Bassoon

The appearance of the bassoon dates back to the first half of the 16th century. For many years his invention was attributed to a canon from Ferrara named Afranio del Albonesi ^[1] . In the XX century, however, it was found that the Afranio instrument was a kind of bagpipe with metal tongues and had nothing to do with the bassoon ^[2] .

The direct predecessor of the bassoon was an old wind instrument called the “ bombard ”. In contrast to her, the bassoon was divided into several parts for ease of manufacture and transportation. The change in design had a beneficial effect on the timbre of the instrument, which was reflected in its name - at first it was called “dulcian” (from Italian. Dolce - “tender, sweet”). The name of the true inventor of the bassoon is still unknown.

At the initial stage, the bassoons had only 3 valves, in the XVIII century - 5 valves, as well as octave valves, which significantly expanded the upper register.

At the beginning of the XIX century, the leading place in the music market was occupied by the instruments of the French system, which had 11 valves. The author of these models was Jean-Nicole Savarry. Later, there appeared instruments of the sample of the French masters A. Buffet and F. Treber. ^[3]

A special place in the history of perfecting the instrument is played by the bassoonist and bandmaster Karl Almenreder , who in 1831 founded the production of woodwind instruments in Biebrich with Johann Adam Haeckel . In 1843 , Almenreder introduced his improved, 17-valve bassoon. This model was taken as a basis and perfected by Haeckel. French and then Austrian bassoons, produced in the mid-19th century by Ziegler and Son ^[3] , could not stand the competition with Haeckel's instruments and were supplanted in a number of countries. ^[2]

XVI ― XIX century

At the beginning of its existence, the bassoon performed the function of amplifying and duplicating bass voices. He began to play a more independent role at the beginning of the 17th century. Works for dulcian and one or two instruments appear, accompanied by a basso continuo - sonatas by Biagio Marini, Dario Castello, Giovanni Batista Buonamente, Giovanni Batista Fontana and other authors ^[4] . The first work for the solo Dulcian is Fantasy from the collection of Canzoni, fantasie et correnti Bartolome de Selma y Salaverde , published in 1638 in Venice. The author instructed the solo instrument to have a rather complicated part for those times in the range expanded down to B ₁ (B-flat contract). The high demands are placed on the performer and the Sonata of Philip Friedrich Bödecker (1651). In the monumental work of Grunde-richtiger ... Unterricht der musicalischen Kunst, oder Vierfaches musicalisches Kleblatt (1687) by Daniel Speer there are two sonatas for three dulcians. All these works are designed for tools with two valves.

At the turn of the XVII - XVIII centuries, popularity began to rapidly gain a new, improved instrument - the bassoon. First of all, he became part of the opera orchestra: in some operas by Reinhard Kaiser , up to five bassoons are used. Jean-Baptiste Lully interpreted the bassoon as a bass voice in a spiritual trio, where the upper voices were entrusted to two oboes, and the trio itself was contrasted by the timbre of the string group of the orchestra (for example, in the opera Psyche, 1678).

In 1728, Georg Philipp Telemann wrote the f-moll Sonata, which uses the effects of "echo", a cantilena in high register. Other sonatas of this period belong to the pen of Carlo Besozzi, Johann Friedrich Fache, Johann David Hainichen, Christoph Schaffrath, John Ernest Galliard. Chamber music for the bassoon of this period is also represented by the trio-sonatas of Telemann and Handel; A series of sonatas for two oboes and bassoon was created by Jan Dismas Zelenka .

39 concerts by Antonio Vivaldi are an important part of the bassoon's repertoire. Their solo parts anticipate tricks that will come into use in a few decades - quick transitions and jumps from register to register, virtuoso passages, long cantilent episodes. At the same time, the range used (with rare exceptions) does not go beyond the "dulcian" two and a half octaves: from the large octave to the first salt . Concerts for bassoon were also written by I.G. Graun , K. Graupner , I.G. Mutel , I.F. Fache .

Johann Sebastian Bach did not leave solo works for the bassoon (although he sometimes entrusted him with solo parts in his cantatas), however, several works belong to his sons - Johann Christian (Concert) and Karl Philip Emmanuel (Trio Sonatas).

One of the most played pieces in the bassoon's repertoire is the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto B-dur, written in 1774. Presumably, this concert was commissioned by 18-year-old composer Baron Durnitz, an amateur bassoon player himself. In 1934, another concert was discovered, at first attributed to Devien , but in 1975 Mozart's authorship was finally established in it ^[5] .

The bassoon was often used as one of the solo instruments in concert symphonies . The most famous of them belong to Haydn (for oboe, bassoon, violin and cello) and Mozart (for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn). Several concerts were written for two bassoons with an orchestra.

Compositions for bassoon, starting from the second half of the 18th century, can be conditionally divided into two groups. The first of them is the compositions of the bassoons themselves, such as F. Gebauer , C. Jacobi , K. Almenreder . Designed for their own performances, they were often written in the form of variations or fantasies on popular topics. The second is the work of professional composers with the expectation of a specific musician to perform. The concerts of K. Stamitz, Deven, Krommer, Danzi, Reich, Gummel, Kallivoda, M. Haydn, Kozheluh, Berwald and others include Karl Maria von Weber in 1811 wrote the Concerto F-dur, op. 75, for the Munich court bassoon Brandt, in addition, he owns Andante and the Hungarian rondo, originally intended for viola . The Concert of Joachkino Rossini (1845) was recently discovered.

Much less often, the bassoon was used in chamber music. Only a few sonatas with piano are known: Anton Liszt , Johannes Amon , Antonin Reich , Camille Saint-Saens , small plays were written by Ludwig Spor and Christian Rummel. The French bassoonist Eugene Jancourt replenished his repertoire with arrangements of works written for other instruments.

M. Glinka interpreted the bassoon as a melodically expressive instrument. Such an interpretation is inherent in his "Pathetic Trio" for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1832). The composer entrusts both wind instruments with solo episodes filled with emotion and pathetic feelings. It was in this composition that, for the first time in the history of the orchestra, Glinka prescribed the bassoon to perform vibrato .

The role of the bassoon in the orchestra of the XIX century is also quite modest. Berlioz reproached him for the lack of expression and sound power, although he noted a special timbre of his upper register. According to Berlioz, “in the orchestra, the bassoon is very useful in many cases. The sound is not too strong, and the timbre, completely devoid of brilliance and nobility, has a tendency to grotesque, which should always be reckoned with if it comes to the fore. Its low sounds give excellent bass for the whole group of wooden wind instruments ” ^[6] . Only in the second half of the century did composers begin to charge the bassoon with solo episodes, for example, Bizet in the opera Carmen , Tchaikovsky in the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies, etc.

XX — XXI Century

Thanks to improvements in the construction of the bassoon and the technique of playing it, his repertoire expanded significantly in the 20th century. The solo literature for the bassoon was written:

• Edward Elgar , Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 62 (1909)
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Suite-Concertino F-Dur for bassoon, string orchestra and two horns, Op. 16 (1932)
• Eitor Villa-Lobos , “Dance of the Seven Notes” for bassoon and string orchestra (1933)
• Victor Bruns 4 concertos for bassoon: Op. 5 (1933), Op. 15 (1946), Op. 41 (1966) and Op. 83 (1986)
• Jean Franse Divertissement for bassoon and string orchestra (1942); Concerto for bassoon and 11 strings (1979); Four concert for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon with orchestra
• Eugene Bozza Concertino for bassoon and chamber orchestra, Op. 49 (1946)
• Gordon Jacob Concerto for bassoon, percussion and string orchestra (1947)
• Paul Hindemith Concert for trumpet, bassoon and string orchestra (1949)
• Franco Donatoni Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1952)
• Andre Jolive Concert for bassoon, harp, piano and string orchestra (1954)
• Stepan Shulek Concert for bassoon and orchestra (1958)
• Henri Tomazy Concert for bassoon and orchestra (1961)
• Bruno Bartolozzi Conzertazioni for bassoon, strings and percussion instruments (1963)
• Henk Badings Concert for bassoon, counter bassoon and wind band (1964)
• Leo Knipper Double Concerto for trumpet, bassoon and orchestra (1968); Bassoon Concerto with Orchestra (1970)
• Sofya Gubaidulina Concerto for bassoon and low strings (1975)
• Nino Rota Concerto for Bassoon (1974-77)
• Pierre Boulez “Dialogue of Two Shadows” transcription for bassoon and electronics (1985-1995)
• Luciano Berio Sequenza XII for bassoon solo (1995)
• John Williams “The Five Sacred Trees” Concert for bassoon and orchestra (1995)
• Yuri Kasparov Concert for bassoon and orchestra (1996)
• Moses Weinberg Sonata for bassoon solo, Or. 133
• Edison Denisov 5 studies; Sonata for bassoon solo.
• Alan Hovaness
• Nikos Skalkotas
• Alexander Tansman Sonatina for bassoon and piano
• Frank Bedrosyan "Transmission" for bassoon and electronics (2002)
• Maryan Mozetich Concert for bassoon, marimba and string orchestra (2003)
• Pierluigi Billone Legno. Edre V. Metrio "for bassoon solo (2003); Legno.Stele for two bassoons and ensemble (2004)
• Kalevi Aho Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (2004)
• Wolfgang Rome "Psalmus" "for bassoon and orchestra (2007)

Responsible orchestra parts were entrusted to the bassoon by Maurice Ravel , Igor Stravinsky , Karl Orff , Sergei Prokofiev . Expanded solo parts are in the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies of Dmitry Shostakovich .

In chamber music, the bassoon plays an important role. The bassoon is used in chamber works by composers such as Camille Saint-Saens (Sonata for bassoon and piano), Francis Pulenck (Sonata for clarinet and bassoon), Alfred Schnittke (Anthem III, IV), Paul Hindemith (Sonata for bassoon and piano -no), Eitor Villa-Lobos (Brazilian Bahians), Sophia Gubaidulina , Jean France , Igor Stravinsky (“ The History of the Soldier ”), Andre Zholive (“Christmas Pastoral” for flute, bassoon and harp), Yoon Isan , Kalevi Aho and others .

The bassoon is a long tube of a hollow-conical shape. For greater compactness, the air column inside the tool is as if doubled. The main material for making the bassoon is maple wood .

The body of the bassoon consists of four parts: the lower knee (“boot”, which has a U-shape), the small knee (“outbuilding”), the large knee and the bell. A glass departs from the small knee - a thin long metal tube bent in the shape of the letter S (hence the other name of the glass - “es” and “hook”), on which a cane is placed - a sound-forming element of the bassoon.

There are numerous holes on the tool body (about 25-30), opening and closing which, the performer changes the pitch. Only 5–6 holes are controlled directly by the fingers; for the rest, a sophisticated valve mechanism is used.

The frequency range is from 58.27 Hz (B-flat of the controctave) to 698.46 Hz (F of the second octave). Spectrum - up to 7 kHz. Formants - 440-500 Hz, Dynamic range - 33 dB. The sound is directed up, back, forward.

In general terms, the performance technique on the bassoon resembles that of the oboe , however, the breath on the bassoon is consumed faster due to its larger size. The staccato bassoon is distinct and sharp. Well, jumps are an octave or more; the change of registers is almost imperceptible.

The bassoon technique is most characteristic of alternating melodic phrases of medium breathing with various shades of gamma-shaped passages and arpeggios, mainly in staccate presentation and with the use of various jumps.

The bassoon range is from B ₁ (B flat counter - octave ) to f² ( second-octave fa), it is possible to extract higher sounds, but they are not always stable in sound. The bassoon can be equipped with a bell, which allows you to extract la controctavas (this sound is used in some works of Wagner ). Notes are written in bass, tenor, occasionally in a treble clef in accordance with the actual sound.

The latest playing techniques that entered the performing practice of bassoons in the 20th century are double and triple staccato, playing several sounds on the instrument at the same time (multi-phonics), quarter-tone and tretiton intonation, frullato, tremolo, glissando , circular breathing and others. These techniques are most in demand in the works of avant-garde composers, including for the bassoon solo.

Most of the bassoons used in modern orchestras belong to the German system, copying, in general terms, the mechanics developed by the German company Haeckel. At the same time, in French-speaking countries, an instrument of the French system that differs significantly from the German one is in use. The French bassoon also has a more “lyrical” timbre.

In modern orchestral practice, along with the bassoon itself, only one version of the counter bassoon has been preserved - an instrument with the same valve system as the bassoon, but sounding an octave lower than it.

At different times, there were also higher-sounding varieties of bassoon. Michael Pretorius, in one of the first major instrumentation works in history, Syntagma musicum (1611) mentions the Dulcian family of high order in three varieties, designated as Diskantfagott , Altfagott and Fagott Piccolo . They were in use until the end of the XVII century, but with the advent and spread of the modern bassoon, the craftsmen continued to manufacture instruments of high order, many of which have survived to this day. Usually they tuned to a fifth (less often a quart or a small third) above the usual bassoon. In English literature such instruments are known as tenoroon , and in French as basson quinte . There was an even higher variety, which sounded an octave higher than the bassoon, under the name “bassoon” or “small bassoon”. An early copy of such an instrument by IK Denner is stored in Boston .

The small bassoon was occasionally used in musical scores of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, in some opera houses in France, they replaced the English horn , and Eugene Jancourt practiced solo performance on it. However, by the end of the 19th century, all the tall varieties of the bassoon were no longer in use.

In 1992, bassoon master Guntram Wolff made the first small bassoon for many years for the British bassoonist Richard Moore, who commissioned composer Victor Bruns for several compositions. Another area of ​​application of the small bassoon is teaching the game: Karl Almenreder also advised starting training on the small varieties of the bassoon from the age of ten, so that at an older age it would be easy to switch to a large instrument. Wolf also developed a contra- instrument with a wider scale and larger cane, but with the same range as a contrabassoon capable of producing louder sounds (hence the name).

• Popov, Valery Sergeevich (musician)
• Tunemann, Klaus
• Turkovich, Milan
• Sharrow, Leonard

• S. Levin Bassoon. - M.: Music, 1963.
• Lyndesay Graham Langwill . Bassoon and Contrabassoon. - L .: E. Benn, 1965.

• Bassoon // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Works with bassoon on IMSLP
• Bassoon Site
• Bassoon on the website of the Vienna Symphony Library