional HIP orchestra. To play this first movement on Viennese tuning was interesting. We were playing a “bel canto” program with the soprano Julia Lezhneva in which several orchestral pieces were played between the “Arias”. This program included pieces by Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, and Rossini. My colleagues and I came up with the idea to have all the different historical tunings used for each composer in the bass section. Using the Viennese tuning gave clarity to the bass line, which is principally on the two low strings. It was very effective in the tutti bass solo and its descending chromatic line and gave the pulse at the percussive motive of the beginning. My only concern is that, if I had been alone as a player, I would have maybe missed the dark color of the sounds that give that tension to the movement.
In conclusion, for me, it is really interesting to use the Viennese tuning for Schubert’s works, although it can also work with fourths tuning. In the excerpts, I tried to choose passages with different aesthetics, and I found the results both surprising, and interesting. I find that, as a performer, the Viennese tuning gives a lot of clarity and colour to the bass line. Schubert’s writing is still marked by many classical motifs. The lighter colour of the Viennese violone, and the clarity it gives, help to further shape the bass pattern, and bring out the harmonic and rhythmic lines through the orchestra. Schubert gives the bass a lot of rhythmic details, which the clarity, and the brightness of the Viennese violone sound, can enhance. The presence of frets also allows for better definition. I am not talking about sound color as in Beethoven’s case, but it allows for more relief in accents and syncopations used by Schubert. For me, even if we cannot be certain of his intentions, the Viennese tuning gives a lot of quality to the performance of early Schubert’s works.
Audio examples for Felix Mendelssohn
My approach to experimenting with Mendelssohn's music was different from that of Beethoven and Schubert. As I did not have the opportunity to play his music in professional situations, I thought it would be interesting to listen, and to analyze some recordings of his music made with the Viennese tuning. I wanted to be able to reflect as a Viennese tuning player but also as a listener to have a broader perspective on the use of Viennese tuning. For that, I listened to some recordings made by the 18th Century Orchestra. When they recorded Mendelssohn’s symphonies, the whole bass section was playing on Viennese tuned violones for some of them depending on their general aesthetic.
I chose three symphonies for this analysis. The 3rd and the 4th symphonies were played with the whole basses with five strings tuned in Viennese tuning, and for the 5th symphony, the basses were tuned in fourths with four strings.
3rd Symphony “Scottish” op. 56. Frans Brüggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century
4th Symphony “Italian” op. 90. Frans Brüggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century
5th Symphony “Reformation” op. 107. Frans Brüggen, Orchestra of the 18th Century
The impression of the musicians in the orchestra, when they played and recorded the 3rd and 4th symphonies, was that the Viennese tuning gave the perfect colour they expected from the music. It gives brilliance and resonance to the bass part, which perfectly matches with Mendelssohn's classical writing style.
The 5th symphony of Mendelssohn has a completely different colour of sound. The general colour of the orchestra is darker. The musical line of the beginning of the symphony develops slowly. The themes are more elaborate and evolve in length. There is a very strong use of winds and brass. One senses the turmoil in the themes, Mendelssohn puts a lot of effect into them. The harmonic treatment is more extensive. The general colour of the symphony corresponds well to the power of the sound obtained with a four-string tuning and the reinforcement of the bass that it can provide.
My analysis of the different recordings of Mendelssohn, is that we can hear that, If one uses the Viennese tuning, it gives clarity, quality, and brightness to the bass line. Mendelssohn still writes in a classical style in the 3rd and the 4th symphonies, which has an open, clear and uncomplicated leading line. The music is bright and joyful in the sound treatment. The accompanying part of the basses gives the pulse to the music and the harmonic structure. That style is also the style used in Haydn, Mozart and Sperger symphonies which were valorized by the Viennese tuning. In a technical approach, the Viennese tuning allows easier fingerings and is more suitable for the classical patterns, as for example in the “Hebrides” Overture Op. 26. In the “Hebrides”, take for example, the first technical passage for the basses from bars 77 to bar 93. We can play the first 16th notes bar in an extended position which allows us to concentrate on the pulse of the line. The whole same passage with fourths tuning causes more shifting. The Viennese tuning allows for easier fingerings and a better detailed execution in the final tempo.
I found this experiment very interesting, and I wish to be able to experiment it as a player in a professional HIP situation. Even though we have no evidence of his intentions concerning the Viennese tuning, I think the classical writing of Mendelssohn is enhanced by the technical and colour possibilities of this tuning. I think that we can see his whole musical work in that direction, including his early strings symphonies. Personally, I would use the Viennese tuning whenever I had the opportunity to play a Mendelssohn composition written in the classical style.