C. Franchi: Introduction & Tarantella for double bass & piano

About the Composition

Introduction & Tarantella is a fun and exciting work which is aimed at the good intermediate bassist. It follows the traditional tarantella format of a slow and lyrical introduction followed by a fast and furious tarantella, making extensive and effective use of the high harmonics.

A lyrical middle section, demonstrating the cantabile and sonorous qualities of the double bass, interrupts the flow before the tarantella music returns ending with a lively and energetic coda which brings the music to a fast and virtuosic conclusion.

About the Composer

Very little is known about C. Franchi, although he was believed to have been a 19th-century Neapolitan bassist, with the forename Carmine. He may have lived in Monaco for much of his working life and been a bassist with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.

One thing that is certain is that Franchi composed three works for double bass, all published by Costallat & Cie in Paris, of which the Introduction & Tarantella is his most popular and performed.