The contribution that Vivaldi made to the development of bass string instruments is formidable: he enriched the cello repertoire like no other composer of his time, offered the double bass unprecedented roles and new timbral functions, and brought the viola da gamba back from oblivion.
Vivaldi had full command of these instruments and was also a teacher at the Conservatorio della Pietà. His music, adhering perfectly to the idiomatic requirements, becomes for us a source of precious information which clarifies various still open questions regarding the organology, the executive technique and the tuning of the baroque basses. Just as his meticulous indications scattered over hundreds of manuscripts enlighten us on the instrumentation of the basso continuo, with sometimes surprising results. Vivaldi was therefore a giant in this field too, but not a giant in the desert: this study is an opportunity to widen the scope to the whole panorama of Italian bass string instrumentalists of Vivaldi's time, discovering their deeds and works, and focusing on the exchange relationship that some of them had with Vivaldi. The result is a very rich and in many respects new musical fresco.
It is in the book “The bow basses of Antonio Vivaldi. Cello, double bass and viola da gamba in his time and in his works ”that we find all this. Publishing House Leo S. oLSchki.
Bettina Hoffmann she is German and lives in Florence where she carries out a lively activity as a violist, baroque cellist and scholar of the history of her instruments. As a soloist and with Modo Antiquo, an ensemble particularly appreciated for Vivaldi's interpretations, she is present in the major European festivals and theaters. On the musicological side of her, we note the Catalog of music for viola da gamba and her volume La viola da gamba, published in Italian, German and English. You are a professor at the Vicenza Conservatory and at the Fiesole Music School.
Giorgio Cini Foundation – Venetian music studies. Vivaldian Notebooks, vol. 19 – 2020. Leo S. oLSchki Publishing House
