The bassoon belongs to a group of musical instruments that are made of wood. The bassoon is a musical instrument given life in 1539 by the canonical abbot Afragno degli Albonesi.

Actually, the word "bassoon" can mean "bound", since Afragno made a longer pipe than usual, and then simply bent it in half. Thus, a musical instrument with a very melodic voice was obtained.

He also equipped low pipes with fur, which allows you to pump air.

The instrument was called the bassoon, because it is very reminiscent of several pipes connected to each other.

The bassoon conquers the musical Olympus

Over time, the bassoon was improved by S. Scheitzer, who lives in Nuremberg. This specialist excluded the pipes connected to the bellows from the bassoon. In Italy, France and Germany, the bassoon has gained amazing popularity and success.

In the 17th century, the bassoon became an indispensable musical instrument, which began to be used as part of symphony and military orchestras. In no way can Russian musical groups do without the bassoon.

Since the 19th century, the design of the bassoon has become one that has survived to this day. Many talented craftsmen worked on its modification:

• buffay,
• Eugene Jancourt,
• Crampon.

In short, many experts have contributed to the improvement of the bassoon design, which can also include:

• Almenrader,
• haeckel,
• saxa,
• Trebera
• Böhm.

The last of these invented the valve mechanism, which successfully performs its tasks in modern bassoons.

What does the bassoon of our time look like?

The bassoon is a musical instrument that now looks like a rather long wooden tube, bent in the middle and resembling a bandaged letter "U". Holes and valves are sequentially located on this tube, which are designed to extract sounds of a wide variety of timbres and saturations. From above, the instrument is equipped with a metal tube of small diameter, which resembles the letter “S”, at its end there is a mouthpiece for pumping air.

The bassoon makes sounds as soon as the musician blows into the mouthpiece. In order to play a melody on the bassoon, it is necessary to press different valves in a certain sequence and close the holes located in the instrument tube with your fingers.

The work of the bassoon is that the air, moving in the tube, encounters obstacles in its path, the role of which is played by valves, and then is released through open holes. So this instrument is capable of producing sounds in the range of two octaves: starting from the B-flat counter-octave and ending with the high D of the second octave.

Bassoon - orchestral instrument

Despite the fact that during the 18th and 19th centuries many masters tried to modernize the bassoon more than once, it never became a full-fledged independent musical instrument and is still used in musical groups in combination with other instruments.

Bassoons are often assigned bass parts in an orchestra. But the composers created quite a few solo works for performance on the bassoon.

There is a kind of bassoon called counter-bassoon. Its design uses a metal tube, which has an initial length of almost 6 meters. This tube is bent three times. The contrabassoon is designed to produce bass sounds that are very low and rich. Such sounds, except for the counter-bassoon, can only be reproduced by organs.

Video: Bassoon plays

Bassoon- a wind musical instrument of the bass, tenor and partly alto register, made of maple wood. It is believed that the name of this instrument comes from the Italian word fagotto, which means "knot, bundle, bundle." And in fact, if the tool is disassembled, then something resembling a bundle of firewood will turn out. The total length of the bassoon is 2.5 meters, while that of the contrabassoon is 5 meters. The tool weighs about 3 kg.

The birth of a new musical instrument

It is not known who exactly invented the bassoon first, but Italy in the 17th century is considered the birthplace of the instrument. Its progenitor is called the ancient bombarda - a bass instrument of the reed family. The bassoon differed from the bombarda in design, the pipe was divided into several parts, as a result of which the instrument became easier to manufacture and carry. The sound also changed for the better, at first the bassoon was called dulcian, which means “gentle, sweet”. It was a long, bent tube on which the valve system is located. The first bassoon was equipped with three valves. Later in the 18th century there were five of them. The weight of the instrument was approximately three kilograms. The size of the unfolded pipe is more than two and a half meters in length. The counterbassoon has even more - about five meters.

