Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Music

The history and development of double bass lutherie in Europe has had a substantial amount of scholarly focus, but little work has been done to compile a reference source of North American string bass undertakings in historical context. This research project is an initial attempt to fill in this gap, with the creation of a reference source that is accessible to students, laymen, and professional musicians. The chapters of this document present an overview of three historical periods of bass lutherie in North America. After an introduction chapter, three subsequent chapters are organized as follows: introduction and overview, dictionary listing of known makers, and conclusions. An additional chapter provides detail of Abraham Prescott, the prolific American bass maker. North American bass making is a neglected but fascinating aspect of our musical history. The found data provides a somewhat clearer understanding of the basses place in the context of American string making, and points to directions for further research.

Committee: Dr. Paul Robinson (Advisor); Dr. Tim Gerber D.M.A. (Committee Member); Robert Sorton M.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music