Karl Trautsch Complete Edition

After his studies in Prague, Karl Trautsch (1830-1910) laid the foundation for an outstanding double bass education in Hungary from 1859 as the first double bass professor at the National Conservatory in Ofen for five decades and, as a member of the opera house and the Philharmonic Society, was an active and highly respected participant in the musical life of the country.

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The Karl Trautsch Complete Edition is not only a volume about the life and work of Karl Trautsch, but also the cornerstone of the Karl Trautsch Complete Edition, which strives for completeness and attention to detail. All research, elaboration and editing processes are the result of my work, just as the other volumes of the Karl Trautsch Complete Edition will be the result of my work. Although the first volume presenting the life of Karl Trautsch is based on scientifically sound, strictly authentic information and sources, it has a more novelistic character than a purely scientific treatise, so that I can present Karl Trautsch and his work in a meaningful and readable form not only for expert readers, but also for those interested in a wider audience.

Of course, I am preparing several further volumes within the framework of the Karl Trautsch Complete Edition, following the biographical volume that was referred to as the KT Bio in the Complete Edition. They are divided into three groups and will appear one after the other in the future.

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•    Performance pieces, transcriptions and other works for double bass by Karl Trautsch (KT-M)

•    Teaching materials by Karl Trautsch, double bass school, etudes (KT-P)

•   Studies of a scientific nature and needs, in which I examine various aspects of Karl Trautsch's work, methodology and musical legacy (KT-E)

 

The value and significance of Karl Trautsch's work for the development of double bass playing and his professional training is invaluable both in Hungary and internationally, but no biographical volume has been published so far. I would like to fill this gap with this volume, which is published in Hungarian, German and English translatad by myself.

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All of Karl Trautsch's works are published in several volumes on the basis of the author's own manuscripts, taking into account musicological requirements. His life and work will also be reviewed, taking into account all available sources, including contemporary press releases, and a catalogue raisonné will be compiled that will be available online.

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It is also important to note that, as a scholarship holder of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, I am realizing this project on my own, under the mentorship of the outstanding double bass player and pedagogue István Enreiter, to whom I am infinitely grateful. The program will last three years, starting in September 2021 and ending in August 2024, but of course I will continue to work on the Karl Trautsch Complete Edition and on the publication of Karl Trautsch's work and compositions. My goal is to publish all the surviving works of Karl Trautsch over time.

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The first, biographical volume entitled

Karl Trautsch - Estblisher of the Prague method

of the upright bass in Hungary,

and the first performance pieces

will soon be available on this page!

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Kind regards,

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David Spischak