Nanny’s Tarantella probably dates from the early 1920s and was first published in 1925 by Alphonse Leduc & Cie in Paris. It is a fun and vibrant work, brimming with rhythmic bravura and virtuosic flourish, enabling the soloist to demonstrate a technical and musical prowess across the entire solo range of the instrument.

Aimed at the advanced bassist, there are double stops and harmonics aplenty, alongside a lively and independent piano accompaniment, creating a virtuosic showpiece which would be an ideal final item in a recital.

This edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tuning.

Édouard Nanny (1872-1942) was the leading French bassist of his generation, taught at the Paris Conservatoire for 20 years, and is recognised as the founder of the modern French double bass school.

Alongside a wealth of transcriptions for double bass, Nanny also composed a series of original works which are worthy of revival in the 21st-century. His music is elegant and charming, exploiting the lyrical and technical possibilities of the double bass, and all are useful as both study and concert repertoire for the progressing bassist.

Édouard Nanny is an important figure in the development of the double bass during the first forty years of the 20th-century, particularly in France, and much of his educational music is still in print today. He made an amazing contribution to the double bass world and deserves to be celebrated and remembered.