In doing some research on (i.e., Googling) the double bass in Russia, I stumbled across this, which is old news, apparently:
Tonya Grotter and her Magical Double Bass
It's a Russian parody/unauthorized copy/cultural adaptation of the Harry Potter books (which I'm proud to say I still haven't read, despite working at a Barnes and Noble at the height of their popularity). But it's totally different--the girl attends Abracadabra Magic School and flies around on a Double Bass.
The book is (not surprisingly) not available in English translation. I'm not going to get into all of the legal problems surrounding it. I did manage to find an unauthorized (!) translation* of part of it:
*Do two wrongs make a right? What about my unauthorized reproduction of the unauthorized translation of the unauthorized parody/copy?
Tonya Grotter and her Magical Double Bass
It's a Russian parody/unauthorized copy/cultural adaptation of the Harry Potter books (which I'm proud to say I still haven't read, despite working at a Barnes and Noble at the height of their popularity). But it's totally different--the girl attends Abracadabra Magic School and flies around on a Double Bass.
The book is (not surprisingly) not available in English translation. I'm not going to get into all of the legal problems surrounding it. I did manage to find an unauthorized (!) translation* of part of it:
Chapter 4: "They forged Rvakli?"
"Tsviang!" hummed the string third from the end, which Tanya pressed
closer to the middle of the fingerboard. Hardly had the sound faded
when on the loggia sprang up a fat round head in a copper helmet. It was
about the same size as a decent cauldron, and fearsomely rotated its
gaze. The head's appearance, frankly, was like a robber's. Its curved
nose had at some time been dented by a fist, and on its cheek it
displayed a long scar.
"They forged Rvakli?" it asked, when its gaze settled on the little
girl.
"They didn't forge Rvakli...I made a little mistake...." mumbled
Tanya, attempting to hide behind the double bass.
[...]
Tanya backed up in fright and, hoping the head would disappear,
quickly ran the bow across the neighboring string.
"Bzhiangg!" droned the string thickly. No, the head didn't
disappear. Instead there immediately arose another right alongside,
even more bandit-like than the first and adorned with fluffy feldwebel
whiskers.
*Do two wrongs make a right? What about my unauthorized reproduction of the unauthorized translation of the unauthorized parody/copy?