VT Introduction

Short history of the Viennese tuning:
What is original?
Tuning variants:
Etymology:

Short history of the Viennese tuning

The early history of the Viennese tuning is sparsely documented, and unfortunately not as well researched either. It is believed that this tuning system originates in the Baroque period, at the time when the period bassists have started emulating the Baroque lute and viol tunings. Those period lutes and viols have used the tuning variants where a third was common among the middle strings, and the fourths have spanned the upper and the lower strings.

The first documented instance of the Viennese tuning appears in the Musikalisher Schlissl by Johann Jakob Prinner (1677), although in the F,A,D,F#,H variant (1). Later on, the first documented appearance of the tuning in its common Classical period form (F,A,D,F#,A), is cited by James Talbot (1692) (2). What particular music was performed on those baroque tunings remains to be further investigated. The Viennese tuning in the form we know and use today is associated with the beginning of the early Classical period - late 1750ties - in Vienna and Austro-German lands.

The first know repertoire for this system consisted only of several easy chamber pieces, written in popular folk idiom. As the development of the forms and harmony have progressed in the Classical period, so has the use of the Viennese bass too. The first solos for this bass have appeared in symphonic repertoire (ex. Haydn symphonies 6,7,8) during 1760ties. This freedom to experiment with bass solos in ensembles has culminated in the appearance of the first bass concerti, along with the first solo chamber works, at about the same time.

During the later part of the Classical period the Viennese tuning coexists together with the modern E,A,D,G system for a while, and than slowly fades in disuse. It is assumed that Schubert used Viennese tuning in his famous Trout quintet (1819) (3), and we still see the bass concertos written by Johan Hindle in 1817 to 1818. However, by early to mid 19th Century the Wenzel Hause method and his system (essentially the modern E,A,D,G tuning) take primacy, and remain in use until today.

The reason why Viennese tuning fell in disuse may lay in the fact that it was somewhat limited to the D major and closely related tonalities, which are well suited and easily executable on the D platform. Thus when the expansion of the harmonic language occurred in the mid Romantic period, it has become too cumbersome for bassists to use solely a "tuning of few tonalities". This commonly mentioned thesis however does not explain how did the bass players perform Mozart's no. 39 (Eb maj) and no. 40 (G min) symphonies - both very unsuitable for D setup? Considering this enigma, there may be a possibility that the Viennese tuning was actually an elite system used only by the best players in its later years, and when that generation of bassists left the field, so did the noble system together with them.

Through this site you can get a better understanding of what this system really was at the time, and what it can teach us even today. The history of the Viennese tuning is by no means finished, and it is hoped that once all of its period literature is rediscovered, it will continue to live for many more years without falling in to disuse ever again.

1. Meier KM, pp.30-32
2. Focht DWK, p.34
3. Focht DWK, pp.130-133

What is original?

As most bass players are already aware, a study of ubiquitous Dittersdorf and Vanhal concerti was a mandatory part of their collegiate experience. If they were lucky, perhaps a piece by Hoffmeister or Pichl would have also shown on their stands. Later in the career the same concerti would have been played on their auditions, and the lucky few who would get a job, would probably continue to teach them to the new generations. And so on ...

It is hard to say how many of current auditions actually require a classical piece, but it is safe to say that majority do. Dittersdorf and Vanhal concerti lead the way as the usual choices. However, not until recently has the awareness of the true heritage of these pieces come to the fore. In reality this standard concerto repertoire played by the majority of bass players, consists of the actual transcriptions, or should you prefer, the arrangements for the modern instrument. These pieces were originally conceived for the Viennese tuning, and thus had to be reworked in order to be playable. With some of those pieces the arrangements and alterations have been minor and concern only the registral changes (Vanhal concerto), with the other, the whole sections of the concerto were proven simply too difficult for standard performer (Dittersdorf concerto no.2, "Alberti section" - cut completely in Schott's edition, but reintroduced in Yorke Edition few decades later). Most arrangements however, necessitate a key change to accommodate a modern orchestra or solo bass technique. Along the key change, almost inevitably some of the idiomatic passages that characterize Viennese tuning do need to be altered in order to be suitable for the modern performer.

Some of the original literature can be arranged easily for the modern bass, and that is the familiar literature that makes our present day curricular and solo repertoire (Vanhal, Dittersdorf, Pichl, Hoffmeister). More advanced literature presents however a greater challenge for both the editor and performer alike (pieces by Sperger). Yet, the whole heritage of this tuning system contains such an advanced pieces, which simply can not be successfully arranged for the modern bass. Thus the full aesthetic value and assessment of our classical solo bass legacy will remain hidden from us until this system is accepted in a broader way than presently.

