An Interview with David Heyes
David Heyes is an English double bass composer and soloist who has commissioned over 700 pieces for the double bass. He has performed and taught in 20 different countries over the years, some multiple times. As well as being a featured composer at many festivals, his music has been played in over 28 countries. With a determination to change the bass world, he set up his own publishing company, Recital Music - with an aim to make unknown bass music more accessible for bass players.
I chose David Heyes because I find what he is doing for the bass world very inspiring and very important. By increasing repertoire, it means young bass players like me have more styles of music to play which gives us more opportunities.
1. Which musicians influenced you?
I think all my teachers have influenced me, each in a different way. Bronwen Naish fired my enthusiasm for solo playing and František Pošta taught me how to sing on the double bass and that every note mattered and meant something. Gary Karr was also an early influence and his recitals filled me with such enthusiasm and the feeling that everything was possible that I can still feel those emotions today. Ludwig Streicher was also a great influence and his LP ‘Ludwig Streicher spielt Bottesini’ changed my life. It was only the second double bass recording in my ‘collection’ - there weren’t many double bass recordings when I was young - and not only was he playing this virtuoso music but also he was playing it magnificently. I worked out that he was human and not superhuman and, if he could do it then so could I, but what was the secret? It took many thousands of hours of practice to understand how to do it.
2. As a musician every day is different, describe one good day
I love the fact that every day, week, month and year is different. I enjoy the challenge of never knowing what is around the corner and, although there are some aspects of my life which are regimented, most of my time isn’t. A good day for me is when I am at home and have time to practice, usually 2-3 hours if possible, which I break down into 30 minute slots and each devoted to technique, studies or solo repertoire. Most days at home include composition, whether I am starting to write a new piece or revising and editing one which is almost complete. I like to write a programme note about, which I can refer to when the piece is performed or published. I enjoy communicating with friends, these days by email rather than phone, and also having time to read, which is my great passion. I’m an avid reader, which began as soon as I learned to read, and have about 100 books which are on my bookshelves but are on the list to be read. On a good day I also have time to work on new digital editions of pieces from Recital Music’s catalogue of double bass pieces. Many were composed by friends who have died and it’s a nice way to remember them and think about the great times we all shared together, usually connected to much laughter and an odd glass of wine or two.
3. When did music become important to you?
When I was about 7 or 8 and before my musical studies began, I initially thought I would be an actor, director or producer, and definitely working in the arts. I started playing the recorder in Junior School, followed by percussion, viola and euphonium lessons at Grammar School, and at the age of 14 I started to play the double bass and that was it! There was nothing else I wanted to do and I knew I was a bassist almost immediately. I joined the Youth Orchestra, was asked to play in semi-professional orchestras quite quickly, attended inspiring summer schools, and that was it. I was a musician and knew there was nothing else I wanted to do.
4. What advice would you give to younger bassists?
Practice, practice and practice, and if you have any spare time then do more practice! Aim high, study all the solo repertoire, studies and scales so that when you play in an orchestra you have a great technique. Also dare to dream because there are too many people, often bassists, who have a negative attitude to the solo double bass but ignore them and go your own way. Acquire as much technique as you can and enjoy being a bassist, in whatever style or idiom of music you enjoy. The double bass is experiencing a Golden Age at the moment and my advice would be to grab every opportunity with both hands, don’t take no for an answer and enjoy being part of this revolution.
5. What do you enjoy about writing for solo bass?
This is an easy question to answer. I enjoy writing for solo bass because I have an inside knowledge of what the double bass can do and how to make it sound impressive without it being too difficult. I work with, not against, the resonance of the double bass and I enjoy exploring different playing effects and sounds even when writing for beginners. I love writing for unaccompanied double bass because the piece has to be complete in itself, with interest for player and audience alike, when there is no accompaniment. This offers challenges to the bassist, who has to be able to create a complete performance, with nowhere to hide, you are 100% of the piece and performance.
6. What is your aim when composing a piece?
My aim is to get it right, both musically and technically. It also has to enthuse the performer and astound the audience. If I am writing for a specific player I try to tailor it for their playing style, not outstay my welcome and work with the possibilities and limitations of the double bass. I usually start with the title, which helps with the style and direction of the piece and, if it’s for a specific player, I tend to use the musical letters from their name as a starting point. Some players have a fascinating number of musical letters in their name and others less so, but my challenge is to make every piece the best that I can do. Once the piece is written I tend to revise and edit many, many times and at some point I know that it’s finished and it’s the best I can do.
7. How did you discover contemporary and different styles of music, and how accessible was it to get a hold of?
Great question. I started buying printed music in my teens and read everything about the double bass. Bert Turetzky in the USA was a big name in contemporary music and he and I have been friends for over 20 years. He commissioned more than 300 pieces for the double bass, which inspired me, and he played every knock, squeal and scrape that you could find on a double bass. I heard Joëlle Léandre and Fernando Grillo play at the 1982 Isle of Man Festival & Competition, both contemporary specialists, but I knew this wasn’t for me. It was here that I first heard Kadenza by Teppo Hauta-aho, then played this when I studied in Prague, and in 1998 I invited Teppo to be a guest at Bass-Fest ’98, the first international workshop I organised. His music spoke to me instantly and was modern but accessible and playable. The musical line was as important in his music as it is in Mozart or Schubert. I knew this was the type of contemporary music that I would enjoy playing, teaching and publishing. Printed music in the 1970s and 80s wasn’t as available as it is today, certainly not outside London, but I was always tenacious and would eventually find every contemporary piece that I wanted to play.
8. How did you get the idea for your publishing company and what is your aim for it?
I was inspired by Yorke Edition, founded in 1969 by Rodney Slatford who also commissioned new music for the double bass and organised workshops and concerts. My ideas began when I was still at school and started in 1986, soon after I returned from studying in Prague. Initially my plan was to publish music which was out of copyright, which would include producing new editions of works which had been long out of print. When I met composer Tony Osborne this changed and we decided to add his music to the catalogue and then we added Teppo Hauta-aho and gradually the catalogue developed to the size it is today. I began commissioning music in 1981, when I was still at the Royal College of Music, and this continued over the next forty years. The catalogue is now about 80% original works and 20% transcriptions, and maybe 40% contemporary composers and 60% music from the past. My aim with Recital Music was to produce music which was playable, accessible, for every ability level and, where possible, to include accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings. I wanted to share my enthusiasm for repertoire with bassists everywhere and Recital Music is now the largest independent publisher on the double bass exam syllabus for the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and TCL (Trinity College London). On the ABRSM lists I am there as a composer, arranger and publisher which is rather surreal considering where I came from.
9. What question would you have liked me to ask you?
There are so many questions but one aspect of my life which is very important is “Why do I teach?”. Many bassists have little or no interest in teaching or repertoire and teach a few students between gigs and to earn extra money. I began teaching during my last year at the Royal College of Music and have always combined my teaching career alongside playing, publishing and composing. Initially I didn’t know very much but I’m a quick learner, always willing to learn and change, and I moved from one good job to another quite quickly. I enjoy opening the eyes and ears of bassists, particularly younger players, and introducing music which is not exactly mainstream but is still valuable and interesting. Commissioning well over 700 pieces over the past 41 years, including music for younger players, always fuelled my enthusiasm for teaching and making a difference. I wanted the double bass world to be better because of my life and it’s for others to judge if I succeeded, but I have loved every minute of it!
Questions from Holly Reinhardt
David Heyes (18 June 2022)
