Since it requires only five players, it would seem to fall into the category of chamber music -- yet it calls for a double bass, an instrument generally regarded as symphonic.

In these readings, the double bass is either kept discreetly in the background, or it is dressed in clown's attire -- the musical equivalent of a bull in a china shop.

( Special compliments to the double bass playing of Johann Krumpp: his scrawny, tottering sound adds a delightful hilarity to the performance.

* 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian double bass virtuoso and composer ( d. 1846 )

The four-string bass — by far the most common — is usually tuned the same as the double bass, which corresponds to pitches one octave lower than the four lower strings of a guitar ( E, A, D, and G ).

The bass guitar is a transposing instrument, as it is notated in bass clef an octave higher than it sounds ( as is the double bass ) to avoid excessive ledger lines.

Since the 1960s, the bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in popular music as the bass instrument in the rhythm section.

Bronze is also used for the windings of steel and nylon strings of various stringed instruments such as the double bass, piano, harpsichord, and the guitar ..

The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher.

It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass.

It is the second largest bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, the double bass being the largest.

The show's theme music, a cornet piece, accompanied by a brass band plus clarinet and double bass, reminiscent of northern band music, was written by Eric Spear.

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, bass fiddle, bass violin, doghouse bass, contrabass, bass viol, stand-up bass or bull fiddle, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2 ( see standard tuning ).

In classical solo playing the double bass is usually tuned a whole tone higher ( F-B-E-A ).

Traditionally, double bassists stood when playing solo and sat when they played in the orchestra or opera pit.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's concert aria, Per Questa Bella Mano, K. 612 for bass, double bass obbligato, and orchestra contains impressive writing for solo double bass of that period.

Bassist Johann Hindle ( 1792 – 1862 ), who composed a concerto for the double bass, pioneered tuning the bass in fourths, which marked a turning point for the double bass and its role in solo works.

Dragonetti wrote ten concertos for the double bass and many solo works for bass and piano.

The leading figure of the double bass in the early 20th century was Serge Koussevitzky, best known as conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who popularized the double bass in modern times as a solo instrument.

From the 1960s through the end of the century Gary Karr was the leading proponent of the double bass as a solo instrument and was active in commissioning or having hundreds of new works and concerti written especially for him.

Karr was given Koussevitzky's famous solo double bass by Olga Koussevitsky and played it in concerts around the world for 40 years before, in turn, giving the instrument to the International Society of Bassists for talented soloists to use in concert.

Serge Koussevitzky popularized the double bass in modern times as a solo instrument

In the Soviet Union, Mieczysław Weinberg wrote his Sonata No. 1 for double bass solo in 1971.

Jacob Druckman wrote a piece for solo double bass entitled Valentine.

In 1989, French composer Pascal Dusapin ( born 1955 ) wrote a solo piece called In et Out for double bass.

Two significant recent works written for solo bass include, Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 11 for double bass and electronic sounds and Elliott Carter's Figment III, for solo double bass.

The German composer Gerhard Stäbler wrote Co-wie Kobalt ( 1989 – 90 ), "... a music for double bass solo and grand orchestra.

The newest position in the repertoire is a suite " Seven Screen Shots " for double bass and piano ( 2005 ) by Ukrainian composer Alexander Shchetynsky with solo part that includes many unconventional methods of playing the double bass.

A notable exception would be Haydn, who composed solo passages for the double bass in his Symphonies No. 6 Le Matin, No. 7 Le midi, No. 8 Le Soir, No. 31 Horn Signal, and No. 45 Farewell, but who otherwise would group the bass and cello parts together.

The early a cappella polyphonies may have had an accompanying instrument, although this instrument would merely double the singers ' parts and was not independent.

When playing the double bass, the bassist either stands or sits on a high stool and leans the instrument against the bassist's body with the bass turned slightly inwards in order to more easily reach the strings.

The double bass is a transposing instrument and sounds one octave lower than notated.

