- French:
- basson
- German:
- Fagott
- Key People:
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Related Topics:
- French bassoon
- contrabassoon
- German bassoon
- oboe family
bassoon
-
What is a bassoon?
The bassoon is the principal bass instrument in the orchestral woodwind family. Its reed is made from a strip of cane that is bent double. The bassoon's narrow, conical bore runs from the curved metal crook, where the double reed is placed, down through the wing (or tenor) joint, which has the left-hand finger holes, to the butt joint, which has the right-hand holes. The bore then doubles back, ascending through the butt to the long joint and bell, where the holes are controlled by keywork for the left thumb.
The bassoon is held aslant on a sling during performance. Although the traditional placement of the finger holes is scientifically irrational, it is essential to producing the tone quality that has been one of the primary orchestral colors since the late Baroque era. The classical compass of the bassoon is three octaves upward from the Bâ below the bass staff, with the most-used melodic range coinciding with that of the tenor voice. Since the mid-19th century, the range has been extended up to treble E.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What does a bassoon look like?
The bassoon is the principal bass instrument in the orchestral woodwind family. The bassoon has a reed made by bending a shaped strip of cane. Its structure incorporates a narrow, conical bore that runs from the curved metal crook, where the double reed is placed, down through the wing (or tenor) joint, which features the left-hand finger holes, to the butt joint, which features the right-hand holes. The bore then doubles back, ascending through the butt to the long joint and bell. The holes there are controlled by keywork for the left thumb.
The bassoon evolved from earlier instruments like the sordone, fagotto, or dulcian, also known as the curtal in England. The dulcian, a double-reed bass woodwind instrument, was carved from a single block of wood and was a precursor to the bassoon.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is sound produced on a bassoon?
The bassoon produces sound through a vibrating double reed. Players shape a strip of cane, thin it, and then fold it. They then bind the ends with thread and wire over a mandrel to form a hollow stem. The player holds the reed with their lips, and the breath pressure causes the opening between the blades to open and close, which generates pulsations in the instrument's tube.
The instrument's bore shape affects the tone. The bassoon's narrow, conical bore runs from the crook, where the reed is placed, through several joints. The resonances that cylindrical and conical bores create can be harmonics of the fundamental frequencies.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of music does the bassoon usually play?
The bassoon, a principal bass instrument in the orchestral woodwind family, has been valued since the 18th century for its unique tone color. Its classical compass spans three octaves, aligning with the tenor voice's melodic range, and its expressiveness has led to its use as a solo instrument, especially for concerti.
The bassoon plays a crucial role in dance and municipal music, particularly in Germany, and is also featured in church and palace settings. Composers like Jean-Baptiste Lully specifically scored for the bassoon as early as 1674. Praised for its tone, which is often compared to the human voice, the bassoon's flexible melodic capabilities have given rise to a considerable solo repertoire, which is rare for low-pitched instruments.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is the bassoon different from other woodwind instruments?
The bassoon is the principal bass instrument in the orchestral woodwind family. Several characteristics differentiate the bassoon from other woodwind instruments:
* Construction Unlike some woodwind instruments, the bassoon is constructed in four sections.
* Reed The bassoon has a double reed made of cane.
* Sound The bassoon is praised for its tone, which is often compared to the human voice, setting it apart from other instruments.
* Range The classical range of the bassoon is three octaves upward from the Bâ below the bass staff, with its most-used melodic range coinciding with that of the tenor voice.
* Bore Though it has a reed attached, the bassoon still functions acoustically as an open tube, producing all harmonics.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the role of the bassoon in an orchestra?
The bassoon, a principal bass instrument in the orchestral woodwind family, has played a crucial role in orchestras since the late Baroque era. Its tone quality is one of the primary orchestral colors. Western orchestras have typically employed two bassoons.
The bassoon serves as a wind bass and is valued for its individual tone. Composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully specifically scored for it as early as 1674. Praised for its tone and compared to the human voice, the bassoon's flexible melodic capabilities have also made it a valued solo instrument, particularly for concerti.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
bassoon, the principal bass instrument of the orchestral woodwind family. The bassoonâs reed is made by bending double a shaped strip of cane. Its narrow conical bore leads from the curved metal crook, onto which the double reed is placed, downward through the wing, or tenor, joint (on which are the left-hand finger holes) to the butt joint (on which are the right-hand holes). The bore then doubles back, ascending through the butt to the long joint and bell, where the holes are controlled by keywork for the left thumb.
In performance, the bassoon is held aslant on a sling. It is exceptionally difficult to play because the traditional placing of the finger holes is scientifically irrational; yet this is essential to the production of a tone quality that has been one of the primary orchestral colours since the late Baroque era. Its classical compass is three octaves upward from the Bâ below the bass staff, the most-used melodic range coinciding with that of the tenor voice. Since the mid-19th century, the range has been extended up to treble E.
The bassoon is a 17th-century development of the earlier sordone, fagotto, or dulzian, known in England as the curtal. It was first mentioned about 1540 in Italy as an instrument with both ascending and descending bores contained in a single piece of maple or pear wood. Many examples of these early instruments survive in European museums. The present construction in four separate joints is thought to have been developed in France by 1636. The development of the bassoon, which is the bass voice of the woodwinds, is believed to have closely followed the reconstitution of the shawm as an oboe.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
During the 18th century, the bassoonâs value to the ensemble was first recognized, and, to the present day, Western orchestras have typically employed two bassoons. It also became valued as a solo instrument, particularly for concerti. Well into the late 18th century, no mechanism was used beyond the four keys, as most semitones outside the natural scale of C were obtained by cross-fingerings opening the holes nonconsecutively. Keys were added from about 1780 to approximately 1840, when the Paris models of Jean-Nicholas Savary, with additional improvements in bore and mechanism, became the 20-keyed standard. That version, made by the firm of Buffet-Crampon, continues to be used in France, Italy, and Spain and by some British players.
In 1825 Carl AlmenrĂ€der, a German instrument maker, initiated alterations that minimized the inherent unevenness of tone and the unsteadiness of the notes typical of the French version of the bassoon. A reformed model was developed by the firm of Johann Adam Heckel and perfected in the German bassoon that is now standard everywhere except in France, Italy, and Spain. It is made of European maple, with its own positions and sizes of the holes to give a more even and positive response throughout the instrumentâs range.
The first useful contrabassoon, or double bassoon, sounding an octave lower than the bassoon and much employed in large scores, was developed in Vienna and used occasionally by the classical composers. The modern contrabassoon follows Heckelâs design of approximately 1870, with the tubing doubled back four times and often with a metal bell that points downward.