1585 Da Salò Bass

Played by Maxime Bibeau

Key Information

Maker:	Gasparo da Salò
Origin:	Brescia, Italy
Made:	1585
Current Player:	Maxime Bibeau
Sound Notes:	Incredibly resonant and uplifting
Owner:	Anonymous
Date Acquired:	2012
Date Loaned to ACO:	2013

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT

Made around 1580, it is one of a dozen surviving basses by the instrument-maker Gasparo da Salò.

It is believed that the decorated bass may have had only three owners: its earliest known provenance is the Augustinian abbey of Neustift in Northern Italy where it resided for possibly hundreds of years. The abbey was bombed during World War II but miraculously the instrument survived. It was sold to German bass player Günter Klaus in 1970 and then in 2012 it was purchased by an anonymous benefactor, joining the ACO’s family of instruments as the oldest instrument at over 430 years of age. The wood used for the front of the bass came from a 250-year old tree, making parts of this beautiful instrument around 700 years old.

“You can really hear and feel the maturity of the instrument. As well as having an incredibly beautiful and robust tone, it has a large sub-woofer-like quality that lifts the sound of the orchestra to another level.” - Maxime Bibeau

ABOUT THE MAKER

Gasparo Bertolotti was born in 1539 or 1540 in Salo, a small town to the north east of Brescia in Northern Italy. Known as ‘da Salo’, he died, reportedly almost blind, in 1609. Da Salo is believed to have been a musician who played the violone. He might also have played his own instruments, which would have refined his knowledge of making and his concept of sound.