David Heyes (b.1960) studied double bass with Laurence Gray and Bronwen Naish, later at the Royal College of Music in London, and completed his post-graduate studies in Prague with František Pošta (Principal Bass, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra). He has given recitals and masterclasses in 20 countries over the past few years and has been a juror at a number of international competitions, three times as chairman.
David’s collaborative work gained him a prestigious award from the David Walter Charitable Trust of New York for his pioneering activities as a soloist, teacher, publisher, and commissioner of new music for double bass and he works with composers throughout the world to expand the double bass repertoire by commissioning new music and by rediscovering forgotten ones. Since 1983 more than 700 works have been written for him, music from one to twenty basses and from beginner to virtuoso, and he has premiered ten contemporary concertos with orchestra.
David began to compose in 2013 and has had music performed and recorded in 29 countries across five continents. He is a D’Addario Performing Artist and has recently commissioned a solo double bass from British master-luthier Martin Penning.
Guitar part transcribed by Roy Hagen
‘No Man’s Land’ is originally for double bass and piano and was composed to commemorate the centenary of …the start of the First World War and in memory of David’s grandfathers, both of whom fought in the conflict.
The simple chordal accompaniment is reminiscent of a repeated tolling bell against which the solo line plays a poignant melodic line of yearning loss. A hint of gunfire eventually falls away into a repeated two note pattern which gradually fades away into nothingness.
“When I was writing the piece I had a black and white picture in my mind of the devastation of No Man’s Land in front of me and the stillness and silence are depicted by the slowly moving chordal accompaniment. The solo double bass is almost an onlooker or observer who comments, with both sorrow and anger, at the sheer waste of human life and the brutality of ‘a war to end all wars’, and still we don’t learn.”
This edition includes solo double bass parts for solo and orchestral tunings.
‘No Man’s Land’ was premiered at St Thomas Church (Mamhead, Devon) on 13 June 2014 by David Heyes (double bass) and David Haines (piano) and received its American premiere on Monday 1 December 2014 at Black Mountain Center (Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA) by David B. Teague (double bass) and Kathy Wallace (piano).
“No Man’s Land is a brilliant piece.” [Nick Merriam]
