   #copyright

Bassoon

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Musical Instruments

   A Fox Products bassoon.
   Enlarge
   A Fox Products bassoon.

   The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that
   plays in the tenor range and below. It is also called Fagott in German,
   fagotto in Italian, and basson in French. Appearing in its modern form
   in the 1800s, the bassoon is a part of orchestral, concert band, and
   chamber music literature. It is known for its distinctive tone colour,
   wide range, variety of character, and agility. A bassoon player is
   called a "bassoonist."

Development

Early history

   Dulcians and racketts, from the Syntagma musicum by Michael Praetorius.
   Enlarge
   Dulcians and racketts, from the Syntagma musicum by Michael Praetorius.

   The bassoon was developed from its precursor, most often referred to as
   the dulcian, a wooden instrument all in one piece. Used and developed
   greatly in the 16th century to add a stronger bass to the wind band
   then consisting largely of shawms and recorders, the dulcian's origins
   are unknown. Scattered evidence exists for its creation at various
   places and times, and few early examples survive. There were eventually
   eight members of the dulcian family of varying size, from soprano down
   to bass ranges. The early dulcian had many similarities to the modern
   bassoon: though generally constructed of only a single piece of wood
   rather than sections, it too consisted of a conical bore that doubled
   back on itself at the bottom, with a curved metal crook leading from
   the instrument body to the reed. It was, like the modern instrument,
   frequently constructed of maple, with thick walls to allow finger-holes
   to be drilled obliquely, with its bell flared slightly at the end.
   However, there were only eight finger-holes and two keys. The dulcian
   later evolved into the curtal, which featured separate joints like a
   modern bassoon, and gained an extra key.

   Some twentieth century musicologists believed that this instrument,
   resembling a bundle of sticks, was given the name meaning such,
   "fagotto", in 16th century Italy. However, this etymology is incorrect:
   The term "fagotto" was in use for the bassoon before the word was used
   for "bundle of sticks"; also, when the term first appeared, the
   resemblance did not exist, as the instrument at that time was carved
   out of one continuous block of wood (Jansen 1978). The origin of this
   name is therefore a mystery. (A dance also named "fagot" dates to a
   century earlier.) The instrument was constructed folded back on itself,
   as it is to this day (giving it the name in some regions "curtal", as
   it was shortened significantly). The English name of "bassoon" comes
   from a more general term referring to the bass register of any
   instrument, but after Henry Purcell's call for a "bassoon" in
   Dioclesian (1690) referring to the wooden double reed, the word began
   to be used to refer to this instrument in particular.

   The evolution of the early dulcian into the modern bassoon is also
   without precise record; the dulcian continued to be used into the 18th
   century (and in Spain, into the early 20th). A German painting, "Der
   Fagottspieler", in the Suermondt Museum, which scholars date to the end
   of the 17th century, depicts the bassoon much as it appears in its
   current form, and a three-keyed bassoon has been dated to 1699. It was
   the Dutch maker Coenraad Rijkel whose addition of the G key for the
   little finger of the right hand, just after the turn of the 18th
   century, fixed the hand position to the current standard; previously,
   the instrument could be played with either hand on top. The early
   bassoon flourished in the Netherlands in the late 17th and early 18th
   century, with over half a dozen prominent woodwind makers developing
   the instrument. Today, only thirty-three bassoons from that era
   survive.

Modern history

   Increasing demands on the capabilities of instruments and players in
   the 1800s—particularly concert halls requiring louder tones and the
   rise of virtuoso composer-performers—spurred on the further refinement
   of the bassoon. Increased sophistication both in manufacturing
   techniques and acoustical knowledge made possible great improvements in
   the playability of the instrument.

   The modern bassoon exists in two distinct primary forms, the Buffet
   system and the Heckel system. The Buffet system is played primarily in
   France but also in Belgium and parts of Latin America, while the Heckel
   system is played in the majority of the world.

Heckel system

   Heckel system bassoon from 1870
   Enlarge
   Heckel system bassoon from 1870

   The design of the modern bassoon owes a great deal to the performer,
   teacher, and composer Carl Almenräder, who, assisted by the German
   acoustic researcher Gottfried Weber developed the 17-key bassoon whose
   range spanned four octaves. Almenräder's improvements to the bassoon
   began with an 1823 treatise in which he described ways of improving
   intonation, response, and technical ease of playing by means of
   augmenting and rearranging the keywork; subsequent articles further
   developed his ideas. Working at the Schott factory gave him the means
   to construct and test instruments according to these new designs, the
   results of which were published in Caecilia, Schott's house journal;
   Almenräder continued publishing and building instruments until his
   death in 1843, and Ludwig van Beethoven himself requested one of the
   newly-made instruments after hearing of the papers. Almenräder left
   Schott to start his own factory along with partner J.A. Heckel in 1831.

   Heckel and two generations of descendants continued to refine the
   bassoon, and it is their instrument that has become the standard for
   other instrument makers to follow. Because of their superior singing
   tone quality (an improvement upon one of the main drawbacks of the
   Almenräder instruments), the Heckel instruments competed for prominence
   with the reformed Wiener system, a Boehm-style bassoon, and a
   completely-keyed instrument devised by C. J. Sax, father of Adolphe
   Sax. One latecomer attempt, from 1893, with a logical reformed
   fingering system was implemented by F.W. Kruspe, but failed to catch
   on. Other attempts at improving the instrument included a 24-keyed
   model and a single-reeded mouthpiece, but both were found to have
   adverse effects on the bassoon's distinctive tone and were abandoned.

