Transcription Series Book 5 for Double Bass & Piano (arr. Heyes)

About the Book

Transcription Series Book 5 brings together beautiful and colourful pieces by five 19th-century French composers, transcribed for the intermediate bassist by David Heyes. Ideal as both study and recital repertoire, each piece offers a range of musical and technical challenges throughout the orchestral and solo register, emphasising the virtuosic, lyrical and cantabile potential of the double bass.

The edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings.

Table of Contents

Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) - Nocturne

Composed in 1911, when the composer was aged eighteen, Nocturne is originally for violin or flute and piano. A beautifully repetitive and lilting accompaniment allows the soloist to sing long and evocative melodies, rising in intensity and passion in the middle section, before returning to the atmospheric opening with effortless ease and sincerity. A brief quotation from Debussy, and a rich harmonic palette, creates a work of pure genius.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) - Beau Soir

Composed c.1880 and revised in 1890/91, Beau Soir was first published in 1891 and is one of Debussy’s most popular songs. A gently undulating piano accompaniment supports an elegant and sophisticated solo line, which transcribes beautifully for the double bass. Arranged for many different solo instruments or chamber ensembles, this exquisite song emphasises the lyrical and sonorous qualities of the double bass.

Jules Massenet (1842-1912) - Élégie

Élégie exists in a number of versions, but is known primarily as a song for voice and piano, dating from c.1872. It was an arrangement of a Mélodie (Op.10, No.5) for piano and also used as the basis for an Invocation from the incidental music to Les Érinnyes. It transcribes beautifully for the double bass and highlights the dramatic and singing qualities of the instrument across its middle register.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) - Pièce en forme de Habanera

Originally for voice and piano, this new transcription offers a sultry and exotic work for the good intermediate bassist. A relaxed habanera rhythm underpins the work as the soloist weaves a lyrical and evocative melody above the supportive and atmospheric accompaniment. Ideal for any bassist who is confident in the solo register and able to display more than simply technique.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) - Softly Awakes My Heart

This beautiful aria is from the opera ‘Samson and Delilah which was composed in the 1870s and first performed in Weimar (Germany) in 1877. It is sung by Delilah in Act 2, as she attempts to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength, and is one of the most inspired melodies in any 19th-century opera. It has been transcribed for many instruments and the plangent and evocative melody remains popular with audiences the world over.