Miloslav Gajdos: 12 Capriccios: in all major keys for unaccompanied double bass

About the Capriccios

12 Capriccios - in all major keys was composed in 2003, published the following year, and revised by the composer twenty years later. Aimed at the advanced player, this is a work of enormous breadth, scope and invention and is a major addition to the solo double bass repertoire.

Each capriccio is a miniature tone poem which challenges both the technical and musical skills of the bassist, in music that is instantly appealing and ideal for both study purposes and the concert hall.

Miloslav Gajdoš was unrivalled in composing exciting, dramatic and imaginative music for unaccompanied double bass and this revised edition utilises the entire range of the double bass, alongside double stops and harmonics which add variety, interest and contrast. Composed in a traditional and tonal style, 12 Capriccios offers amazing performance possibilities for the enterprising and adventurous bassist who has the ability to display more than simply a technical command of the double bass.

About the Composer

Miloslav Gajdoš was one of Europe's most active and inventive bassist-composers. He was born in northern Moravia on 13 April 1948 and initially learned violin before transferring to the double bass, studying with Alois Kříž, Jirí Bortlíček and Ludwig Streicher.

He was Professor of Double Bass at the Vejvanovský Conservatoire in Kroměříž (Czech Republic) since 1971, and was a member of the Olomouc Symphony Orchestra for a number of years. He was Director of the Gregora International Double Bass Competition, founded in 1979 and held every two years in Kroměříž, and was a juror at many competitions in Hungary, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Miloslav Gajdoš was a prolific composer and arranger and, for almost 60 years, has produced a vast body of original works and transcriptions for double bass which are performed worldwide. His original works combine Czech lyricism and melody with brilliant technical demands, and music from one to sixteen double basses. He writes in a traditional and accessible style, producing music for every level of performer, particularly for the advanced bassist, and his many works for unaccompanied double bass are frequently chosen as international competition repertoire.

Miloslav Gajdoš died on 25 August 2026 at the age of 78 years.

[Gajdoš is pronounced GUY-DOSH]