Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Pitched an octave below the normal bass range.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In music, sounding an octave lower than another instrument of the same class, or furnishing the lowest tones in a family of instruments: as, a contrabass trombone, saxhorn, etc.
- noun The largest instrument of the viol class; the double-bass (which see). Also
contrabasso .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mus.) The lowest stringed instrument of the violin family; the
double bass ; -- also applied to any instrument of the same deep range as the stringed double bass.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun part or section one
octave lower thanbass . - noun
double bass , string bass - noun person or
instrument performing the contrabass part.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective pitched an octave below normal bass instrumental or vocal range
- noun largest and lowest member of the violin family
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Jun, writes from Holland (I think), saying: Recently, I've built my own electronic upright bass (aka contrabass).
Reader builds his own electronic double bass. From planks. 2004
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Jun, writes from Holland (I think), saying: Recently, I've built my own electronic upright bass (aka contrabass).
Archive 2004-10-01 2004
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A Korean War veteran who emerged from the 1960s Chicago scene boosted by the activist collective Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Mr. Braxton made important albums focused on saxophone improvisation and sonic experiments with every reed instrument available, from sopranino to the contrabass saxophone.
A Jazztronaut, Exploring the Spaces in Music Steve Dollar 2011
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The low components of each group (bassoon, bass/contrabass clarinet, tuba, double bass, trombone) are almost always present; the ombrous colors and more diffuse orchestration reduce extremes of exuberance or violence.
Magna Carter (3): The stuff that dreams are made of Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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The low components of each group (bassoon, bass/contrabass clarinet, tuba, double bass, trombone) are almost always present; the ombrous colors and more diffuse orchestration reduce extremes of exuberance or violence.
Archive 2008-07-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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There is a funny moment when Sam is cooking a rabbit which Gollum doesn't like, and the mood is musically spun with the contrabass clarinet.
Fern Siegel: Stage Door: The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers 2010
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The score, burbling and grunting murkily with various contrabass woodwind and brass, and spangling with the metallic additions of electric violin, guitar and keyboard, oscillates between styles and harmonies, from Shostakovich at his more benign towards the complex patter of Sondheim.
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(Soundbite of music) RIVERA: During the day, this mega-facility is flooded with thousands of young people eager to become better musicians, like 15 - year-old Diana Tardes, who plays the contrabass, an instrument almost twice as big as she is.
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Mike SvobodaAt first this seemed like somewhat of a hollow proposition, but as the piece went on it grew progressively more hypnotic and seductive as it developed extended solo and duet combinations between Svoboda and Vicki Ray on the prepared piano, Aashish Khan on the sarode, Rachel Rudich on the shakuhachi, Vinny Golia on the contrabass flute and Swapan Chaudhuri on the tabla.
Archive 2007-11-01 2007
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Designing and building a new and better contrabass saxophone?
The Volokh Conspiracy » Are Lawyers A Productive Part of Society? 2009
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