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 This Thematic Catalogue is an expansion of the Catalogue of Brazilian Classical Works for the Double Bass, which I wrote in 1994 (published in1996), in text version and in the Portuguese language. The Thematic Catalogue was part of my doctoral essay (University of Iowa, 1998). The Thematic Catalogue in English intended not only fulfill its primary function, that is, to organize the existing Brazilian repertoire for the double bass, but it is also a way to bring the attention of the international musical community, particularly performers, to Brazilian composers. Ultimately, I hope this work will be a source of information that can attract the interest of publishers to the several works that are still in manuscripts. The Thematic catalogue is a sole edition and it contains all the Brazilian literature for the double bass available until April 2005, published or in manuscript, except for orchestral works featuring the bass as a standard orchestral instrument (see appendix for list of works to be included). The catalogue is organized into four categories: works for unaccompanied double bass, works for double bass and piano, chamber music for the double bass and works for double bass and orchestra. Each catalogue entry includes technical information, such as tuning, range, level of difficulty and duration, as well as a brief description of the work and an excerpt from the score. If the work has been published, this information is included in its entry. Unpublished works are presented in two forms: manuscript (handwritten) and computer printout (when the composer, arranger or transcriber made an computerized edition of the work). The reviews within the thematic catalogue are intended to inform the reader about the main characteristics of each work rather than to analyze them for compositional approach, period or tendency. In general, technical and analytical details are included only when necessary to impart a clearer idea of the piece. The portion of the review text inside quotation marks usually indicates the composer’s words. However, if a work has been transcribed or arranged, it would be the transcriber and/or arranger that is quoted. Such information will be part of the review text. The excerpts target these salient features: 1) The opening of the piece or the passage that best demonstrates the level of difficulty of the piece, 2) The passage that includes both the double bass and piano (or other instruments), and 3) The passage that combines the two preceding items and is graphically clear in the manuscript. Therefore, the excerpts do not always start on measure one of the piece. In such cases, the measure number is indicated in the upper left side of the excerpt. Multi-sectioned works present excerpts from the different sections separated by double thin bars and following the same measure numbering procedure described above. The double bass solo part, when written in solo tuning, is printed a minor seventh above the real pitch. Nevertheless, scores of works for piano and double bass often present the double bass part transposed one octave above the real pitch in order to simplify the harmonic reading. In the section titled Works for Double Bass and Piano in this chapter, all the excerpts present the double bass part transposed one octave above the real pitch. I transposed the solo parts whenever they were not transposed by the composer, transcriber or arranger. Exceptions are explained in the review text. In large ensembles and orchestral
scores, however, the double bass part is commonly written either a
minor seventh or an octave above the real pitch. Therefore, the excerpts
within these sections reproduce the original score.
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