Tool improvement

At first, the instrument was used to amplify, dub bass voices. Only since the 17th century, he begins to play an independent role. At this time, Italian composers Biagio Marini, Dario Castello and others write sonatas for him.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Jean-Nicole Savarre introduced the musical world to the bassoon, which had eleven valves. A little later, two masters from France: F. Treber and A. Buffet improved and supplemented this option.
An important contribution to the development of the bassoon was made by the German masters Karl Almenreder and Johann Adam Haeckel. It was they who, in 1831 in Biebrich, founded an enterprise for the manufacture of wind instruments. Almenreder in 1843 created a bassoon with seventeen valves. This model became the basis for the production of bassoons by the Haeckel company, which became the leader in the production of these musical instruments. Until that moment, bassoons by Austrian and French masters were common.
From birth to the present day, there are three types of bassoons: quartbassoon, bassoon, contrabassoon. Modern symphony orchestras still continue to use the counterbassoon in their performances.

Place of the bassoon in history

In Germany in the 18th century, the instrument was at its peak of popularity. Bassoon sounds in church choirs emphasized the sound of the voice. In the works of the German composer Reinhard Kaiser, the instrument receives its parts as part of an opera orchestra. The bassoon was used in their work by composers Georg Philipp Telemann, Jan Dismas Zelekan. The instrument received solo parts in the works of F.J. Haydn and V.A. Mozart, the bassoon repertoire is especially often heard in the Concerto in B-dur, written by Mozart in 1774. He solos in the works of I. Stravinsky "The Firebird", "The Rite of Spring", with A. Bizet in "Carmen", with P. Tchaikovsky in the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies, in Antonio Vivaldi's concerts, in the scene with Farlaf at M. Glinka in Ruslan and Lyudmila.
Michael Rabinauitz is a jazz musician, one of the few who began to perform bassoon parts in his concerts.

Now the instrument can be heard at concerts of symphony and brass bands. In addition, he can solo or play in an ensemble.

It has been used in the orchestra since the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, and took a permanent place in it by the end of the 18th century. The timbre of the bassoon is very expressive and rich in overtones throughout the entire range. The most common are the lower and middle registers of the instrument, the upper notes sound somewhat nasal and constricted. The bassoon is used in a symphony, less often in a brass band, and also as a solo and ensemble instrument.

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 3

✪ 9K111 Fagot - Russian Anti-tank missile

✪ Music 12. Intervals in music. Bassoon - Academy of Entertaining Sciences

Subtitles

The history of the emergence and development of the bassoon

The appearance of the bassoon dates back to the first half of the 16th century. Its invention was for many years attributed to a canon from Ferrara named Afranio del Albonesi. In the 20th century, however, it was established that Afranio's instrument was a kind of bagpipe with metal reeds and had nothing to do with the bassoon.

The direct predecessor of the bassoon was an old wind instrument called "bombard". Unlike it, 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 - "delicate, sweet"). The name of the true inventor of the bassoon is still unknown.

At the initial stage, bassoons had only 3 valves, in the 18th century - 5 valves, as well as octave valves, which significantly expanded the upper register.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the leading place in the music market was occupied by instruments of the French system, which had 11 valves. Jean-Nicole Savarry was the author of these models. Later, instruments of the type of French masters A. Buffet and F. Trebera appeared.

A special place in the history of the improvement of the instrument is occupied by the bassoonist and bandmaster Karl Almenreder, who together with Johann Adam Haeckel founded the production of woodwind instruments in Biebrich. In Almenreder, he presented an improved, 17-valve bassoon designed by him. This model was taken as a basis and brought to perfection by Haeckel. French and then Austrian bassoons, produced in the middle of the 19th century by Ziegler and Son, could not compete with Haeckel's instruments and were forced out in a number of countries.

The role of the bassoon in music

16th-19th 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. There are works for dulcian and one or two instruments accompanied by basso continuo - sonatas by Biagio Marini, Dario Castello, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, Giovanni Battista Fontana and other authors. First composition for solo dulcian - Fantasia from the collection Canzoni, fantasie et correnti Bartolome de Selma y Salaverde, published in 1638 in Venice. The author entrusted the solo instrument with a fairly complex part for those times in a range extended down to B 1 (B-flat contra-octave). Philipp Friedrich Boedeker's Sonata (1651) also makes high demands on the performer. In a monumental work Grunde-richtiger … Unterricht der musicalischen Kunst, oder Vierfaches musicalisches Kleblatt(1687) by Daniel Speer has two sonatas for three dulcians. All these works are designed for an instrument with two valves.

