This course invites students to become contemporaries of historical composers by performing their works on the instruments of their time, so as to gain a better understanding of the issues at stake and the driving forces behind them. By exploring the evolution of the double bass from the late Renaissance to the Romantic period, the performers discover and affirm their affinities and singular talent for a particular style or speciality. After completing this course, bassists can work as soloists, continuo players in an ensemble or orchestral instrumentalists.