Double bass excerpt · Audition repertoire
Verdi, Otello
The unaccompanied low string writing before Otello’s entrance in the final act. A standard opera-audition excerpt and completely exposed.
At a glance
- Instrument
- Double bass
- Composer
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Work
- Otello
- Era
- Late-Romantic (c. 1880–1910)
- Composed
- 1887
- Clef
- Bass clef
- Level
- Audition, professional standard
- Audition list
- Yes, standard excerpt
How to practise it
The bow style, the trouble spots, and the stylistic decisions that come up most often on this excerpt.
Bowing
A slow bow close to the bridge gives definition at low dynamics where more pressure would only choke the string.
Where it goes wrong
Written very low and very quietly, where a bass speaks reluctantly. Bow speed and contact point have to be judged precisely or the note simply does not start.
Style
The passage is dramatic scene-setting rather than accompaniment, it should feel ominous and controlled.
Tags
Work on the technique underneath
Arco's bass curriculum builds the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading this excerpt assumes, with recorded bass playback throughout.