Portraits of Double Bassists

 

Every musician forms a lifelong partnership
with their instrument.
It's a bond not unlike that between
a craftsman and his tools,
but few hammers or saws
can inspire as much passion
as a musical instrument can. 

For a double bass player especially,
their instrument becomes a constant companion
whose voice, touch, and contours
become as familiar to them
as those of a spouse.

Some musicians take this love seriously
and would have no other.
Like a marriage, it's a commitment
that accepts all your partner's virtues and flaws
in return for a harmonious life.

You just have to learn to play the right strings.

Today I present
some vintage photos of double bass players
who demonstrated an affection for their instrument.

My first example of a double bassist comes from an unmarked cabinet card photograph. It shows a bearded man of modest height in his late twenties playing a bass in photographer's studio. A nice touch is including a folding metal music stand. There are dark marks at the bottom of the card that suggest a written caption but I've been unable to tease it out with digital tools. I can only guess that the studio was somewhere in North America but beyond that the photo remains a mystery. To my eye the man's striped wool suit and Prince Albert beard makes him look like a gentleman from the 1890s or 1900s.

* * *

My second bassist is more fortunate to be identified by a photographer and place even though his name is otherwise unknown. This gentleman is in his fifties and sports a very impressive full grey beard and mustache brush. He appears to be standing outdoors but I think the house window and garden fence in the background are a clever studio set lit by a skylight or large window as the low upholstered chair is resting on a patterned linoleum floor and not grass, gravel, or paver stone. The man wears a formal black suit, possibly a frock coat with satin collars, which fits the style of an professional orchestra musician in the 1890s and early 1900s. 

This cabinet photo was taken by W. Macfarlane of 339A High St. in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. In the 4 May 1900 edition of the British Journal of Photography it was reported that: "Mr. Walter Macfarlane has purchased the portrait business of Greenway Brothers of 339a, High-street, Cheltenham, and is conducting it under his own name." Macfarlane was still listed in the 1914 Cheltenham business directory so that likely dates this musician to the first decades of the 20th century.

* * *

The cabinet photo of my third bassist is on a plain mount from another unknown photographer. This musician is dressed in a military-style bandsman's uniform and holds a double bass that has only three strings, which is unusual to find in old photos. But more unusual is to find a whole family history written on the back.

William Dring, *
Great Grandfather of
Mary Chadburn .

                                

He was Base (sic) player in

Long Eaton, Notts., 
                                police band.

    APPROX 1900 - 1920
* From 1901 census:  age 40 born
 Collingham Notts in civil parish
                                of Spalford
 Occupation  Potato dealer
 Three-string Lamy French Bass                                 circa 1890

_ _ _

The information was written, I think, by two different people who knew the man's name and something about his family. The detail of the 1901 census made it easy to find a William Dring, age 40 living in Spalford, Nottinghamshire, England with his wife Francis Dring, age 54. His occupation was indeed a "Potato Dealer, Worker at home". But how likely is it that a potato dealer would also be a member of a police band with a large string bass? I was skeptical that this was correct.

Since Ancestry.com allows people to upload pictures of their ancestors to their family tree, I checked to see if there were any images of a William Dring. Surprisingly there were several photos but only one of a man with a big brushy mustache.

William Dring
1857–1935
Source: Ancestry.com

Courtesy of someone's family tree I learned that this William Dring was born in 1857 in Carlton, Nottingham and recorded in England's censuses for 1891, 1901, and 1911.  In the 1891 census for Radford, Nottingham, William was age 35 and listed his occupation as "Police Constable". He was married to Ann Dring, age 34, and at that time they had two sons and two daughters. I think someone, possibly the dealer I bought the photo from, did some research on William to add to the name written on the back by a family descendant. Considering the number of people in Nottinghamshire with the same name it's not surprising that a mistake was made. But it is amazing that his proper identification depended on his mustache.

1891 Radford, Nottingham West, England Census

I think this photo dates from around 1891 as William looks about age 35, though with that stern face he could be older. The purpose of the photo might be to commemorate a prize-winning performance of his police band, or maybe a new uniform or even new instrument. 

The presence of a string bass in a band was not unusual as many concert bands (non-marching bands) of the time preferred a double bass to play the bass line as it had a lighter bass sound than was possible on a tuba. The three strings on the instrument were also not unusual as in this era British musical fashion followed French styles which used an older form of the double bass which had only three instead of four strings. Notice that this instrument has classic curved violin corners instead of the simpler viola da gamba form of the other basses. A sign, I think, of a more expensive instrument.

* * *

I can't miss an opportunity to add a pretty face to complete this medley of double bassists and put a stop to comments about beards. This young lady's cabinet photo was  taken in Mansfield, Ohio. Her name is Nell Ricker and she was a member of the Boston Ladies' Symphony Orchestra in the season of 1898-99. Since she is part of a larger history about this women's orchestra I won't show the back of the photo as it will give away too much of the story. Stay tuned and we will meet her again soon. 

To demonstrate the beautiful voice of a double bass
here is a performance by Korean Doublebassist Minje Sung

playing the ever popular Czardas by V. Monti. 

Minje Sung was the 1st place winner
of the 2007 Serge Koussevitzky Double-Bass Competition in Russia 

and also the 2006 Johann Matthias Sperger Double-Bass Competition in Germany. 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where fancy footwork is on display.