"It's outstanding and has more information than any other website for the contrabasso. My hat is off to you, Vito!"

Now the most important book about Bottesini also in English...enjoy!!

Dear collegues and visitors,

I have to explain some little things.

This a no professional website but it is a simple "my invention".

 Naturally I will talk about myself, my country (Italy) ,my little town Conversano, my parents, my friends and so on.

But I would like also to talk about the "Culture of the Double Bass" in every sense, expecially in relation to the "classic doublebass" (also Jazz players, naturally, are welcomed!).

I don't know a lot about the classic doublebass and so it's a good manner to study it better.

In every page you will find a lot of "OFF TOPIC"!!

I know my English is terrible and no correct. I beg your pardon!

My Best Bass Regards.

Vito Liuzzi

p.s.: remember that this site is ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION ...when I have got free time I add something ... until the megabytes don't finish!

You can find scores (sheet music) or books everywhere.

http://www.youtube.com/user/vitoliuzzi

A little bit of "Divertimento Concertante" by Nino Rota for Telenorba TV (italian television broadcasting). I was 21 years old with an enormous emotion. Telenorba TV didn 't give me the the rights of their shots. So I thank my brother Rino for his amatorial shots remembering me of this incredible experience. Musics of the hole recital:

"Divertimento concertante" by Nino Rota, Koussevitzky Concerto in Fa#-, "Capriccio di Bravura" by G. Bottesini, "Elegia and Tarantella" by G. Bottesini.

I HAVEN'T USED SOFTWARE PROGRAMS TO CORRECT TUNING or PITCH (It would have been too easy).

In these old videos the input level recording of camera is always the same: the final result is that you can't appreciate the correct dynamics.

GARY KARR says:

your Bottesini Tarantella performance  is very impressive and makes me wonder why you are afraid to play with Tom Martin? You're great and have a terrific facility. Bravissimo! Your musical concept makes a lot of sense to me, but I'm not Italian! If anyone should know how to interpret a Tarantella, it's YOU!!

TOMAHS MARTIN says:

I listened to your Tarantella. I thought the general level very good and I enjoyed listening to it. I thought the tempo for a Tarantella correct if a hair too slow. With many it becomes a caracature owing to a too fast non tarantella tempo. For example as you rightly do, there is no "meno mosso" where the melody comes - it only says "Cantabile" indicating that the two tempi are the same. Intonation seems very good.

Congratulations.

Vito Liuzzi and  "Romanza Drammatica" (G. Bottesini)

GARY KARR's brief opinion:

All your musical instincts are excellent. You have a wonderful sound and a lyrical concept that I like very much. You have a very good sense of the bow draw (unlike most solo bassists) but you need to learn how to relax more with the bow and play closer to the bridge without pressing. You're a great talent and I am flattered that you asked for my opinion.

"I prefer to play the final part in Koussevitzky all staccato or spiccato -and not legato- just because in a large hall the public can apprepiate every note, from the first to the last one.

In small hall I prefer to play all this notes all legato because it's better for S. Koussevitzky's indications and also for public.

Everytime I have to decide what it's better also in relation to the acustical problems !!"

Vito

Vito and his new soloist double bass "Donato Rubino". 

I have got an ARCUS "Sinfonia" . Sincerly this "sinfonia" has been a no absolutely good choise, a really bad experience for me. The relation quality/price is the worst I've ever seen.

Probably one day I would be happy to test other Arcus bows so to tell you my humble and personal opinion.

GARY KARR talks about my WEBSITE:           

"I'm not surprised by the success of your new website. It's outstanding and has more information than any other website for the contrabbasso. Your design is simple to use, very well organized and very attractive to the eye. I love your photos of your technique with the bow. They are a very useful tool for teachers and students. In fact, the entire website is a gold mine of information. Bravo to you, Vito, for creating this excellent reference source for anyone interested in our instrument. What you accomplished is nothing short of brilliant! My hat is off to you!".

Gary Karr

Thanks a lot Maestro Karr.

This site is simply "an idea" to do something different expecially for young students. Perhaps they can find much more than I was a young student. 

La trovo una iniziativa fantastica. Hai fatto un lavoro
enorme e,ritengo, utilissimo, perché dà la possibilità a tutti di prendere
almeno coscienza di questi grandi del passato, peraltro un passato
abbastanza recente. Sorprendente che nessuno ti abbia ringraziato per questo
grande lavoro (tra l'altro ho visto che ci sono anche altri titoli
interessanti), sicuramente lo faccio io, grazie Vito!, credo che davvero sia
un grande contributo per la storia italiana del nostro strumento. "Pino Ettorre"

I find it a great idea. You have done a job

enormous and, I think, very useful, because it gives the chance for everyone to take

least aware of these greats of the past, also a past

quite recently. Surprising that no one has thanked you for this

great job (among other things I have seen that there are other titles

interesting), I certainly do, thanks Vito!, I think that really is

a great contribution to Italian history of our instrument.

"I have visited your website and find it really, really wonderful and with so much interesting material! Bravo!!"

Joel Quarrington

I looked at the your site ... Great!

                    Thomas Martin

"It is the most comprehensive contrabass site I have ever seen. A person could spend a lifetime perusing through Mr. Liuzzi pages of information

history and music files. And site keeps growing. A job VERY well done! Thank you Vito."
Frederick Charlton 

Vito,

Your website is magnificent and a truly wonderful resource for all bass players.

Your hard work enjoys my complete admiration, keep doing it!!

Leon Bosch.

It was owned by James Merritt in London. He was very old at the time and had retired. After he died, it was sold to a scoundrel who purchased it from Merritt's wife for almost nothing! He then sold it to an instrument company in Japan for 2000 times what he paid for it and then the instrument company sold it to a Dr. Kumada (a prominent psychiatrist) who build a high platform in his house which displayed the great Testore.

Well, at the moment we know other things. Doctor KUMADA has death some years ago.The family doesn't sell teh Testore of Bottesini.
One of a reason
Daughter's husband is  contrabass player who graduated from a college of music. He is not a professional doublebass player.

Just some doubts: in all over the world there are other supposed Testore. Are they original?? Is it the Kumada family's one the original. My research stops here.

But sincerly I think Kumada family in Japan has got the original one, in Osaka.

THE SOUND OF THE "GASPARO da SALO'" (DRAGONETTI's DOUBLEBASS) 1590 IN THIS INCREDIBLE VIDEO.

PINO ETTORRE PLAYS WITH THE ORIGINAL DRAGONETTI's BOW.

CLICK DOWN

All about Giovanni Bottesini also in English translation

http://liuzzivito.blogspot.com

THE FIRST BLOG ABOUT THE DOUBLEBASS

The "double bass blog" by Vito Liuzzi can be considerated perhaps the unique classical double bass blog in all over the the world.

In the freetime I always write something probably interesting for young doublebass players. The oldest ones have no need it !!

Now click here and find the word "nbbrecords"

to watch the hole recital.

http://www.thomasmartin.co.uk/double_bass_news_bottesini.asp

Please contact the link above or the one on the right of this site (directly to Naxos) to buy the new Cd vol 5 by Thomas Martin and Timothy Cobb.

And please don't copy it among you. For a doublebass player it's no morally accepted.

Great job, imho. HR

This is the time in Italy