Solo & Ensemble:

• Concerto per il Contrabasso (18th c.) Ap 7 [ Frankova] ; FWV 19 [ Frantz ]

Scoring:

Solo cb, vln I, vln II, basso, hrn I, hrn II   [ A-Wgm source ]

Solo cb, vln I, vln II, vla, basso, hrn I, hrn II   [ Bratislava source ]

Autographs & Manuscripts:

Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna, Austria, [A-Wgm ] Ms. Sign. IX / 6399

[ period manuscript from the Anton Langahmmer estate ]

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Musiksammlung, Vienna, Austria [ A-Wn ] Mus.Hs.37323 Mus

[ undated manuscript, Robert Frantz estate, score in pencil, clean copy ]

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Musiksammlung, Vienna, Austria [ A-Wn ] Mus.Hs.37324 Mus

[ undated manuscript, Robert Frantz estate, score in pencil, rough copy ]

Private Collection, Bratislava, Slovakia

[ period manuscript, source cited in:  Focht, Josef. Der Wiener Kontrabass: Spieltechnik und Aufführungspraxis : Musik und Instrumente. Tutzing: Schneider, 1999. p. 116 ]

Editions:

Kohaut, Karl. Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra. Edited by Dave Young, London: Yorke Edition, 1996. [ arranged for bass and piano ]

Kohaut, Karl. Concert für Contrabass und Orchester (pianoforte). Edited by Rudolf Malarić. Wien: Doblinger, [19–] (presumed 1960s) [ arranged for bass and piano ]

Bibliography:

Albright, Philip H. Original Solo Concertos for the Double Bass. Rochester, N.Y: University of Rochester Press, D.M.A. Thesis, University of Rochester, 1969, p. 49-50. Download Page

Franková, Jana. Život a Dílo Josefa Kohouta (1734-1777) Jako Příklad Migrace Hudebníků v Osvícenské Evropě. Ph.D. Thesis, Masaryk University, Brno, 2015, p. 152, 386, 395. Download Page

Frantz, Robert. Analyse des “Concerto per il Contrabasso, Violini I, II e Basso.” n.p., n.d. – ÖNB record link  Mus.Hs.37325 Mus

[ From Robert Frantz estate. The record title points to a an analytical paper dedicated to Kohaut’s concerto. ]

Heyes, David. 84. Karl Kohaut – Concerto in D major for Double Bass in an online series “A History of the Double Bass in 100 Pieces”, Facebook, August, 2015. Online View

Braodcasts:

November 18, 1983 ; CBC FM band ; CBC Vancouver Orchestra ; soloist, Wilmer Fawcett on bass in Viennese Tuning ; orchestra leader, Elizabeth Wilcock, as a concertmaster.

Recorded:       December 11 and 12, 1982 : 10.30-1.30, CBC Studio 1, Vancouver, Canada
Instrument:   Czech or Eastern European bass ca. 1900
Bass setup: Viennese Tuning, 5 string D setup – steel strings
Announcement: Introduction by Shelagh Rogers

Notes:

This broadcast has featured the first modern performance of Kohaut’s bass concerto. It was organized through the initiative of bassists Wilmer Fawcett, who also edited the concerto from the original parts for the ensemble. This broadcast has also featured for the first time an authentic solo bass performance on the period Viennese tuning. The following audio files are presented by courtesy of Wilmer Fawcett.

1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Presto

Recordings:

Kohaut, Karl. Karl Kohaut: Haydn’s Lute Player. CC 72323, Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Challenge Classics, 2009. CD.

Ars Antiqua Austria ; Gunar Letzbor, artistic direction ; Hubert Hoffman, lute ; Jan Krigovsky, Viennese double bass.
Recorded March 26-29, 2008, Ivanka pri Dunaji castle, Slovakia.
Web Page
Online Video

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Iconography:

The present state of research could not confirm any authentic image of Karl Kohaut. The image of a lutenist commonly associated with Karl Kohaut is actually of his brother Joseph Kohaut.  For further details on this image and other Kohaut images in circulation, see Franková thesis (cited above) p. 112.

(Joseph) Kohaut by Louis Carrogis de Carmontelle (1717-1806)

Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) – Info
Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) – Image
Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica) – Image

(assumed ) Kohaut & Mozart

Ars Antiqua – Image

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Footnotes:

¹.    Jana Franková in her thesis (cited above) p. 114, points to Maximilian Stadler (1748–1833) characterization of Kohaut’s skills:

“Karl Kohaut, Secretair bey der k. k. Hof- und Staatskanzley zu Wienn, der größte Lautenist, den Kaiser Joseph ungemein schätzte und mit sich auf Reisen mitnahm. Er spielte mehrere Instrumenten meisterlich, besonders den Violon. Seine Fantasien auf der Laute konnten auch die größten Meister nicht ohne innigster Rührung anhören. Seine Kompositionen waren Meisterstücke. Schade, daß so wenig durch den Stich bekannt worden.”

Translated:

“Karl Kohaut, secretary of the Imperial Court of Vienna, the greatest lutenist, whom the Emperor Joseph greatly esteemed and took with him on various journeys. He played several instruments masterfully, especially the violon. Even the greatest masters could not listen his lute fantasies without an emotional impact. His compositions were masterpieces. It is a pitty that so few of them have become widely known.”

Cited in: Wagner, Karel (ed.) “Abbé Maximilian Stadler. Seine Materialien zur Geschichte der Musik unter den Österreichischen Regenten.” Schriftenreihe der Internationalen Stiftung Mozarteum, Bd. 6. Kassel: Bärenreiter, [1978], p. 106.

Josef Focht in his Der Wiener Kontrabass: Spieltechnik Und Aufführungspraxis : Musik Und Instrumente. Tutzing: Schneider, 1999, p. 116, cites three works that point to Kohaut’s activity as a bassist:

1. Frantz, Robert. Analysen der Kammermusik Karl Kohauts. ÖNB, Musiksammlung, n.p., n.d.  Mus.Hs.37335 Mus

2. Riedel, Karl. Die Wiener Symphoniker vor und um 1750. Thesis (unpublished), Vienna, 1905.

3. Klíma, Josef. “Karl Kohaut, der letzte Wiener Lautenist.” Oesterreichische Musikzeitschrift, XXVI (1971): 141-144. Article Citation Link

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Posted: May 23, 2017