At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, a new, improved instrument, the bassoon, rapidly began to gain popularity. First of all, he became a member 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 wind trio, where the upper voices were entrusted to two oboes, and the trio itself was opposed in timbre to the string group of the orchestra (for example, in the opera Psyche, 1678).

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 concertos have been written for two bassoons and 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 bassoonists themselves, such as F. Gebauer, K. Jacobi, K. Almenreder. Intended for their own performances, they were often written in the form of variations or fantasies on popular themes. The second is the works of professional composers with the expectation of performance by a specific musician. It includes concertos by K. Stamitz, Devien, Krommer, Danzi, Reicha, Hummel, Kallivoda, M. Haydn, Kozhelukh, Berwald, and others. 75, for the Munich court bassoonist Brandt, in addition, he owns Andante and the Hungarian Rondo, originally intended for viola. Relatively recently, the Concerto of Gioacchino Rossini (1845) was discovered.

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

The role of the bassoon in the orchestra of the 19th century is also quite modest. Berlioz reproached him for the lack of expression and power of sound, although he noted the special timbre of his upper register. Only from the second half of the century, composers began to entrust solo episodes to the bassoon, for example, Bizet in the opera Carmen, Tchaikovsky in the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies, etc.

XX-XXI century

Thanks to the improvement of the design of the bassoon and the technique of playing it, its repertoire expanded significantly in the 20th century. Solo literature for bassoon was written by:

• Edward Elgar, "Romance" for bassoon and orchestra, Op. 62 (1909)
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Concertino Suite F-Dur for bassoon, string orchestra and two horns, Op. 16 (1932)
• Heitor Villa-Lobos, "Dance of the Seven Notes" for bassoon and string orchestra (1933)
• Victor Bruns 4 bassoon concertos: Op. 5 (1933), Op. 15 (1946), Op. 41 (1966) and Op. 83 (1986)
• Jean Français Divertimento for bassoon and string orchestra (1942); Concerto for bassoon and 11 strings (1979); Quadruple concerto for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon and orchestra
• Eugene Bozza Concertino for bassoon and chamber orchestra, Op. 49 (1946)
• Gordon Jacob Concerto for bassoon, percussion and string orchestra (1947)
• Paul Hindemith Concerto for trumpet, bassoon and string orchestra (1949)
• Franco Donatoni Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1952)
• André Jolivet Concerto for bassoon, harp, piano and string orchestra (1954)
• Stjepan Schulek Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1958)
• Henri Thomasi Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1961)
• Bruno Bartolozzi Conzertazioni for bassoon, strings and percussion (1963)
• Hank Budings Concerto for bassoon, counterbassoon and brass band (1964)
• Lev Knipper Double Concerto for trumpet, bassoon and orchestra (1968); Bassoon Concerto with Orchestra (1970)
• Sofia  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 solo bassoon (1995)
• John Williams "The Five Sacred Trees" concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1995)
• Yuri Kasparov Concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1996)
• Moses Weinberg Sonata for solo bassoon, Op. 133
• Edison Denisov 5 studies; Sonata for bassoon solo.
• Alexander Tansman Sonatina for bassoon and piano
• Frank Bedrosyan "Transmission" for bassoon and electronics (2002)
• Marian Mozetich Concerto 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 Rim "Psalmus" for bassoon and orchestra (2007)

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

The bassoon plays an important role in chamber music. The bassoon is used in chamber works by such composers as Camille Saint-Saens (Sonata for bassoon and piano), Francis Poulenc (Sonata for clarinet and bassoon), Alfred Schnittke (Hymn III, IV), Paul Hindemith (Sonata for bassoon and F -no), Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazilian Bahianas), Sofia Gubaidulina, Jean France, Igor Stravinsky (“History Soldier”), Andre Jolivet (“Christmas Pastoral” for flute, bassoon and harp), Yun Isan, Kalevi Aho and others .

