DATA SHEET THE OCTOBASS

ORIGIN SOUND

France. Historical copy dated 2010, made in the workshop of Because of the extreme size of its soundboard, the Jean-Jacques Pagès. sound produced by the octobass is more powerful than that of the standard double . It is also SPECIAL FEATURES capable of generating notes that extend to the lowest threshold of human hearing, giving the eerie impres- sion of rumblings from the afterlife… The octobass is the lowest-pitched and largest-sized instrument of the entire string family. The performer must climb up on a small stool in order to access the neck of the instrument, and it is only by means of levers MUSICAL WORK and pedals – not with the hands – that the strings can be reached and sounded. The octobass bow is longer and heavier than the bow of an The first work in which the OSM’s Assistant Principal ordinary string bass. Bass Eric Chappel will perform on the octobass (under the direction of Kent Nagano) will be the symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), op. 40 by HEIGHT DIAMETER OF STRINGS 3.6 m (11.10 ft.) 5/16 in. (7.94 mm), 1/4 in. Richard Strauss, composed in 1887-88. (6.35 mm) et 3/16 in. (4.76 mm) LENGTH OF THE SOUNDBOARD In his treatise on orchestration, wrote (uppermost board) WEIGHT that he wished to include the octobass in all his works 2.06 m (6.76 ft.) 131,54 kg (290 lbs.) for large orchestra. Musical scores for the octobass WIDTH OF THE SOUNDBOARD NUMBER OF PARTS are the result of recent research. 1.11 m (3.64 ft.) There are hundreds of parts, of which 237 make up the complex LENGTH OF STRINGS mechanism of this precision 2.18 m (6.56 ft.) instrument.

NUMBER OF STRINGS INSTRUMENT BUILDING 3 (A – E – B) TECHNIQUES Traditional techniques specific to French lutherie. DATES OF INITIAL OSM CONCERTS THAT FEATURE THE Given such oversized dimensions, it is impossible to play the octobass without resorting to mechanical means. That is why in OCTOBASS 1849 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume devised a system of seven metallic retractable keys positioned from semitone to semitone along the October 20, 22 and 23, 2016 to stop the strings by activating hand and foot levers. The octobass that has been made available to the OSM is a faithful reproduction of the original model conceived by Vuillaume. It is PROJECT GENESIS also the only perfect replica of the upgraded original from 1851, on display at the Musée instrumental de la Cité de la musique in Paris. For some ten years, Maestro To recreate its intricate mechanics, clock and pendulum maker Kent Nagano had dreamed of Michel Joly replicated all 237 parts of the instrument’s mechanism. adding an octobass to the OSM’s roster of instruments. Thanks to his initiative, this magnificent MATERIALS instrument was acquired directly • spruce and maple; from Europe by Groupe Canimex, • gut strings made after remnants found in Vuillaume’s led by well-known patrons of workshop, and which may very well have come from classical music Roger and the original octobass. Huguette Dubois. The OSM thus becomes the first modern orchestra to count this rare and unusual instrument in its ranks, from the very outset of the season.