History of Anton Torello
A Catalan Bassist Who Introduced America to the French Style of Bass Bow Playing
Anton Torello was a renowned Catalan bassist. He took the world of Double Bass by storm with his mastery and unique compositions, fingering technique, articulations, and bowings. Anton Torello was a renowned Double Bass Virtuoso and was responsible for the use of the French Bow in the United States.
Anton Torello was the great Catalan bassist and “great-grand student” of Bottesini. After completing his studies under Pedro Valls and a period of solo concerts and work as a solo bassist in the Gran Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Torello emigrated to the United States in the first decade of 1900. Warnicke mentions him well in his treatise & quote Der Kontrabass Ad Infinitum in 1909.
After a period in New York and Boston, he became Principal bassist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy. He was the first Double Bass professor at “The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.”
Anton Torello performed chamber works and recitals and was a soloist at several events and concerts. He also performed a recital with José Mardones, the Metropolitan Opera bass, which made history and received mention in the New York Times.
Anton Torello connected the world with his double bass playing skills, which is evident from his excellent working relationship with Isiah Bille- a great Italian double bass composer and virtuoso. Billie collaborated with Torello to write compositions that Torello and his son William Torello performed at concerts. Bille trusted Anton Torello’s talent and believed he had the art of making a melody sing on bass through his unprecedented bowings, articulations, and fingering techniques.
