Frank Bayford: Madagascar Op.114 for beginner double bass and piano

About the Composition

Madagascar features six short pieces, playable in any order, for beginner double bass and piano. There are musical and rhythmic challenges in 1st position with colourful and inventive piano accompaniments which were written with the double bass teacher in mind. The introduction of col legno and sul ponticello, alongside arco and pizzicato, introduce young bassists to different playing techniques which are still accessible in beginner repertoire.

“Madagascar, in six short movements, evokes some of the native wildlife on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The brevity of each section gives the work the character of a set of illustrated postage stamps on greetings cards from there."

1. Forest Nocturne - a portrayal of the mysterious wooded landscape in the still of the night

2. The Song of the Indri - the calls of the indri, the largest of Madagascar’s lemurs, echo through the forest

3. Dancing Sifakas - these delightful lemurs hop and bounce along on their back legs, almost as though they were dancing

4. Prowling Fossas - the fossa is the island’s largest mammalian carnivore, whose main prey just happens to be lemurs

5. Avenue of Baobabs - these strange but stately trees look as though someone planted them all upside down

6. Lemurs in Procession - a snapshot of a group of perky ring-tailed lemurs determinedly marching with tails in the air into the depths of the forest, where they are gradually lost from sight

[Programme note by Frank Bayford, March 2025]

Your purchase includes the double bass part and piano accompaniment.

About the Composer

Born in London, Frank Bayford was educated at Enfield Grammar School and then went on to study pharmacy at what is now Portsmouth University. Most of his professional career was spent at Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, where he was for many years Head of Pharmacy and also Guest Lecturer in pharmaceutics to the medical and nursing staff. He took early retirement from the Health Service in 1988.

He is mainly self-taught as a composer and has written over 100 works, ranging from solo piano pieces to orchestral items. His music is concise and was once described as “not outstaying its welcome,” to the delight of the composer. As well as in this country, his work has been performed as far away as Alaska and Austin, Texas in the USA and Lisbon in Portugal.

In 1974, Bayford was instrumental in forming the Compass Composers Association. This organisation gave many first performances of new music from the late 1970s and formed a publishing division, Modus Music, which now has a catalogue of over 300 varied items. In recognition of his support for music locally in Enfield (where he has been a lifelong resident), he was made President of the Enfield String Players in 1993. This well-established orchestra has premièred several of his works.

His interests include history, gardening, Scotland, old churches and photography. Many of his slides form the basis of a series of talks that he gives about places in the British Isles and local history.