The tradition of the composing performer in regards to the Czech Double Bass School and double bass performance

Abstract

The article is part of the Conference Proceedings from the conference in Rzesów (Poland) in 2022, where the theme of the conference was: Theoretical and Practical Inspirations for Music Education.The article deals with the tradition of the composing performer in regards to the Czech Double Bass School and double bass performance In the literature of each instrument, compositions written by performers (virtuosi) on that instrument have a very prominent place. These compositions have a crucial function: thanks to the composer’s perfect understanding of his instrument, he could afford to push the very limits of its technical possibilities. But it is not just a question of technical limitation; often, these composer-performers discovered new expressive or timbre possibilities. In addition to concert and virtuoso compositions, these artists also often devoted themselves to pedagogical activities, creating etudes or even entire instrumental schools. This article aims to look at this tradition of the "composing performer" in relation to the Czech Double Bass School and to see if this tradition is still alive and present nowadays.