The structure of the bassoon

The bassoon is a long tube of a gently conical shape. For greater compactness, the air column inside the instrument is doubled, as it were. The main material for the manufacture of 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 (“wing”), the large knee and the bell. A thin long metal tube extends from the small knee, bent in the form of the letter S (hence its name - es), on which a reed is mounted - the sound-producing element of the bassoon.

There are numerous holes (about 25–30) on the body of the instrument, by opening and closing which the performer changes the pitch. Only 5-6 holes are controlled by fingers, the rest uses a complex valve mechanism.

The frequency range is from 58.27 Hz (B-flat contra-octave) to 698.46 Hz (F2, F of the second octave). Spectrum - up to 7 kHz. Formants - 440-500 Hz, Dynam. diap. - 33 dB. The sound is directed up, back, forward.

Bassoon playing technique

In general terms, the performance technique on the bassoon resembles that on the oboe, however, breathing on the bassoon is consumed faster due to its larger size. Bassoon staccato is distinct and sharp. Leaps of an octave or more are good; register change is almost imperceptible.

The bassoon technique is most characteristic of the alternation of melodic phrases of medium breathing with various shades of scale-like passages and arpeggios, mainly in a staccato presentation and using various jumps.

Bassoon range - from B1(B-flat contra-octave) to f²(fa of the second octave), it is possible to extract higher sounds, but they are not always stable in sound. The bassoon can be equipped with a bell that allows you to extract la counteroctaves (this sound is used in some of Wagner's works). Notes are written in bass, tenor, occasionally in treble clef in accordance with the actual sound.

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

French and German traditions

Most of the bassoons used in modern orchestras belong to the German system, which, in general terms, copies the mechanics developed by the German firm Haeckel. At the same time, in French-speaking countries, the instrument of the French system, which differs significantly from the German one, is in circulation. The French bassoon also has a more "lyrical" timbre.

Varieties of bassoon

In modern orchestral practice, along with the bassoon itself, only one of its varieties, the contrabassoon, has survived - 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 the bassoon. Michael Pretorius in one of the first major works in the history of instrumentation Syntagma musicum(1611) mentions the high order dulcian family in three varieties, designated as Diskantfagott, Altfagott and Fagott Piccolo. They were in use until the end of the 17th century, but even with the advent and spread of the modern bassoon, craftsmen continued to make instruments of high tunings, many of which have survived to this day. They were usually tuned a fifth (rarely a fourth or minor third) higher than a regular bassoon. In English literature, such instruments are known as tensoroon, and in French as basson quinte. There was an even higher variety, which sounded an octave above the bassoon, called "fagottino" or "small bassoon". An early copy of such an instrument by J.K.Denner is kept in Boston.

The small bassoon was occasionally used in the scores of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, in some opera houses in France, they were replaced by an English horn, and Eugene Giancourt practiced solo performance on it. However, by the end of the 19th century, all high varieties of the bassoon had fallen into disuse.

In 1992, for the first time in many years, bassoon maker Guntram Wolf made a small bassoon for the British bassoonist Richard Moore, who commissioned the composer Viktor Bruns to compose several pieces for him. Another area of ​​application of the small bassoon is learning to play: even Karl Almenreder advised starting training at the age of ten precisely on small varieties of bassoon, in order to switch to a large instrument without problems at an older age. Wolf also developed the tool contraforte with a wider scale and larger reed, but with the same range as the contrabassoon, capable of producing louder sounds (hence the name).

The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. I would like to note that our site provides data from various sources - encyclopedic, explanatory, word-building dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.

