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Welcome to a comprehensive introduction to the bassoon. One of the most interesting and unique instruments in the band and orchestra world, the bassoon has many characteristic features and plays a vital role in filling out the low double reed voice.
Brief History of the Bassoon
The modern day bassoon can be traced all the way back to 200AD with the suona, a traditional double-reeded Chinese instrument still played today. This instrument was introduced into Persia and Egypt evolving into the Zurna. In the late 13th century, The zurna evolved into the shwarm and was used in Europe during the renaissance period. Around the 15th century, a man named Hieronymous Bassano created the bassoni curti or curtal. It would be the french that transformed the one-piece curtal into its modern day four-piece counterpart.
Bassoon was primarily used as a bass part, doubling the basso continuo, until 1678 when Jean-Baptiste Lully called for bassoon in his opera, Psyche. From then on bassoon gradually became part of what is today's modern symphony orchestra with several solo pieces also written for the instrument in the 1700s.
Bassoon was primarily used as a bass part, doubling the basso continuo, until 1678 when Jean-Baptiste Lully called for bassoon in his opera, Psyche. From then on bassoon gradually became part of what is today's modern symphony orchestra with several solo pieces also written for the instrument in the 1700s.