Madagascar Op. 114 features six short pieces, playable in any order, for beginner double bass and piano. There are musical and rhythmic challenges in 1st…
Madagascar Op. 114 features six short pieces, playable in any order, for beginner double bass and piano. There are musical and rhythmic challenges in 1st position with colourful and inventive piano accompaniments which were written with the double bass teacher in mind. The introduction of col legno and sul ponticello, alongside arco and pizzicato, introduce young bassists to different playing techniques which are still accessible in beginner repertoire,
“Madagascar, in six short movements, evokes some of the native wildlife on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The brevity of each section gives the work the character of a set of illustrated postage stamps on greetings cards from there.
1. Forest Nocturne – a portrayal of the mysterious wooded landscape in the still of the night
2. The Song of the Indri – the calls of the indri, the largest of Madagascar’s lemurs, echo through the forest
3. Dancing Sifakas – these delightful lemurs hop and bounce along on their back legs, almost as though they were dancing
4. Prowling Fossas – the fossa is the island’s largest mammalian carnivore, whose main prey just happens to be lemurs
5. Avenue of Baobabs – these strange but stately trees look as though someone planted them all upside down
6. Lemurs in Procession – a snapshot of a group of perky ring-tailed lemurs determinedly marching with tails in the air into the depths of the forest, where they are gradually lost from sight
[Programme note by Frank Bayford, March 2025]
