Fantasia for Viola and Bass on Themes by Marin Marais – John Tartaglia

Fantasia for Viola and Bass (On Themes of Marin Marais) is offered by special arrangement with Liben Music Publishers

Composer: John Tartaglia

Instrumentation: viola, double bass

Duration: c: 11'15"

Date Written:  1984

Program note: by Bill Schrickel: “In the summer of 1983, I heard a tape of a hauntingly beautiful string trio by John Tartaglia. I asked him if he would like to write a duo for viola and double bass, and his answer was a yes – with one reservation. John had never written for the bass, and he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to compose idiomatically for the instrument. We decided that John would borrow an inexpensive bass that was gathering dust in my basement – he felt that actually playing on a bass would be the best way for him to become familiar with the instrument’s capabilities and limitations.