John Alexander: A Short Jig to Galicia for double bass trio

About the Trio

A Short Jig to Galicia is a colourful and inventive piece aimed at the intermediate bass trio. The style is modern, confident and accessible creating a work which offers musical and technical challenges in equal measure. An underlying rhythmic energy adds pace and momentum to an engaging and vibrant addition to the double bass trio repertoire.

I was unable to travel to Galicia Graves Double Bass Festival 2019, Culleredo, Spain, held towards the end of March, where two of my pieces – ‘sow & reap’ and ‘tractway’ – had been selected as the imposed pieces for the final of the two competitions (Young Talent Award for the under 14’s and Performance Prize for the over 14’s) that were featured there. So I was wishing there was an easy way for me to travel to Galicia, and the thought crossed my mind that, if only it was just along the road, maybe in the next town say, then I could walk or even dance my way there! And then I came up with this little trio for three double basses as a sort of very small compensation for my not being there, mixing with all the musicians and the young double bass competitors. [John Alexander]

About the Composer

John Alexander was born in West Sussex in 1942 and began to compose at the age of 20. At the time he discovered a fascination for art, literature, dance, architecture and sculpture and these topics, along with mathematics, have continued to have a bearing on his work. He studied composition with Edmund Rubbra at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and later with Jonathan Harvey and Peter Wiegold at the University of Sussex.

John Alexander has never been a prolific composer, but an impressive and growing body of work reflects a rare eye for detail and structure - each work beautifully crafted and reworked until every inflection, detail and nuance is perfect. Probably best described as a miniaturist, he writes in a fluent, independent and strongly personal style with an intense desire to create music which communicates to both performer and audience alike.

In 1999 John Alexander won the 1st BIBF Composition Contest and was invited to be a judge for several BIBF competitions. He was a featured composer at Bass-Fest 2001, was an spnm short-listed composer for three years, and was Composer-in-residence at the 2004 Rotterdam Conservatoire Double Bass Weekend, Bass-Fest 2006 and 2007 Wells Double Bass Weekend. His works have been performed and broadcast throughout the world and he has written an impressive and unique body of work for double bass.