Diamond in a double bass setting

The purpose of this article is to popularize the music of our famous compatriot, composer Efrem Iosifovich Podhaits. His chamber music is the subject of research, and the sonata for double bass and piano is the object of study. Efrem Iosifovich is a very prolific composer who, year after year, pleases musicians and ordinary listeners with composing more and more new works, confirming his professional worth. The author's interests cover all musical genres. Along with symphonic, opera, and choral music, there are chamber compositions for all instruments. And the double bass is no exception. Despite the established opinion about it as an instrument exclusively accompanying, orchestral and jazz, Efrem Iosifovich goes beyond stereotypes and gives the double bass in his sonata a full-fledged solo part, which includes new playing techniques such as pizzicato on the fingerboard, glissando with flageolets, cross pizzicato on open strings with two hands and others. The author of the article claims that the sonata for double bass and piano is unique because it combines deep philosophical content and knowledge of all the subtleties of playing this instrument. Based on a detailed study, the author gives a subjective assessment of the form and inner world of the work. The main conclusion of the acquaintance with Efrem Iosifovich's chamber composition is the conviction that it is necessary to familiarize oneself with and include one of the most remarkable contrabass opuses in the current repertoire of performing musicians. This is confirmed by the release of the Anthology "Modern Music for Double Bass" by the publishing house of the Moscow Conservatory, which includes three sonatas, including the sonata by Podhaitz. The article emphasizes that despite the modern language of writing, Efrem Iosifovich's style remains recognizable and unique. The composer does not deviate from the classical canons of art and relies in his work on three main musical "whales" – rhythm, harmony and melody. The novelty of the article lies in the fact that before the author, this work unfairly remained in the shadow of other works, and did not act as an object for special research. The article is a huge contribution to spreading information about this little-known work among fellow musicians and students.