In this article, we examine the meaning of the word bassoon. This is a musical instrument whose history goes back centuries. It is an instrument of the lowest possible sound of a wooden band. The bassoon is an interesting instrument. Its registers may include tenor, bass and alto sounds. Like an oboe, it has a double cane. This part is worn 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. Its body, as it were, is doubled. This is different from the oboe. If his body had not been doubled, the tool itself would have been too long. Bassoon is a musical instrument that is disassembled in parts. This is necessary for easy carrying.
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 was precisely the reason that he received this name. Translated from Italian, the word "bassoon" means knitted.
The bassoon is a musical instrument that dates back to the sixteenth century. The material for the manufacture of this tool was originally maple. This feature has survived to this day. In lower case, the bassoon sounds more perfect. While in the upper it has some nasal, constricted. This is his distinctive timbre feature.
Unusual bassoon sound
The bassoon timbre itself is a very beautiful and easily distinguishable sound. This is a very gentle timbre. For this quality, this instrument bore the unusual name "Dulcian". This is due to the fact that in Italian the word dolce means “gentle”.
Nuances of the structure of the bassoon
On the bassoon body there are about thirty holes. In this case, only a small part of them is covered with fingers. Mostly, a valve system is used. This musical instrument is used in brass and symphony orchestras. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to play solo numbers on it and use in ensembles.
Like many other musical instruments of this group, the bassoon underwent evolution in the process of its development. Like many wind instruments, it gained the greatest popularity in the nineteenth century, thanks to the German company Haeckel.
Use in the orchestra
Starting from the second half of this century, the bassoon is an instrument entrusted with large solo episodes in orchestral parts. This is in the context of the fact that initially this instrument merely duplicated the bass line in the orchestra. Since the bassoon is similar to the oboe in the technique of the game, it certainly has some differences. Bassoon is a musical instrument in the process of playing on which, breathing is spent less sparingly. This is due to the fact that there is a long column of air. As a result, you can easily notice the jumps. In this case, the change of registers is almost imperceptible, and the staccato stroke is quite sharp. If we look at modern music, we find that the use of the bassoon in intonations is less than a semitone. This is usually a quarter or a third of a tone. As a rule, notes for this instrument are written in bass and tenor keys. Although it must be said that the violin is occasionally used.
In addition, in many orchestras, it happens that a counter bassoon 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 quickly gain popularity in various musical genres and, of course, compositions. One of the earliest solo musical performances was spelled out in the collection created by Bartolome de Selma y Salaverde. This work was first presented in Venice itself, where the bassoon was given one of the most complex parts. In particular, it must be taken into account that at that time there were only two valves on it. Moreover, he needed to play in a particularly large range. This range has been expanded somewhat down to the B flat counterpart.
Somewhere from the eighteenth century, the improved bassoon in its structure was especially often used as part of opera orchestras. Glinka used this musical instrument in his famous opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. He did this because the sound of jerky bassoon notes was very perky and humorous. He was able to very sensually show with the help of this tool the cowardly character of Farlaf. Two echoes of a bassoon played a very significant moment in conveying the character of a cowardly hero. In addition, the bassoon could, surprisingly, sound very tragic. Thus, Tchaikovsky plays the very mournful, heavy solo performed by the bassoon in the rather famous Sixth Symphony. Its sound is accompanied by double bass.
But in many Shostakovich's symphonies, the bassoon sounds twofold. It becomes either dramatic or dynamic, or it sounds completely sad. The bassoon is an instrument that sounded by foreign authors. Bach, Haydn, Mutel, Graun, Graupner - all these composers have repeatedly written concerts for this instrument. They could fully unleash the full potential that is inherent in the bassoon. Mozart's Concerto (B Major) has become one of the most played pieces.
Bassoon in Vivaldi's compositions
One of the most important components of the history of this instrument are thirty-nine concerts written by Antonio Vivaldi. In these concerts, Vivaldi created solo parts for the instrument, which surprise with their quick jumps and transitions from one register to another. There are long episodes and masterly passages. It is not surprising that such techniques came into widespread use only with time. Only in the process of evolution of the technological component of the tool it became possible to use it so extensively and masterly.
Can I learn to play the bassoon?
When asking this question, you should understand that there is nothing impossible. A person is capable of extremely much, and people are often limited by self-esteem and their own opinions about themselves. So how difficult is it to learn to play a musical instrument such as a 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 orchestra instrument, on this basis, 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 become your guidebook throughout your direct training. It may be some person from a music school or some private teacher. In serious language, the bassoon is not the easiest tool to learn, and therefore many immediately abandon this matter, having barely tried it. However, if you ask yourself what is easy in our lives, you will understand that training 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 three and a few octaves. And although the number of notes is quite small, still the musicians manage to extract the sounds necessary for them. Although this may be dangerous for the instrument during a concert, the sound itself, which is obtained from the octave data, is muffled and, to some extent, not always pleasant. The timbre of the bassoon sound directly depends on the register in which you reproduce the sound. At the moment when a curious musical instrument such as a bassoon appeared, classical music immediately gained more expressiveness and became somewhat richer in overtones. The bassoon timbre itself is very saturated with overtones. Such is the unusual bassoon in its sound.
Feedback from listeners of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries regarding this musical instrument was very favorable. There were many true connoisseurs who were enthusiastic about its sound. And although the bassoon is an instrument without an inventor, since the name of the true author of this construction remains unknown, but nevertheless the instrument was appreciated in full force by many composers. The sound of the bassoon is very recognizable, and you can easily isolate it from the orchestra part. For information, in general terms, the technique of performing musical compositions on the bassoon resembles the technique of playing the oboe. The frequency range of the bassoon is from 58 Hz to 698 Hz, and the spectrum is up to seven kHz. His sound is directed up, back and forth.
Well, here you have learned about such a wonderful instrument as the bassoon. We wish you success in the musical field. And in the event that you like such a class of instruments as wind instruments, then take a closer look at the bassoon, but do not limit yourself to the scope. Experiment!