Johann Baptist Vanhal

Double Bass Concerto

Following Dittersdorf (HN759) and Hoffmeister (HN721), Johann Baptist Vanhal and his sole double-bass concerto add a further highlight to the classical bass literature in our catalogue. The virtuoso work was transmitted only in a copy of a part owned by the famous double-bass player Johannes Sperger (1750-1812) and found in his estate, which raises a few questions on account of the many later additions in the solo part (especially concerning the octave transpositions).

In our Urtext edition, Tobias Glöckler proposes a solution to this dilemma with a musical text that is outstandingly well-prepared for the performing artist. The piano reduction is printed in two keys (C and D major), which allows for performances in the solo and orchestral tuning or, at will. Moreover an additional part, written in fingering notation, has been specially designed for use with the 'Viennese tuning' customary in Vanhal's days. It allows players to use this resonant historical tuning immediately without tedious retraining.