The Heritage Series series
The history of the double bass features many player-composers who created a wealth of music for bassists of all abilities. Recital Music publish a wide and eclectic range of music by these important figures from the history of the instrument, particularly from the 19th and early 20th-centuries, and more works are in preparation. Some names are well known today, others almost forgotten, but each made a valuable contribution to the repertoire of the double bass and helped create a unqiue repertoire which deserves to be performed.
Czech bassist-composer Frantisek Gregora (1819-1887) was Bottesini's almost exact contemporary, albeit two years older and, although he was a respected soloist and composer his music has, on the whole, been largly forgotten.
Born in Netolice, Bohemia on 9 January 1819, he showed early musical talent playing organ, piano, violin, flute and clarinet before transferring to the double bass. In 1844 he entered the Vienna Conservatoire where he studied double bass with Antonin Slama and composition with Gottfried Preyer. After graduation, Gregora returned to Bohemia and settled in Pisek where he lived until his death on 27 January 1887. He became an important local musical figure as organist, choir-master and music teacher, and was soon nicknamed 'the travelling bass virtuoso', having given many recitals in the local area.
Frantisek Gregora was a fairly prolific composer and his output includes sacred and secular choral music, chamber and orchestral works alongside a wealth of solo music for double bass.
Gregora's Polka for double bass and piano was composed in 1849.
This edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings.
