One particular version of Le cygne by Saint Saens, which I personally think is the best, uses the double bass to play the main theme, and a guitar or ukelele or another instrument with a very transparent sound that evokes the sound of water for the background.
That’s JUST what I think it’s supposed to be. The swan on the lake (so there’s supposed to be water), slow (for a string instrument that holds a long breath) and sad (which is exactly what the bass notes are best at explaining) but so graceful (again, a string instrument).
And le cygne just exploits every single thing a double bass can do, unlike some other pieces written for double bass, which are like “we have replaced his double bass with a cello (or violin), let’s see if the listerners notice” and they don’t (you know who I’m talking about- Dragonetti and his double bass concertos, which sound magnificent but can only receive a 4-star review from me due to the “convertibility” I just mentioned)
