David Heyes: George's Grand Tour for the progressing young double bassist

  About the Composition "George is an eleven-year-old violinist from Wiltshire (UK) who begin to study the double bass with me in late 2019 and has a natural flair for the instrument. He is quite fearless, nothing is too much of a challenge for him, and from his second week, he was able to play simple scales in tune on his quarter-sized double bass. One week I rashly offered to write him a short piece for unaccompanied double bass and, without any idea of where this project would take us, the first piece was written culminating in The Adventures of George. I wanted a link to George and eventually came upon the idea of a ‘Grand Tour’ with the aim of visiting a number of European cities. In the 17th and 18th-century, the Grand Tour could last anywhere from several months to several years and was undertaken by the sons and daughters of the wealthy aristocratic families in Britain. They would travel to the leading European cities, usually accompanied by a chaperone, visiting the famous sig