c. 1880–1910
Late-Romantic bass excerpts
This late-romantic bass selection contains 5 excerpts. Begin with Verdi: Otello, Act IV double bass passage: The unaccompanied low string writing before Otello’s entrance in the final act. A standard opera-audition excerpt and completely exposed. The period label groups these works for discovery; it does not prescribe one tempo, articulation or sound for every composer.
Practise this selection
For double bass, distinguish the written part from its sounding register, normally an octave lower. Isolate a string crossing or position change without dropping the underlying pulse, then check the length and release of notes against the ensemble role.
The recorded technique tags in this selection include opera, audition, exposed, soft, symphony. Choose one relevant passage, read its specific practice notes below, and set one listening target before a complete run. Tags describe the library entries, not a required exam syllabus.
Late-romantic scores push the section higher, louder, and further into divisi. Excerpts from this period are the backbone of professional audition lists precisely because they test range, sustained intensity, and tenor and treble clef reading all at once.
The excerpts
Composers in this era
Other eras
Style is learned from the technique underneath
Arco's bass curriculum covers the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading these excerpts assume.