The meaning of the word bassoon

bassoon in the crossword dictionary

bassoon

Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Vladimir Dal

bassoon

m. french wind musical instrument, consisting. from a double, reversible wooden tube with vents. Bassoon, bassoon, related to him. Bassoonist, bassoon player playing on it;

bassoonist, bassoon master.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

bassoon

bassoon, m. (it. fagotto, lit. bundle) (music). A musical woodwind instrument of a low register with a characteristic hoarse-nasal timbre, consisting of two cylinders fastened in parallel, a metal tongue is attached to the shorter one. Play bassoon. Suddenly, from behind the door in the hall of the long bassoon and flute were heard. Pushkin.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.

bassoon

A, m. A woodwind reed musical instrument of low timbre in the form of a long, slightly expanding pipe. Play bassoon.

adj. bassoon, th, th.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

bassoon

m. Wooden musical wind instrument of the tenor-bass range with a conical - slightly expanding - channel and a double reed.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

bassoon

FAGOT (Italian fagotto, lit. - knot, bunch) a woodwind musical instrument (mainly orchestral). Arose in the 1st floor. 16th century The bass variety is the contrabassoon.

Bassoon

(Italian fagotto, literally √ knot, bunch), wind instrument. It has a conical trunk in the shape of an armor. U (as if folded in half) with a bell, consisting of 4 parts. The sound is extracted using a double reed, put on an S-shaped metal tube that connects it to the barrel. There are 25√30 side holes in the barrel (5√6 are closed with fingers, the rest with valves). Range √ B1 √ d2, sometimes f2. Created in the 20√30s. 16th century in Italy, mid-18th century. entered the symphony orchestra. It is used in symphony (2√3, sometimes 4 F.), in brass bands, ensemble and as a solo instrument. Notated mainly in bass and tenor clefs. Of the many varieties, only contrabassoon is practically common. Lit .: Levin S., Fagot, M., 1963; his, Wind instruments in the history of musical culture, L., 1973; Chudaki M., Symphony Orchestra Instruments, 3rd ed., M., 1972; Heckel, W., Der Fagott, Lpz., 193

Wikipedia

Bassoon

Bassoon- reed woodwind musical instrument bass, tenor and partly alto register. It has the form of a bent long tube with a system of valves and a double (like an oboe) reed, which is put on a metal tube in the shape of the letter S, connecting the reed to the main body of the instrument. It got its name due to the fact that, when disassembled, it resembles a bundle of firewood.

The bassoon was constructed in the 16th century in Italy, it has been used in the orchestra since the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, and took a permanent place in it by the end of the 18th century. The timbre of the bassoon is very expressive and rich in overtones throughout the entire range. The most common are the lower and middle registers of the instrument, the upper notes sound somewhat nasal and constricted. The bassoon is used in a symphony, less often in a brass band, and also as a solo and ensemble instrument.

Bassoon (disambiguation)

Bassoon:

• The bassoon is a wind musical instrument.
• The bassoon is a character in M. A. Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita.
• "Fagot" - anti-tank missile system.
• "Fagot" - a brick factory in Ukraine in the city of Krasny Luch.
• Alexander "Bassoon" Alexandrov - musician, at various times was a member of the ensembles "Aquarium", "Sounds of Mu", "Three O" and others.
• Oleg "Fagot" Mikhailyuta is a musician, vocalist and sound producer of the Ukrainian band "Tank on Maidan Kongo".

Bassoon (ATGM)

"Bassoon"(GRAU index - 9K111, according to the classification of the US Department of Defense and NATO - AT-4 Spigot ,) - Soviet/Russian man-portable anti-tank missile system with semi-automatic command guidance by wire. Designed to destroy visually observed stationary and moving at speeds up to 60 km / h targets at ranges up to 2 km, and with a 9M113 missile - up to 4 km.

Developed at the Instrument Design Bureau (Tula) and TsNIITochMash. Adopted in 1970. Upgraded version - 9M111-2, version of the missile with increased flight range and increased armor penetration - 9M111M.

The complex includes:

• folding portable launcher with control equipment and launch mechanism;
• missile in launch canister 9M111 (or 9M113).

Examples of the use of the word bassoon in the literature.

Bassoon sounds in an unusually high register, you might think that Bystrov is suffering, talking about suffering, and he himself is just an instrument on which the wind of the revolution plays its melody.

The banners were scattered, oboes, trumpets, timpani and bassoons resounded, and the songs, without which the Russian does not go to fun and sorrow, to triumph and to death, resounded through the regiments.

The clarinet is broken, the trumpet is dented, bassoon, like an old staff worn out, The seams on the drum have parted, but the clarinetist is handsome as hell, The flutist, like a young prince is graceful, and in eternal collusion with people - Hope's little orchestra under the control of love.

Seva Gakkel sawed with a bow Borya lying on the floor with a guitar, Bassoon he beat anyone with a bassoon, Dyusha spat savory spitting and, like a blind kitten, poked at a drum set.

While those around Chembukchi watched as the bewildered doctor shoved a bottle of ammonia into the nose of the poor master of ceremonies, a checkered Bassoon ripped off a new thing, which caused indescribable delight in the theater, announcing: - Tapericha, citizens, we are opening a store!

BUT Bassoon, having sent the injured entertainer away, he announced to the public as follows: - Tapericha, when this annoying one was fused, let's open a ladies' shop!

His one-movement composition for organ, 3 flutes, 3 bassoons and 3 trombones lasts.

While dining, working at a desk, or playing bassoon, the doctor always wore a pajama jacket - so he felt freer.

He took a sip of liquor - a prophylaxis against colds - put on his pajama jacket and, taking bassoon, performed for Dona Flor the best things from his repertoire.

After that, Walsingham's scout Henry Bassoon managed to enter the service of the staff of the French embassy and, in addition, to bribe Shere-la, the ambassador's trusted secretary.

The barber Sorensen soon returned with a drum and cymbals, a flute and bassoon.

The first suite is more chamber, only two oboes and bassoon.

In this article, we will look at the meaning of the word bassoon. This is a musical instrument whose history goes back centuries. It is an instrument of the lowest possible sounding of a wooden group. The bassoon is an interesting instrument. Its registers can include tenor, bass and alto sounds. Like the oboe, it has a double reed. This part is put on a curved metal tube. This extremely distinguishes the bassoon from many other musical instruments of this group. But let's talk about everything in more detail.

Bassoon design features

The bassoon has an interesting feature. His body, as it were, is doubled. This is what distinguishes him from the oboe. If its body had not been folded in half, then the instrument itself would have been too long. The bassoon is a musical instrument that can be disassembled into parts. This is necessary for easy portability.

From the history of the bassoon

Due to the fact that it is folded into several parts, the musical instrument resembles a bundle of firewood. As a matter of fact, this is precisely what was the reason for him to receive this name. Translated from Italian, the word "bassoon" means bundle.

The bassoon is a musical instrument that traces its lineage back to the sixteenth century. The material for the manufacture of this instrument was originally maple. This feature has been preserved to this day. The bassoon sounds more perfect in the lower register. While in the upper it has some nasal, tightness. This is its distinctive timbre feature.

Unusual bassoon sound

By itself, the timbre of the bassoon is a very beautiful and easily distinguishable sound. It's a very gentle tone. For this quality, this instrument bore the unusual name "dulcian". This was due to the fact that in Italian the word dolce means "gentle".

The nuances of the structure of the bassoon

There are about thirty holes on the bassoon body. At the same time, only a small part of them is covered with fingers. Mainly, the valve system is used. This musical instrument is used in wind and symphony orchestras. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to play solo numbers on it and use it in ensembles.

Like many other musical instruments of this group, the bassoon has undergone evolution in the process of its development. Like many wind instruments, it gained its greatest popularity in the nineteenth century, thanks to the German firm Haeckel.

Usage in the orchestra

Since the second half of this century, the bassoon has been an instrument entrusted with large solo episodes in orchestral parts. This is in the conditions of the fact that initially this instrument merely duplicated the bass line in the orchestra. Since the bassoon is similar in playing technique to the oboe, it has, of course, some difference. Bassoon is a musical instrument, in the process of playing which, breathing is spent less economically. This is due to the fact that there is a long column of air. As a result, you can easily notice jumps. At the same time, the change of registers is almost imperceptible, and the staccato stroke turns out to be quite sharp. If we look at modern music, we find the use of the bassoon in intonations less than a semitone. Usually it is a quarter or a third tone. As a rule, notes for this instrument are written in bass and tenor clefs. Although it must be said that the violin is occasionally used.

In addition, in many orchestras, it happens that the contrabassoon is used - this is a variant of the instrument that sounds an octave lower. In addition, the clarinet goes well with it. The bassoon is a fairly classical instrument for use in orchestras.

Bassoon in music

From the beginning of the eighteenth, until the middle of the nineteenth century, the bassoon began to gain popularity extremely quickly in various and, of course, compositions. One of the very first solo musical performances was recorded for the bassoon in a collection created by Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde. This work was first presented in Venice itself, where the bassoon was given one of the most difficult parts. In particular, one must take into account the fact that at that time there were only two valves on it. At the same time, he needed to play in a particularly large range. This range has been extended somewhat down to the B-flat counter-octave.

Somewhere in the eighteenth century, the bassoon, improved in its structure, began to be used especially often as part of opera orchestras. Glinka used this musical instrument in his famous opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila". He did this because the bassoon's staccato notes sounded very perky and humorous. He managed to very sensually show the cowardly character of Farlaf with the help of this instrument. Two echoing bassoons played a very significant moment in conveying the character of the cowardly hero. In addition, the bassoon could, surprisingly, sound very tragic. Thus, in Tchaikovsky's rather famous Sixth Symphony, he plays a very mournful, heavy solo, which is performed by the bassoon. Its sound is accompanied by double bass.

But in many of Shostakovich's symphonies, the bassoon sounds in two ways. It acquires either drama and dynamism, or it sounds completely sad. Bassoon is an instrument that sounded by foreign authors. Bach, Haydn, Mutel, Graun, Graupner - all these composers have repeatedly written concertos for this instrument. In them, all the potential that is inherent in the bassoon could be fully revealed. Mozart's Concerto (B major) has become one of the most frequently played works.

Bassoon in the compositions of Vivaldi

One of the most important parts of the history of this instrument are the thirty-nine concertos that Antonio Vivaldi wrote. In these concertos, Vivaldi created solo parts for the instrument, which surprise with their fast jumps and transitions from one register to another. There are long episodes and virtuoso passages. It is not surprising that such techniques came into fairly wide use only over time. Only in the process of evolution of the technological component of the instrument it became possible to use it so extensively and masterfully.

Can you learn to play the bassoon?

Asking this question, you must understand that nothing is impossible. A person is capable of extremely much, and people are often limited by self-esteem and their own opinion of themselves. So how difficult is it to learn how to play a musical instrument like the bassoon? The most difficult thing in this process is to get up from the couch and buy an instrument, because, as mentioned above, the bassoon is an orchestral instrument, based on this, we understand that it is not as versatile as, for example, a piano or a guitar. However, this instrument has many famous sonatas and symphonies from a huge number of authors. You need to find yourself a teacher who could be your guide throughout your direct training. It can be some person from a music school or some private teacher. Seriously speaking, the bassoon is not the easiest instrument to learn, which is why many people give up the game as soon as they try it. However, if you ask yourself what is easy in our life, you will understand that learning and diligence in the chosen path will allow you to taste the sweet fruits of the results very soon.

The nuances of playing the bassoon

An ordinary bassoon is an instrument that has a little over three octaves. And although the number of notes is quite small, the musicians still manage to extract the sounds they need. Although this can be dangerous for the instrument during a concert, the very sound that is obtained from these octaves is dull and, to some extent, not always pleasant. The very timbre of the sound of the bassoon directly depends on the register in which you reproduce the sound. At that moment, when such a curious wind musical instrument as the bassoon appeared, classical music immediately acquired more expressiveness, and became somewhat richer in overtones. The bassoon timbre itself is very saturated with overtones. This is exactly what the unusual bassoon sounds like.