Giovanni Bottesini (Dec. 22, 1821 - July 7, 1889) was an Italian conductor, composer, and double bass virtuoso, born in to a musical family. He's celebrated in the world of the double bass, but sadly not as well known outside it, despite his many orchestral and operatic compositions. Young Bottesini learned much about music from his father, a clarinetist, and was playing timpani with an orchestra at the tender age of 11. He also played violin, and intended to study at the Milan Conservatory, but the his family was too poor to send him. The only instruments available for scholarship were the bassoon and double bass, and in a matter of weeks, Bottesini prepared a successful audition on the double bass. In just a few years he won a prize for his solo playing, and was dubbed the "Paganini of the Double Bass". Bottesini would go on to play in opera orchestras, and also had a highly successful conducting career as well.

Elegy  is a highly lyrical work in the bel canto style( which is unsurprising, as Bottesini wrote 13 operas.) The piano part plays almost continual eighth notes while the double bass plays the rich, lyrical lines above. There's plenty of fast chromatic runs in between those lines, making this a challenge for the double bassist, both technically and musically speaking. It goes in the upper registers, usually by way of a chromatic run or large leap, giving the work a wonderful sense of drama!

Here are some recordings of this work for you to enjoy!

Joel Quarrington
Thomas Martin