Joel Quarrington plays Papageno Variations

Joel Quarrington is a double bass player from Toronto who plays principal for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He started playing bass when he was 12, and then started taking lessons the following year. Joel has played solo in Canada, the United States, China, and throughout Europe. Joel is known as not the average, every day bassist, not only for his skill, but how he plays. He plays German bow, also known as Dragonetti bow. The oddest part of his playing style is his tuning, tuning in fifths rather than fourths. This technique is his own solution to hitting a low "C" which some pieces require, without using an extension. This tuning sets his bass up as C-G-D-A rather than the usual E-A-D-G.

Milton Barnes wrote his "Papageno Variations" for Joel in 1988, and is based on the aria "Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja" from the first act of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute." The piece is set up as:

Theme - Andante
Variation I - Burlesque
Variation II - Romance
Variation III - Recitativo
Variation IV - Scherzo
Variation V - Moderato Swing
Variation VI - Vivo
Theme

If you like what you hear, rate, comment, favorite, subscribe, and contact me. If you have a nice piece, please let me know and I will be more than willing to trade.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joel
• Quarrington
• Papageno
• Variations
• Jeff
• Barnes
• The
• Magic
• Flute
• Mozart
• Der
• Vogelfanger
• bin
• ich
• ja

[mcnaire2004]

Isn't half of this album in 4ths the other half is in 5ths? I think this is during his transition to 5ths.

[solobasstunes]

In the liner notes, it says that he played it all in fifths. Apparently he can still kind of play in fourths, but it takes some adjustment time.

[Luindriel]

Thanks for sharing this!

[UKNintendoManiac]

Seriously? You should check out Joel's site (and Silvio Dalla Torre's) to see why fifths tuning is a brilliant idea. A wider range and supposed better intonation with the other violin family instruments, among other things....

[punkypenguin321]

to the person who wrote the description, dragonetti bow is not the same as german bow at all.

[Tendency46]

Ah, beautiful Sound, im a bassist myself, im 14 and im in a Symphony Orchestra, in my school, im also in a chamber orchestra, We're playing Papageno suite, its pretty fun. Joel is an Amazing bassist, just listen to the Passion he puts in every Bow Stroke, From Every Crescendo To the quietest metzo Piano, and the Speed, I love playing songs with speed. All in all, amazing playing, a person that will be looked up to for generation to generation.

[jackarthurwinn]

great playing joel.  remember riki singing this in hamilton?

[UKNintendoManiac]

Are you talking about fingering? Most bassists who tune in 5ths seem to use a four-fingered technique and more pivots than usual to reach notes. This is of course juxtaposed with the "traditional" three-finger Simandl system with excessive shifts. Dalla Torre's site goes into it in great detail.

[bassist907]

but how can you reach? a tone is from 1 to 4?? :S

[bassist907]

but you cant tune a bass in fifths! it's practiccally a cello then! it's like blasphemy! :O