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After nine years of work in Beirut, François saved enough money to move to Paris for a year. He was eager to go to the Paris Conservatory, meet with Monsieur Nanny and show him what he was able to do with the bass. When he applied at the Conservatory he was disappointed to learn that Nanny had died in 1947. He was also told that auditions were to be held in three days and that he would never have enough time to learn the required pieces. He asked for the music anyway and returned three days later to finish first among the applicants. However, his stay at the Conservatory was a brief one, since it didn’t take very long to see that he was not only far ahead of the other students but of the professors as well!
François Rabbath’s uniqueness stems from his refusal
to accept any traditional limitations. Whether
performing his own fascinating compositions, the
music of others or the classical repertoire, one is
always moved by his profound musicianship and
dazzling virtuosity. You quickly discover that he
brings you such a sense of security that the most
difficult passages sound
effortless.
The importance of François Rabbath to the development
of double bass playing can be compared with that of
Paganini to the violin. Since the early 1800s when
Nicole Paganini established the violin as a virtuoso
instrument, solo violinists have practiced the most
brilliant of instrumental art. Meanwhile, the
development of double bass playing had been seriously
neglected. The great and popular 19th century
composers did not consider the bass worth their
attention and in turn the bass repertoire did not
attract potential virtuoso performers with enough
genius to change the situation. It demanded an artist
with the unique qualities of François Rabbath to
break this impasse.
Rabbath Bio by Frank Proto, excerpted from his web
site
Liben.com.