Neil Courtney
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSICIAN

Neil Courtney’s professional career as a bass performer began in 1951 with the Rochester Philharmonic under the direction of Erich Leinsdorf. At that time he was studying at Eastman School of Music with famed teacher, Oscar Zimmerman, one of the first graduates of the Curtis Institute of Music. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Marine Band where he served for four years, supplementing his education by studying with Roger Scott, Principal Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra and professor at the Curtis Institute. In the Marine Band, he performed frequently at the White House under the Eisenhower administration.

In 1958, Courtney was appointed Principal Bass of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., a position he held until 1962 before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy. As a member of the National Symphony, he played at John. F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration, and also traveled with the orchestra on a twelve-week tour of South America.

In the ensuing years, he played under the baton of permanent conductors, Ricardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallish, Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit. Since then, he has played for nearly every major conductor in the world. With the Philadelphia Orchestra — the first U.S. Orchestra to travel to Beijing in 1973 — he traveled extensively and was honored in 2008 as one of the musicians on the original tour.

Courtney also served as co-founder of Musicians for Social Responsibility and the chief organizer for the Concert for Humanity, a concert to raise consciousness for nuclear disarmament which was conducted by Muti. In addition to his orchestral performances, he played numerous solo performances as well as chamber music with the Philadelphia Chamber Players, a group he co-founded and which was active for nineteen years. Some of his solo performances include Per Questa Bella Mano with baritone Eric Owens and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a Hindemith sonata at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

As a composer, his work (e.g. Trio for Bass, Trumpet and Piano) was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra as part of the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber series. Other chamber concerts include Beethoven Septet and Richard Strauss Quintet with principal players of the Philadelphia Orchestra. As a teacher, his students include internationally recognized jazz bassists Stanley Clarke and Christian McBride.

Neil Courtney will retire from his position in the Philadelphia Orchestra as Assistant Principal bass in August 2010, after forty-eight years. He lives in Philadelphia.

Is it fair to generalise that the public tends to have little understanding of what the double bass can offer?

While the general public, those who listen to music, probably have a good understanding of the double bass in its many roles — jazz, country, pop, rock, big band, and as the basis of classical performances —, they probably have had little opportunity to appreciate its importance as a solo instrument and chamber music presence. This is a whole other world for a bass player. The range of the instrument is similar to that of a baritone singer, and thus is a great instrument to express the solo capacities of the player. In chamber music, which in most cases assigns one player to a part, the opportunity to share in the expressiveness of music can be clearly heard. Unfortunately, there are very few opportunities for the general public to hear solo bass or chamber music performances. The bass repertoire is more limited than for the other strings. Most of the audience for a solo bass performance consists of other bass players. Most music lovers are familiar with Schubert’s famous “Trout Quintet,” and Beethoven’s “Septet”…

Neil Courtney at Liuzzi’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSICIAN

Has your extensive orchestral work “compromised” your possibilities in solo performance? How do you reconcile with both aspects, one being collaborative, the other being solitary?

Yes, the demands of a very full orchestral schedule, plus teaching, family responsibilities, and other musical choices such as composing and performing chamber music left little time for developing a solo career. I found the collaborative aspect to be richly rewarding.

Working together to solve artistic and interpretive problems is exciting and satisfying. For example, in a piece such as the Prokofiev Quintet for violin, viola, bass, clarinet and oboe, coming to agreement through a process of “give and take” on the importance of various lines, how to pass them between the players, what the dynamic parameters should be, what we think Prokofiev would have wanted, etc., illustrates well the creative process of problem solving and interpretative examinations as an ensemble.

When working in the orchestra as a musician, you don’t have much to say. In most cases, efforts are made to resolve differences in an amicable way, usually through discussion. You might try playing in various ways. When differences can’t be resolved, say in chamber ensembles, they sometimes lead to the breakup of the ensemble.

What aspects of music performance appeal to you most?

There are many appealing aspects. I think the predominantly rewarding aspect is the sense of recreating some of the highest achievements of human creativity with the world’s finest musicians for the benefit of attentive and appreciative audiences. This is most gratifying. There is also the ongoing learning process of interpreting new music, being exposed daily to (mostly) accomplished conductors and extremely talented soloists.

As a classical musician, how do you perceive your social role in contemporary American society (and internationally)?

As a classical musician, I feel we should take on a social role wherever it is possible to have an influence. In Philadelphia, for example, I was an organizer of Musicians for Social Responsibility, which produced three Concerts for Humanity, a fundraiser, two conducted by Riccardo Muti, which bankrolled many anti-war organizations supporting nuclear arms control in our community.

Performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSICIAN

I also devoted nineteen years to a local chamber music group, which I helped organize, and which performed four concerts a year. We included many of our Philadelphia Orchestra colleagues and attempted to bring “culture” to the suburbs. I provided program notes orally, played in and composed for the group.