At this time however, there is a slow but steady movement among performers and scholars to alter the perception that only the arrangements are the way to discover this legacy. Although the tuning itself and its notation practice were for a long time creating an aura of mystery around this repertoire, it is hoped that this site will help everyone concerned clear some of the mist, and show the current state of scholarship. Through the various updateable lists of current and future events, everyone interested should be able to follow the latest developments in our specialist field worldwide. Moreover, for those interested in trying the Viennese tuning themselves, the materials presented in the Playing technique section should serve as a good starting point.

What follows is brief description of tuning variants, of which one should be familiar in order to get a basic understanding of the system.

Tuning variants

It is important to note that the Viennese Tuning is a completely different system from the one used on the present-day string bass. While the modern bass is tuned: E,A,D,G (bottom to top), the Viennese tuning starts with the lowest string a fourth higher: A,D,F#,A (bottom to top), and in essence shares only 2 strings with the modern instrument (A and D).

Moreover, during the 18th century there were yet additional two variants of the Viennese tuning in common use. One of the variants was the 5 string orchestra setup and the other was the "solo" E flat variant. This period practice where an added bottom string was used in the orchestra, and on the other side a tuning with raised pitches for the solo performance, may remind us of the modern "German five string instrument" and the "solo tuning" practice of today. In the following paragraphs we will see where we can make a parallel with the present day practices and where we should observe the rules of the period system.

First the five string orchestra version: Unfortunately for us today (us with 4 stringed instruments), the four-string A,D,F#,A configuration was seldom used in the orchestra, since the period orchestra variant was set as a five string instrument. The fifth string was added to the bottom and was commonly tuned in F natural, thus making the tuning: F,A,D,F#,A. It may seem odd to have F natural and F sharp on the same tuning, but that is how it was done. This version should be adequate for everyone attempting to learn the tuning in order to use it in the orchestra and chamber period groups. All orchestra and most of the chamber music was intended for this setup - including some solo music.

To get a better sense of where the pitches lay, you may notice that in the 5 string configuration, the ambitus of the open strings roughly corresponds to that of the modern 4 string orchestra bass: The top A is just one step above top orchestra G, and coincidentally the bottom F is just half a step above bottom orchestra E string.

Viennese bass :	F,A,D,F#,A
Orchestra bass :	E, A,D, G

Second the E flat variant, which is required in a number of solo compositions. It was discovered that when the basic tuning setup was raised for a half step to Bb,Eb,G,Bb the instrument sounded brighter and provided a better projection. Consequently most of the mid and late classical concerti were written in the keys of E flat and B flat (or C minor and G minor) for this variant. To the delight of wind players in the orchestra it was also discovered that those flat keys made their playing easier.

What may appear confusing for us today, is the fact that some important classical concerti were played on the 5 string setup in the E flat variant (ex. Dittersdorf)! Most middle and later concerti were created solely for the 4 string instrument, where the 5th (lowest) string was discarded.

You may notice that with the absence of 5th string and the half step pitch increase, the ambitus of the "E flat" solo variant roughly corresponds to that of Violoncello. The low Bb string on the bass is only one step lower than the lowest C string on the Violoncello!

Viennese tuning in E flat :	Bb,Eb,G,Bb
Violoncello:	C, G, D, A

This E flat variant of the Viennese tuning is the major reason why most of the concertos using the E flat variant still lay unedited and unperformed. The added difficulty in transcribing them to the modern bass have proven too cumbersome and tedious to make the effort worthwhile, and yet some of the best solo literature written for the Viennese tuning or the string bass at all, is written for this setup.

Lastly we should mention that a single concerto by Sperger and yet another by Roslaub use even higher variant of: C,F,A,C. The higher C being the C string of the present day "high solo C tuning", the original tuning of the Abert concerto. The lower C string being exactly the same pitch as the Violoncello C.

For the sake of simplicity the following table presents all the Viennese tuning variants:

	5 string variant	4 string variant
Orchestra setup in D:	F,A,D,F#,A	-
Solo setup in D:	F,A,D,F#,A	A,D,F#,A
Solo setup in Eb:	Gb,Bb,Eb,G,Bb	Bb,Eb,G,Bb
Solo setup in F:	-	C,F,A,C

To make tuning variants easier to identify, all solo, chamber and orchestra literature cited in this site will use this code system. Example: "4 string solo variant in Eb".

Etymology

The Classical Period designation for the Double Bass instrument indeed abounds with various name variants. Although the multitude of variants may be confusing, in essence there are only two basic root designations: the Contrabasso and the Violone. Violone was an earlier designation that slowly faded out of use during the 1770ties, and the Contrabasso was the newer that slowly replaced it and become the foundation for the modern German and Italian names. This division however, is still somewhat relative, as Johann Hindle uses the designation Violon in his concertos even in the 19th Century.