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Historical
outline of individual instruments
Woodwinds
Bassoon
Early History
- A number of details
surrounding the early history of the bassoon remain unknown. However,
its chief predecessor was the dulcian, also known as the curtall.
- c.1520 – Afranio
referred to the instrument as “fagot”, a French term
meaning “a bundle of sticks”. At this time, the instrument
had a double-back tube.
- Over the centuries,
several factors influenced the development of the modern bassoon:
(1) the demands of composers regarding technique, expression, and
range, (2) the demands of solo virtuoso-composers, (3) the larger
orchestras and concert halls that required louder instruments, (4)
the instrument-makers who were also excellent performers, and (5)
knowledge of woodwind acoustics.
Early 17th century
- Bassoons with joints
appeared in France.
- Bassoons basically
reinforced the bass line, but by the early 17th century also assumed
more independence.
Late 17th century
- Ensembles transitioned
from using dulcians to early bassoons.
- Bassoons with 3 keys
could play down to Bb’.
- From 1680, Lully scored
for the bassoon regularly in his operas.
- In 1686, the Darmstadt
court appointed a bassoonist.
- By 1687, the bassoon
and tenor oboe arrived in London, originating from France.
Early 18th century
- In Vivaldi’s
39 bassoon concertos, the writing featured quick leaps and lyrical
passages, along with markings for dynamics and expression. These
characteristics foreshadowed later compositional writing for the
bassoon.
- By 1705, the hand position
on the bassoon became more fixed due to the additional G key for
a right-hand finger. Previously, hand position had been variable.
- By the 1730’s,
bassoons in English orchestras increased in number. In Germany,
the bassoon assumed a standard place in the orchestra, playing bass
parts.
Throughout the
18th century
- The modern bassoon
evolved into a four-jointed instrument, but exactly when or where
this happened is unclear. In general, advancements with the keywork
and shape of the bell improved the instrument’s range and
ability to play louder.
- The standard model
was a four-key bassoon, and the best ones were made of boxwood.
The making of bassoons centered largely in England.
- Keys were mounted on
‘projecting bosses or on saddles’. Extra keys were not
standard yet. The bell’s shape changed to an inverted taper.
- First reported in 1787,
a more important advancement was the addition of the ‘harmonic
key’ on the wing joint, which enabled the playing of higher
notes.
- The tone color of bassoons
became “more mellow and expressive”, which writers noted
during this time.
- A pair of bassoons
was common in the Classical orchestra. In France, even two pairs
were common.
First half of the
19th century
- By this time, the standard
German bassoon had six keys, including two extra ‘octave’
keys on the wing. Other bassoons still had five or four keys. The
keywork was not standardized yet, and so fingerings were not standardized
either. At this time, different notes were often out of tune, which
required correction and special fingerings. The fingerings on French
and German bassoons were not interchangeable.
- Carl Almenraeder (1786-1843),
one of the most important figures in the history of the bassoon,
significantly improved the German bassoon. Also a virtuoso on the
instrument, a bandleader, teacher, and composer, Almenraeder studied
woodwind acoustics from Gottfried Weber. Having this background,
Almenraeder added keys, changed keys, moved tone holes, and enlarged
tone holes. Collectively, these accomplishments improved the instrument’s
intonation, the instrument’s response to certain notes, and
extended its range. Beethoven heard of Almenraeder’s work
and requested one of his instruments.
- Whereas Almenraeder
improved the German bassoon, other improvements occurred in France.
The bore of the French bassoon widened, and on some instruments
the bell flared. Such changes improved the instrument’s capability
of playing louder, which was desired especially in military bands.
- Besides lacking enough
volume, Berlioz said, “its timbre, totally lacking in éclat
and nobility, has a propensity for the grotesque which must be borne
in mind when giving it prominence”; furthermore, “ the
character of its high notes has about it something painful, complaining,
almost wretched, which can sometimes be surprisingly effective in
a high register melody or an accompanimental pattern” (Grand
traité d’instrumentation, 1843).
- In general, with the
various improvements the upper register became more accessible,
and the volume improved.
Latter half of
the 19th century
- By 1879, a bassoon
model with 22-keys developed with the help of Jancourt, a bassoonist
and teacher. This model became the standard French-system bassoon,
and has undergone only minor changes since then.
- Following Almenraeder’s
death in 1843, Heckel (and his descendents) continued to make and
improve upon the German bassoon.
- Requests by composers
to instrument-makers facilitated further changes to the bassoon.
In the 1860’s, Wagner persuaded Heckel to make a longer bell
to reach an A. This set precedence for other composers such as Liszt,
Strauss, Mahler, Delius, Nielsen, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky to
make special requests to instrument-makers.
20th century
- There are two versions
of the modern bassoon: the German (or Heckel) system, and the French
(or Buffet) system which has different keywork and a slightly different
bore.
- Musicians gradually
favored German bassoons during the 20th century. Until the 1930’s,
musicians still played on the French bassoon in non-German speaking
areas. Since the 1930s, the German model has predominated.
- Conductors also demanded
a more powerful sound, along with homogeneity and balance, influencing
the preference for German bassoons.
- The bassoon’s
role in the orchestra and technical demands increased. Some technical
requirements include: double- and triple-tonguing, flutter-tonguing,
multiphonics, pitch bending, quarter tones, and even vocalizing
while playing.
Orchestra-History
Early
History • Classical
period • Romantic
period • 20th
century to present
Repertoire
Classical
period • Romantic period
• 20th century to present
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