Also, international touring is an effective force for global understanding. My orchestra (the Philadelphia Orchestra) was the first American orchestra to perform in China in 1973, which helped establish diplomatic relations between America and Communist China.

How has your relationship with the double bass evolved?

As in any long-term relationship, you develop an appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of a partnership. After sixty-eight years together, I think we’re headed for a divorce.

Divorce?

I was being facetious about getting a divorce. (I was somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of being together for sixty-eight years.) I should have said that in view of my impending retirement, it is time to renew our vows and redevelop my jazz skills as well as my basic techniques.

Neil Courtney at Abington
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSICIAN

Why the double bass? Why not another musical instrument?

It was an accident. I was eleven years old when I first came across the bass, but I learned to love it. I started on piano and took lessons for twelve years, but the bass was so much more “social” that I decided to stick with it.

Accident?

Nothing unusual here. Whenever a school orchestra leader has positions (that) he needs (to be) filled, he generally will pawn off an instrument on an eager child (who is) easily convinced he or she is just right for a bassoon, viola, trumpet, or double bass. I got the bass but grew to like it.

What is difficult about the bass?

Two of the most difficult things about playing the bass have to do with the physical properties of the instrument. The string length is such that the intervals are rather far apart. What we call shifting involves moving the hand very rapidly across considerable distances, landing on the precise spot for the intonation to be perfect. Anything less is immediately apparent.

The other aspect is the thickness of the strings. This creates the problem of starting the notes cleanly, especially in rapid passages. It takes a certain type of delicate strength to keep away from scratching attacks.

Other than these two problems, there is of course the challenge of developing a personal sound (and touch) that works well for personal expression.

Do you have a preference of musical repertoire that speaks most to your own sensibilities?

Of course I have favorites. I find the slow movement of Ravel’s Piano Concerto to be so beautiful that it’s almost painful. Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) is so intellectually and emotionally energizing I can barely stay in my chair. At other times, the Beethoven Symphonies are so profound they are like impenetrable mysteries. Sometimes it’s all great.

Is music elusive after all?

A lot of music was written for a defined purpose and as such is not terribly elusive — military marches, some film music, music to promote advertising, etc. However, the term “elusive” almost defines the music that will always stay fascinating and enriching.

How do you switch gears from performing to composing?

My interest in composing began in theory class. I was intrigued with the assignments calling for any kind of creativity. I was quite pleased with myself when I would play over an assignment and think, I wrote that. I also began writing songs for my first wife who was a singer.

As for switching gears, it’s really not easy, which is one reason why it takes me so long to finish a piece. First, I must clear my head of the music I have been performing. Depending on the composer this sometimes takes a while. Mahler or Sibelius stays in my memory for a long time and comes unbidden when I least expect it. Clearly I have to have as much of an uncluttered sound in my head as possible in order to find my own voice.

As a composer, what do you look out for?

“Look out for” as in avoid or “look out for ” as in a never-ending search for sounds and ideas?

In answer to the first, I have to “look out for” anything too obviously derivative unless it’s intentional and meant in an ironic way. In the other sense, I’m always on the lookout for sounds or motives that can be reconfigured in a way that has some of the original affect but sounds fresh.

As an artist, how do you nourish the growth of your interior world?

Mostly by reading and trying to understand the wellspring of great authors and thinkers. Authors who have influenced my thinking have been: Louis Menand (The Metaphysical Club), Daniel Levitin (This is Your Brain on Music), Edmund Wilson (Axel’s Castle, and anything else he has written), Michael Kimmelman, and Gustave Flaubert (The Letters of Gustave Flaubert). Some of the fiction writers I’ve turned to repeatedly are: John Gardner, Aldous Huxley, André Gide, Thomas Mann, Saul Bellow, and Honoré de Balzac.

I also find seeking out and contemplating great visual art helpful in the appreciation of life. I’m more drawn to abstraction and expressionism, as they are closer to what music communicates. Music is not as successful when the goal is programmatic…

I also find seeking out and contemplating great visual art helpful in the appreciation of life. I’m more drawn to abstraction and expressionism, as they are closer to what music communicates. Music is not as successful when the goal is programmatic, and this is the same case for the visual arts when it comes to communicating realism. Abstract art communicates feelings so well, and I relate to that. Specifically, I like Mark Rothko, Constantin Brancusi, Marcel Duchamp, Brice Marden and Balthus.

What are your working habits? How is a typical, fruitful working day like for you?

My working habits are not really habits. It depends on what I need to learn — a new or unfamiliar orchestral work or a chamber music piece. I try to get a certain amount of scale practice every day. Mostly I concentrate on staying focused on fundamentals while rehearsing.

A fruitful day could include some scale practice, some piano practice, a couple of hours working on a composition, a couple of hours working out at the gym or at home, a martini, and a good book if I don’t have a concert to play.

What do you now seek in music and in life?

Music composition is one of the most important plans I have. I would also like to become familiar with all the wonderful music I have yet to hear and internalize.

I also might want to become a martyr and get in on that “seventy virgins” thing.