Playing Technique : Notation

Notation:

> Introduction
> Bass Clef
> Tenor Clef
> Treble Clef
> Equivalence charts 
> Fingerboard pitch charts
> Harmonics pitch charts
> Conclusion

> Introduction:

The period notation of the Viennese tuning bears resemblance to our modern notation, but also differs from it in some important aspects. Much of the difficulty of accessing the original solo music indeed may find its source in those differences. Both the playing technique and the specific system of reading the Viennese music, have not been in use since the early 19th Century, thus a modern performer who wishes to emulate the period practice needs to undertake a strange and lonely journey of rediscovery. There is no direct line of tradition continuity that extends from the Classical period to the present day, and neither have the old virtuosos and theorists left us any methods or treatises to follow. Basically the only sources and tools we have at our disposal to approach this tradition, are the few lines in the instrument treatises that mention the tuning, and the actual manuscript music of the time.

The other modern string instruments did not have such a misfortune of having a huge breaks in the continuity of their performance traditions. Their tunings were already well standardized in the late Baroque period and have remained unchanged until the present day. This practice discrepancy among the modern strings is unique only to the double bass.

This section of the playing technique will address the unique period notation and clefs used for the Viennese bass literature.

The period Viennese bass music has used three clefs to notate music:

> Bass Clef:

This clef was commonly used to notate the orchestra and chamber music, as well as the early solo pieces. This is the same clef that we use today to notate the orchestra bass parts and virtually all other bass music. There is no difference in the reading practice between our present day bass clef and the period bass clef, aside the fact that the fingerings are different. It may help to reiterate here, that the period Viennese bass was a 16 foot instrument and that the notes sound an octave lower than written, exactly as they do on the modern orchestra bass. Although the majority of working bassists are not aware of this transposition in their daily bass playing, indeed if the written pitches of the common orchestra  bass parts were to be written as they sound, plenty of ledger lines below the Bass clef staff would be required. Those bassists acquainted with Bottesini pieces written in Factor Reale style, where sounding and written pitches are the same, will know how the bass music written in true pitches looks like. Bottesini has used this system to make the writing easier in the high positions where the good part of his music lies. The Viennese tuning system - as we will see- uses a different method to facilitate notation in the higher positions.

Knowing how to read the Viennese bass music in bass clef will enable the performer to read all of the orchestra and most of the chamber music. The reason why Dittersdorf's concertos were some of the first edited and presented to the modern audiences, may lay in the fact that the bigger portion of its solo bass part is written in the bass clef, and therefore they were easier to edit than the other concertos notated in different clefs.

The following table presents the open strings and the D major scale in Bass Clef notation:

Open Strings	D major Scale

> Tenor Clef:

This clef is used periodically in some solo music, and should already be familiar to the most bassists. Although it is not the most popular clef among the bassists of our time, it was used with some frequency in the solo Viennese music. The tenor clef on the Viennese tuning works exactly the same as it would on the modern bass, except that the fingerings are different.

The majority Haydn's solos in his symphonies intended for Viennese bass are written in tenor clef, and so are certain solo sections of the Dittersdorf and Zimmerman concertos. Should a performance from the original parts be attempted, the ability to read the tenor clef is mandatory.

The following table presents the open strings and the D major scale in Tenor Clef notation:

Open Strings	D Major Scale

> Treble Clef:

This is the most complicated clef to master in the Viennese tuning, because it can not be read as a continuation of the bass clef notation, as we would expect, but is written an Octave Higher. There are two possible reasons why this unique notation system was adopted and used.

The first reason concerns the notation practice which differentiates between the Solo and Tutti passages in the solo pieces. Since the solo parts of the period literature have contained both the tutti and and the solo passages from the beginning to the end of the piece, the treble clef was used to indicate the beginning of the solo section. The beginning of the solo section was often accompanied with a small Solo indication at the same place where the treble clef would appear.

Whether the soloist truly performed all the tutti passages with the orchestra we can not know for sure, but it is true that at some courts a solo bassist was the only bassist in the ensemble, and thus the possibility of soloist having a double duty to perform both solo and tutti passages was real since there was no one else to play bass in tutti sections.

The practice of notating everything for the soloist was also common in the piano concerto literature. Mozart piano concertos were also written throughout, which may be considered a tradition inherited from Baroque basso continuo practice. However, it was also a way for soloist to coordinate the ensemble, because the period Classical ensembles were often led from the stand of the soloist or the concertmaster. Thus it is very likely that Sperger concerto would have been directed by Sperger himself, and in order to coordinate the ensemble he would have needed the reference of the written Tutti sections.

The second reason is very likely associated with a plain technical matter of notating bass music in the treble clef. If a system of notation was adopted where the treble clef would simply continue the bass clef, than all the music of the low registers close to the open strings would have required plenty of ledger lines below the staff - up to five of them for the low A string. Thus a more practical solution had to be found, and an entire notation was moved an octave up. This has solved the problem with the low register notation, but the problem of notating the high register has remained. The ambitus of the Viennese bass exceeds four octaves (with harmonics) in some of Speger's solo writing, and a unique solution for this problem has been found too! Whenever the music reaches the high register and the plenty of ledger lines above the staff become necessary, an "Ottava" sign and a line that extends over that music are applied!

