History of the Bassoon Instrument

The bassoon is the lowest-pitched instrument of the woodwind family. It corresponds in voice and range to the trombone in the brass family and the cello in the string family. It was developed to take the bass with a group of oboes, but evolved into a solo, orchestral and chamber music instrument in the tenor range.

Precursor

The bassoon evolved around the middle of the 17th century from a Renaissance instrument called the dulcian. Like the bassoon, the dulcian was played with a double reed attached to a pipe.

Early Bassoons

The earliest bassoons were developed in Nuremburg, Paris and Amsterdam in the early 17th century. During the the late 17th and early 18th centuries (the reign of Louis XIV in France ), the Hotteterre family were pioneers in the making and playing of the bassoon. Jean-Baptiste Lully included parts for bassoons in his opera "Proserpine" in 1680.

The Baroque Bassoon

During music's Baroque era, roughly 1750 through 1820, the bassoon commonly had six finger holes and three or four keys operated by the pinkies or thumbs. The best instruments at that time were made from boxwood. Composers writing for this instrument included Vivaldi, J.C. Bach and Telemann.

The Classical Bassoon

During the Classical era, roughly encompassing the 19th century, bassoons still had six finger holes, but usually had eight additional keys for the pinkies and thumbs to provide more agility for the player and a larger range for the instrument. Contrasting schools of playing evolved in France and Germany, with the darker, fuller German style becoming more widespread. The French style had a brighter, more pinched, sound similar to the oboe. W.A. Mozart was a champion of the bassoon, composing the Bassoon Concerto, K.191 (1774) and the Sonata for Bassoon and Cello, K. 292 (1775).

The Modern Bassoon

Modern bassoon makers are Heckel in Germany, Buffet-Crampon in France and Fox in the United States. The modern bassoon is usually made of maple wood and stands about 53 inches tall. It has a conical bore (an inside tunnel for the air to pass through) measuring about 100 inches. It is still played with a double reed attached to a silver pipe, and the body of the instrument disassembles into four parts. The range of the modern instrument is slightly larger than three octaves.

References

• "The New Oxford Companion to Music"; edited by Denis Arnold; 1983
• The Bassoon Resource Page