Bass Concerto in E Major

Czech composer Johann Baptist Vanhal (or Wanhal) lived from 1739 to 1813. He was born in Nechanice, Bohemia, and died in Vienna, where he spent most of his life. Vanhal was well-known among the Viennese composers of his era, and his music was respected by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. He was a prolific composer, with 100 string quartets, at least 73 symphonies, 95 sacred works, and a large number of instrumental and vocal works attributed to him. He was also an accomplished instrumentalist, and on a memorable occasion in 1784 played string quartets with Haydn, Dittersdorf, and Mozart.

Vanhal’s bass concerto is one of the best-known Viennese concerti for this instrument and is in the tradition of other works for bass composed by Dittersdorf, Hoffmeister, Pichl and Sperger. While the exact date of its composition is not known, it was possibly written in 1773. The orchestral parts were preserved in manuscript form by Johann-Matthias Sperger, a pre-eminent Viennese bass soloist.

The concerto is in a typical three-movement form, written in classical style. The movements consist of an opening allegro moderato, in sonata form; a second movement adagio, with extended lyrical bass melodies; and a lively allegro in rondo form, featuring elegant solo passagework. In all three movements the solo bass music is virtuosic, exploring its tonal possibilities and spanning the entire range of the instrument.