Rudolf Tuláček: Three Pieces for double bass and piano

About the Compositions

Three characterful, lyrical, and enjoyable solos are written in the salon-style of the late 19th-century and allowing the solo double bass to sing throughout the solo range of the instrument. Rudolf Tuláček studied composition with Dvořák and his music echoes the Czech nationalist style, always melodic, tuneful, and graceful.

Ukolébavka (Lullaby-Berceuse) 

was composed in 1919, is in ternary form, and is lyrical and effective displaying the sonorous and cantabile qualities of the double bass. A gently rocking piano accompaniment underpins the slow-moving solo melody and a more dramatic middle section is framed by music of simple beauty and style.

Miniaturní Valčík (Valse Miniature) 

was composed in 1926 and is the most adventurous of the three. The music is elegant and accessible, also dramatic and adventurous, requiring a bassist who is secure and confident in the higher register. The accompaniment is simple and supportive, sliding through a range of keys, but ending with the opening music which brings the music to a successful conclusion.

Píseň Lásky (Chant d'Amour) 

was composed in 1920 and is the most romantic and salon-like of the three pieces. The melody is gloriously lyrical and sentimental, contrasting a more animated middle section, again emphasizing the cantabile qualities of the double bass, but allied to an excellent technical command of the instrument. The accompaniment is bigger, exploring more colors and timbres than the other pieces, and could easily have been written during the last years of the 19th-century. 

Review 

"This music displays the old-fashioned sentimental romanticism typical of the salon music of the early 20th-century. All three deliciously lyrical pieces are in simple ABA song form." (International Society of Bassists)

This edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings.