Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Craig Butterfield
Abstract
As a member of the violin family, the double bass has existed for the majority of the instrument's history in an ephemeral state. Across Europe the instrument varied regionally, and differing performance practices hampered the development of pedagogical materials for the instrument, of which wouldn't be developed until the turn of the 19th century when the instrument’s construction began to stabilize.1
The focus of this document emerged from noticing a pattern between the increasing quality of bassists in Central Europe, particularly in the genre of solo music, and the development of pedagogical materials for the double bass during this time. Further examination elucidated that most of these materials were created by Czech bassists who trained at the Prague Conservatory and became professors at prominent conservatories in Central Europe. Therefore, the goal of this document is to connect the traditions of multiple schools throughout Central Europe, as it has developed from its beginnings with the construction of the music conservatory in Prague in 1808, and link these institutions together by analyzing teacher-student relationships and tracking the development and transformation of educational methods.
1 Saunders, “Representative Works,” 3.
Rights
© 2026, Geordan Raisler
Recommended Citation
Raisler, G.(2026). The Czech Double Bass School: The History and Development Of Bass Education Through the Prague Conservatory. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8786