Tony Osborne: Concerto in the Classical Style for double bass & piano

About the Composition 

Concerto in the Classical Style was composed for ‘Haydn 200’, a project devised by David Heyes and Recital Music in 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).

One of the great mysteries in double bass history is the whereabouts of Haydn’s ‘lost’ Double Bass Concerto. Composed in 1763, the concerto was originally for violone and most likely written for Viennese tuning, but only the first two bars of the work exist thankfully preserved in a Thematic Catalogue of Haydn’s compositions.

Concerto in the Classical Style is a one-movement work, in the style of Haydn but with modern touches, and is vibrant and instantly engaging. The solo part explores much of the range of the double bass, enabling the bassist to display both a musical and technical expertise including a fun and idiomatic cadenza towards the end of the piece. The piece is stylish and elegant, lasting around 8 minutes and reminiscent of music from late 18th-century, and is testament to the wonderfully inventive composition skills of Tony Osborne.

Concerto in the Classical Style would fit easily into any recital and for any audience and gives a brief glimpse of a Classical concerto which has been lost for more than two centuries but may still be found.

This edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings and a version with Classical Orchestra (2 Oboes, 2 Horn & Strings) is available.

About the Composer

Born in 1947 into a musical family, Tony Osborne studied at the Royal Academy of Music (London) with John Walton (double bass) and Richard Stoker (composition), and divided a busy career between composing, teaching, and performing.

A prolific composer and arranger, Tony's original compositions include works in almost every genre, notably Chaconne Syncopations and Wainwright's Ways for brass quintet, Celebration Fanfare for brass ensemble, the musical A Fine Time for Wine, a beautiful and dramatic Requiem, and many works for string orchestra. Tony’s music for young bassists is very much at the heart of the teaching repertoire, particularly his jazzy and enjoyable bass trios and quartets, and he had the rare ability to create wonderful music which is always player and audience-friendly.

In 2001 Tony Osborne was elected an ARAM (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music) for his pioneering and important work for double bass and was a featured com- poser at Bass-Fest for over ten years. He was a very successful BIBF Composer-in-residence in 2002-3, was a judge for the British Composer Awards and a judge for the BIBF Composition Competition from 1999 until 2015.

Tony Osborne died on 30 March 2019 at the age of 71.