The double bass is the only modern bowed string instrument that is tuned in fourths ( like a viol ), rather than fifths ( see Tuning, below ).

A person who plays this instrument is called a bassist, double bassist, double bass player, contrabassist, contrabass player, or bass player.

The double bass also differs from members of the violin family in that the shoulders are typically sloped, the back is often angled ( both to allow easier access to the instrument, particularly in the upper range ), and machine tuners are always fitted.

The history of the double bass is tightly coupled to the development of string technology, as it was the advent of overwound gut strings, which first rendered the instrument more generally practicable, as wound strings attain low notes within a smaller overall string diameter than unwound strings.

Traditionally, the double bass is a transposing instrument.

Until the 1990s, child-sized double basses were not widely available, and the large size of the bass meant that children were not able to start playing the instrument until their hand size and height would allow them to play a 3 / 4-size model ( the most commonly available size ).

Giacinto Scelsi wrote two double bass pieces called Nuits in 1972, and then in 1976, he wrote Maknongan, a piece for any low-voiced instrument, such as double bass, contrabassoon, or tuba.

Sizars were " allowed free education in consideration of performing certain, at one time menial, duties "; Fellow Commoners paid double fees and enjoyed several privileges, including that of finishing the College course in three years instead of four.

The administration also agreed to allow students to complete their secondary school requirements in 4 years instead of 5, an advantage that was enjoyed until the 2003 double cohort.

Despite winning the domestic double with Bayern and making 29 Bundesliga and ten Champions League appearances, Frings never really enjoyed his football in Munich, and was played out of position by coach Felix Magath.

He enjoyed some success with Celtic, winning the Coronation Cup in 1953 and a Scottish league and Scottish Cup double in 1954.

As the two leading double acts of the day, Morecambe and Wise and the Winters brothers enjoyed a playful rivalry — the Winters themselves mocked the slight edge Morecambe and Wise had over them in popularity while Morecambe, when asked what he and Wise would have been if not comedians, replied " Mike and Bernie Winters ".

The stag, or deer, ( German Hirsch ) has a double significance: it refers both to the etymological origin of the name Herscheid as area where deer live and also to the old hunting privileges formerly enjoyed here ( said to have been given by one of the Counts of the Mark as reward for help in fighting in the Ebbe mountains against the episcopal state of Cologne ).

Zappa also enjoyed moderate commercial success with the live double LP Roxy and Elsewhere ( 1974 ) and his next studio LP One Size Fits All ( 1975 ), both of which reached the Top 30 on the Billboard album chart.

The club stayed in the Southern League until 1988, when having failed to gain re-election they were relegated back to the Kent League – once again in severe financial difficulties, with crowds often in double figures against poorly supported clubs, as opposed to the much healthier attendances they had enjoyed in the Kent League against more local opposition.

They then enjoyed great success with their second album Kovemmat kädet (" Rougher Hands "), which went gold ( double platinum year 2010 ).

On the other hand, it is quite possible that the editorial office enjoyed the double entendre that it elicited among foreign observers, giving the newspaper title an aura of its editorial independence and unwillingness to be tamed by political pressure.

In response, Jencks argued for " double coding "; i. e., that postmodernism could be understood and enjoyed by the general public and yet command " critical approval ".

Leaving at the end of the season, Alexander enjoyed spells with Boston United and King's Lynn before returning to Stamford for the 1981 – 82 season being part of a side which completed a United Counties League double.

John Lennon, who particularly enjoyed using the technique for his vocals while in the Beatles, also referred to his home-studio overdubbing technique as " double tracking ", but this is not standard usage, since he recorded new parts.

This had hitherto been enjoyed by the nawab, so that now there was a double government, the nawab retaining judicial and police functions, the Company exercising the revenue power.

Micoud then moved to Germany, signing for SV Werder Bremen, where he enjoyed a successful four-year stay, the peak of which being a major force in the league and cup double in 2004, as he netted 10 league goals, the highest for a midfielder alongside Bayer 04 Leverkusen's Bernd Schneider.