Sperger's writing is often a witness to this practice. In his manuscripts one can often see how he starts notating a passage in higher range without Ottava sign and when he gets tired of writing all those extra lines, he simply moves the melody octave lower, writes an "8va" and stretches the line over the remainder of the phrase. This is also how the Vanhal concerto was notated, to the dismay of all the modern editors who have struggled to figure the right transposition for the modern bass ever since.

Although the treble clef is present in most of J. M. Sperger's writing, it was also used by Mozart in his "Per questa bella mano" aria for Baritone voice and Viennese bass. From this fact it may be deducted that the system was used simultaneously by both J. M. Sperger and Friedrich Pischelberger, a bassist who performed "Per Questa" under Mozart at the premiere in 1791.

When a treble clef notated music is shown to someone not associated with this practice, the first thought is to associate this music with flute or oboe writing. Thus for a long time there were speculations that this music was intended for some other instrument, rather than the regular "16 foot" register double bass. Today, anyone who truly wishes to master the old technique will unfortunately have to learn the original treble clef notation practice. Once mastered, the system bears no more secrets or mysteries. In fact, reading from the manuscript becomes a great enjoyment as the similar fingering and phrasing patterns can often be recognized in all Viennese compositions.

The following table presents the open strings and the D major scale in Treble Clef notation:

Open Strings	Scale

> Equivalence Charts:

These charts overview the open strings of the Viennese tuning and the D major scale simultaneously in all three clefs.

Viennese tuning open strings:

Bass clef notation:		Tenor clef notation:		Treble clef notation:
	equals:		equals:

D major scale:

Bass clef notation:		Tenor clef notation:		Treble clef notation:
	equals:		equals:

> Fingerboard Pitch Charts:

These charts are intended to facilitate the learning process as they feature an  entire usable range of the Viennese bass on a common modern fingerboard. Regardless of the difficulty level of a particular composition, you should be able to find "your pitches" here. You are welcome to print these charts for your personal use, however their further use, republication, distribution and copying is restricted by the international copyright law.

Fingerboard Note Charts - Letter Format:

Fingerboard Note Charts - A4 Format:

> Harmonics Pitch Charts:

The notation of harmonics in the Viennese system is traditionally one of the most difficult elements to understand and apply in practice. Unfortunately, the practice of notation, reading and classification of harmonics is encumbered both by the use of two clefs (bass and treble), which apply different system of pitch transposition, and by the fact that within the early literature the system of notating harmonics is not completely standardized, as seen in the example of two Dittersdorf concerti.

The following harmonics charts are based on the examples found in the original manuscript writing of Sperger, Vanhal, Dittersdorf and Zimmermann, where the system of use and execution of harmonics follows the two patterns. In one of them the harmonics are clearly marked  - usually with the indication of Flasch, Flautino, Flau., which is followed by a wavy line, or sometimes simply by a wavy line itself without any other notification. In the other one, the harmonics are the integral part of writing and are not indicated separately. In those instances it is up to the performer to recognize them, and execute the passage accordingly.

Here you will find the two separate Bass Clef Harmonics Charts, for proper reading of the respective two Dittersdorf concerti. The Second concerto is the one which is usually referred as the "Dittersdorf concerto" by bassists, since the first one is not so often performed. The need to include those two charts was necessitated by the fact that these concerti use two completely different registers to notate harmonics. Since Dittersdorf concerti were among the earliest written for the Viennese bass, this idiosyncrasy could be explained by the fact that the very system of notating harmonics was still in flux when they were written. Moreover, should a similar inconsistency be encountered in the other Viennese literature that uses the bass clef, one of those two charts should be useful to further decipher the composers' intentions.

As a general rule on how to approach the harmonics, here is the summary of the two already mentioned patterns of notation:

1. The early concertos and the other solo pieces (ca. 1760-1770) whose ambitus does not exceed the thumb position (the area around the octave harmonic), will use the harmonics in the lower positions on the fingerboard - not up high on the fingerboard, where we tend to use them today. In those pieces the Bass Clef may be the only clef present. The two enclosed Bass Clef Harmonics Charts (Dittersdorf charts) should be sufficient to address those cases.

2. The later concertos and solo pieces (ca. 1770-1810) whose ambitus reaches above the octave harmonic may, or may not indicate harmonics within the music. In the instances where the harmonics are an integral part of the notation, which is almost universal in Sperger's writing, it is up to the performer to recognize a melodic pattern formed by harmonics and execute it at the proper place and pitch. This system uses almost always the Treble Clef to notate the music.

Harmonics Pitch Charts - Letter Format:

Harmonics Pitch Charts - A4 Format:

Conclusion: While you explore these charts, bear in mind that the process of learning the Viennese tuning requires patience and persistence. In the beginning the learning process may appear very interesting and even entertaining, yet should you encounter a fatigue and disinterest later on, remember that it was a common experience to all of us who have tried to learn the original system. At the end of the journey, the personal reward of being able to perform exactly as the period masters did, will be well worth all the effort invested.

The next chapter presents the basics of the fingering technique, which is also an aspect of the Viennese bass system that is relatively different from the modern practice, yet perfectly achievable to those willing to invest some effort.

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Last update:  May 21, 2009

Posted:          May 10, 2009