Not only does it double the bass voice (cello), but it sounds an octave below, being doubly bass-y. When looking at the string section in this way it makes much more sense why the contrabass would be nicknamed "double bass". In the case of strings, take a look at the string quartet: violin I as soprano, violin II as alto, viola as tenor, and cello as bass. This is why despite having a range that could be considered bass according to this definition, the trombone is considered a tenor instrument. Instruments totally eclipse these ranges, so the most important aspect comes from the timbre. Of course human voices can sing around these single octave limitations, but in practice these tend to be the strongest octaves for each voice. Soprano, with its main octave being from C4 (middle C) to C5.These are of course based off of the main instrument known to humanity the human voice. This question really is about what are considered the four main voices in voice leading, which is what all instrument families are based off of. The violoncello has never been considered a tenor instrument, it has always been a bass. IMO, "the sounding pitch of the double bass is an octave below the bass clef" is the best reason offered for calling it the double bass: Its voice is in the ' bass-bass clef' range, although we use the 'single bass' clef to notate its music. Purists may criticise the single-stringed fiddle for being a ‘less evolved’ instrument. The name contrabassĬomes from the instrument's Italian name, contrabbasso. In a world of veenas, sarangis, sitar and cellos, the simplicity of this portable instrument prevails. The name also refers to the fact that the sounding pitch of theĭouble bass is an octave below the bass clef. Heritage, in that it is tuned lower than the standard bass viola da It has also been suggested that the name derives from its viol family re-articulated while being joined under a single continuing bow stroke. The instrument's standard English name, double bass, may be derivedįrom the fact that it is approximately twice as large as the cello, orīecause the double bass was originally used to double the cello part Portato is a bowing technique for stringed instruments, 3 in which successive. Still, the origin of the name Double Bass does not seem clear. Perhaps the cello is a tenor instrument in terms of the entire range of instruments, but until the double bass was invented, it was the bass voice relative to the rest of the violin family.ĭuring the Baroque and Classical eras, in quartets and orchestras the cello traditionally played "bass" parts, until Beethoven made a mission of "liberating the cello", by writing more lyrical music for the cello for virtuoso players he knew personally - music that exploited its higher registers. Double Bass does not imply a Single Bass instrument:īut I was under the impression that the cello was a "tenor"
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