~ William Tarr Orchestral Bass ~

"made by William Tarr 1829 No 8"

Written and Signed in the upper Back by William Tarr

(made for 'The Gentleman's Orchestra' in Manchester aka 'The Halle Orchestra' post 1859)

Known today as a 'Halle Tarr', this is one of the 9 Basses made by William Tarr for the Gentleman's Orchestra in Manchester, the oldest Professional Orchestra in Great Britain. In 1959 Sir Charles Halle came from Germany, financed the Orchestra and conducted it for years and was then re-named The Halle Orchestra. I know of 2 other Halle Basses, one of which is still uncut and looks nearly identical in form and wood.

Features: This is an early Bass by William Tarr, 1829 #8. One of the 9 Basses he made for 'The Gentleman's Orchestra' at Manchester aka 'The Halle Orchestra' in which William Tarr was a bassist there for 12 years. This is a rare Violin cornered model Flatback. The upper and lower bout were slightly reduced in 1959. A very manageable Organ sounding 7/8 Bass with C-Extension. Truly a King amongst British Tarr Basses.

In the 1920 publishing of the 2nd enlarged edition of 'British Violin Makers' by W. M. Morris It is written that; "On the occasion of a certain musical festival held in Dublin, where Tarr was one of the performers, all of the nine basses in the orchestra were of his make. He was an excellent musician, and for twelve years one of the bassists at the 'Gentleman's Concerts," Manchester. This later became the Halle Orchestra. This and the other basses are known now as the Halle Tarr basses. Full sized violin models originally

Note: As big as this Bass looks, it is not at all as hard to play as one might suspect. The current set-up is a joy to play. The sound is thunderous. The tone is clear, smooth and organ-like in the lower registers.