The Gran Duo Concertante was composed by the Italian virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889) by 1880. Originally written for two double basses and orchestra, the piece was edited soon after by Camillo Sivori to be performed by a double bass and violin. A virtuoso (from the Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability at singing or playing a musical instrument. ... Giovanni Bottesini Giovanni Bottesini (December 22, 1821 - July 7, 1889), Italian double bassist and composer of classical music, was born at Crema in Lombardy. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... (This is an article about Sivori the violinist and composer, and not Omar Sivori the Argentinian footballer. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ...

The piece is a single, sprawling movement and usually lasts around 15 minutes if played up to tempo, but this estimate can vary greatly due to the artists' interpretation of the music. While double concertos were generally composed for different instruments, Bottesini did not seem to consider the questionable practicality of a piece for two talented double basses. Sivori (Savari), a disciple of Paganini, rewrote one of the bass parts for violin, creating a much more practical and sensible version. In music, a movement is a large division of a larger composition or musical form. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... (This is an article about Sivori the violinist and composer, and not Omar Sivori the Argentinian footballer. ... Niccolò Paganini Niccolò Paganini, (Genoa, October 27, 1782 - Nice, May 27, 1840) was a violinist and composer. ...