As Faina Ranevskaya used to say (although who knows, did she say? The list of her quotes and aphorisms is too wide and comprehensive) Faina Ranevskaya - there are only two real perversions in the world, these are ice dancing and field hockey.
It is strange that, being a person of art, albeit theatrical, she did not notice such a massive elephant as Octobass. To play it, you need to stand on a stool and still have difficulty working with the neck.
The lower string produces sounds beyond human hearing. It is said that its sound can only be felt by vibrations reflected by the chest.
Instances were released with special pedals, grips, levers (thanks for not having a crane), which made it easier to play on this elephant, but apparently there are still not many who want to play it. As well as composing.
In total, there are a dozen works (we are now talking about relatively old ones, starting from the 19th century), where this comrade is used, and even they say, just orchestration, where he was included without the knowledge of the authors in order to somehow justify his existence. In a year, concerts with his participation can be counted on one hand.
It is officially declared that this violin was invented and realized in 1849 by the famous master Han Baptiste Villon, but in Great Britain there seem to be some older ones.
I'm not ready to say now that I suspect Octobas of belonging to the era of giants, but doubts torment me not sickly. True, I am not an indicator, and the double bass seems to me an overgrown alto.
The impossibility of normal use, a narrow range of sounds emitted, now and then going beyond the ordinary ear, and even the limited possibilities of playing technique. You cannot press such strings with your hand. Only if you use the mechanism.
Well, and the final Octobass chord - in the audible range it has no advantages over the usual double bass.
Well, for those who have read to the end, look carefully, it looks like one of the black-and-white photographs of a man pictured next to a giant holding in his hands an inhuman-sized flute that goes well with an immense octobass if you put them in the hands and mouth of giants.
Promotional video: