Dennis Vaughan: Invocation for solo double bass

About the Composition

Invocation is a short but expressive work for unaccompanied double bass that explores the instrument’s wide palette of color and texture. Opening with a contemplative, lyrical introduction, the piece gradually unfolds through contrasting sections that shift between reflective lines and more animated passages.

Vaughan makes extensive use of extended techniques (including col legno, rapid changes between arco and pizzicato, and moments of simultaneous bowed and plucked articulation) to create a rich and varied sound world. The result is a compact yet engaging showcase for the instrument, combining musical depth with theatrical flair.

Lasting approximately six minutes and of medium difficulty, Invocation serves equally well as a recital piece or a compelling demonstration of the double bass’s expressive and technical possibilities.

About the Composer

Dennis Vaughan is an established performer, composer and music educator based in Melbourne, Australia. New Zealand born, he was invited to take up the role of double bass specialist at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian College of the Arts, and the Victorian Education Department in 1983. He later joined Orchestra Victoria as associate principal double bass, a position which he held for more than 21 years.

Dennis has always been drawn to what he considers the theater of music and musical performance. His compositions are generally text-based, and often feature songs with an instrumental obligato to allow a dialogue with the voice. Compositions include ‘Two Songs from Black Australia’ for soprano, piano and cor anglais/oboe, and ‘Seven Sympathetic Sensitivities’ for soprano, double bass and piano.

Commissions include five stage musicals, works for choir and orchestra, and a one-man opera, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ with libretto by Edgar Allen Poe. This was commissioned and performed by Melbourne Opera for the 2005 Castlemaine Festival, and also performed as part of the State Opera of South Australia 2021 season.