Armand Russell was born in Seattle, Washington in 1932. He received the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Washington, with a major in music composition, and a Doctorate in music composition from the Eastman School of Music. He studied double bass with Leslie Martin, who played in the Seattle Symphony and Boston Symphony Orchestras, and at the Eastman School of Music with Oscar Zimmerman. His composition studies were with John Verrall and George McKay at the University of Washington, and with Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson at the Eastman School.
Professionally, Armand Russell played double bass in many orchestras including the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Tour Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic and Civic Orchestras, and Honolulu Symphony. For five years he taught as a visiting Professor at the Eastman School of Music. From 1961 to 1994 he taught at the University of Hawaii Music Department and retired as Professor emeritus in 1994.
While at the University of Hawaii he taught music theory, composition and double bass and also served as Chair of the Music Department for seven years.
Armand Russell’s compositional style is confident and direct with a clarity of line and texture always to the fore. A modern, yet lyrical and accessible style, has created works which communicate equally to performers and audiences alike and he has made, and continues to make, a unique and valuable contribution to the double bass literature throughout a long and successful career.
Armand Russell died in October 2023 at the age of 92 years.
Buffo Set is aimed at the intermediate bassist and is in bass clef throughout. The modern style, within a musical and lyrical framework alongside a…
Buffo Set is aimed at the intermediate bassist and is in bass clef throughout. The modern style, within a musical and lyrical framework alongside a strong rhythmic momentum, make this ideal for study and concert repertoire with four contrasting movements offering musical and technical challenges in equal measure.
There is strong interplay between the performers, combining inventive musical dialogue within four short engaging movements, enabling the bassist to explore a wide range of colors and textures throughout the middle range of the instrument.
Armand Russell has composed four effective and accessible musical soundscapes, with strikingly independent piano accompaniments, and music which is modern but also accessible and approachable.
Buffo Set was composed in 1964 for double bass students at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. The first version was for 2 double basses and was followed, later that year, with a version for double bass and piano. The premiere of both versions was at the University of Hawaii in 1965.