   Coming into the 20th century the Heckel-style German model of bassoon
   dominated the field; Heckel himself had made over 4000 instruments by
   the turn of the century, and the English makers' instruments were no
   longer desirable for the changing pitch requirements of the symphony
   orchestra, remaining primarily in military band use.

   Today the Heckel factory continues producing instruments (after a brief
   1940s wartime conversion to ball-bearing manufacture) and Heckel
   bassoons are considered by many the best, although a range of different
   manufacturers exist, all with different modifications to their
   bassoons. Companies that manufacture bassoons are (among others):
   Heckel, Yamaha, Fox Products, Schreiber, Püchner, Signet, Moosmann,
   Kohlert, B.H. Bell. and Guntram Wolf. There are also several smaller
   bassoon manufacturers that make special instruments to fit special
   needs. In the 1960s the Englishman Giles Brindley began preliminary
   development of what he called the "logical" bassoon, which aimed to
   improve intonation and evenness of tone through use of electrically
   activated key combinations that were too complex for the human hand to
   manage.

Buffet system

   The Buffet system bassoon, which stabilized somewhat earlier than the
   Heckel, developed in a more conservative manner. While the development
   of the Heckel bassoon can be characterized as a complete overhaul of
   the instrument in both acoustics and keywork, the Buffet system focused
   primarily on incremental improvements to the keywork. This less radical
   approach deprives the Buffet system bassoon of the improved
   consistency, and thus ease of operation and increased power, found in
   the Heckel bassoons, but the Buffet is considered by some to have a
   more vocal and expressive quality. (Conductor John Foulds in 1934
   lamented the dominance of the Heckel-style bassoon, considering them to
   be too homogeneous in sound with the horn.)

   Compared to the Heckel bassoon, Buffet system bassoons have a narrower
   bore and differing keywork; the Buffet instruments are known for a
   reedier sound and greater facility in the upper registers, reaching
   e''' and f''' with far greater ease and less air pressure. While
   specifically desirable in some music (French woodwind players
   traditionally produce a lighter and more reedy tone than is usual
   elsewhere) the more reedy sound has sometimes drawn criticism for being
   too distinctive. As with all bassoons the tone varies substantially
   from instrument to instrument and performer to performer. The Heckel
   system can sound rather fixed and woody, but good players strive and
   usually succeed in producing a warm singing tone. The Buffet can sound
   reedy, but many good players strive and usually succeed in producing a
   warm, expressive sound which is not in the least reedy.

   Though the French system was once widely favored in England, Buffet
   instruments are no longer made there, and the last prominent English
   player of the French system retired in the 1980s. However, with its
   continued use in some regions and its distinctive tone, the Buffet
   continues to have a place in modern bassoon playing, particularly in
   France. Buffet-model bassoons are currently made in Paris by
   Buffet-Crampon and Selmer, with various other makers producing replica
   instruments. Some players, e.g. Gerald Corey in Canada, have learned to
   play both types and will alternate between them depending on the
   repertoire being played.

Construction and characteristics

   Parts of the bassoon
   Enlarge
   Parts of the bassoon
   Playing range of a bassoon (listen (help·info))
   Enlarge
   Playing range of a bassoon
   ( listen )

   The bassoon disassembles into six main pieces, including the reed. The
   bell (6), extending upward; the long (or bass) joint (5), connecting
   the bell and the boot; the boot (or butt) (4), at the bottom of the
   instrument and folding over on itself; the wing (or tenor) joint (3),
   which extends from boot to bocal; and the bocal (or crook) (2), a
   crooked metal tube which attaches the wing joint to a reed (1) (
   listen ).

   The modern bassoon is generally made of maple, with medium-hardness
   types such as sycamore maple and sugar maple being preferred.
   Less-expensive models are also made out of materials such as
   polypropylene and ebonite, primarily for student and outdoor use; metal
   bassoons were made in the past but have not been in production by any
   major manufacturer since 1889. The bore of the instrument is conical,
   like that of the oboe and the saxophone, and the bottom of the
   instrument connects the bore in the middle with a u-shaped metal
   connector. Both bore and holes are precision-machined, and each
   instrument is finished by hand for proper tuning. The walls of the
   instrument are sufficiently thick that the finger holes are drilled
   obliquely to aid in fingering, and wooden instruments are lined with a
   hard rubber lining along the interior of the wing and boot joints to
   prevent damage from moisture with extensive playing; wooden instruments
   are also stained and varnished. The top of the bell is frequently
   completed with a ring, often of plastic or ivory. The separate joints,
   where they connect, are wrapped in either cork or string, to aid
   sealing against air leaks. The bocal, which is inserted into the top of
   the wing joint and has one end wrapped in cork for sealing, may come in
   many different lengths, depending on the desired tuning.

   Folded upon itself, the bassoon stands 134 cm (4.4 feet) tall, but the
   total length is 254 cm (roughly 8.3 feet). Playing is facilitated by
   doubling the tube back on itself and by closing the distance between
   the widely-spaced holes with a complex system of keywork, which extends
   throughout nearly the entire length of the instrument. There are also
   short-reach bassoons made for the benefit of young or petite players.

   Bassoon players must learn three different clefs: Bass (first and
   foremost), Tenor, and Treble. The range of the bassoon begins at
   B-flat[1] (the first one below the bass staff) and extends upward over
   three octaves (roughly to the G on the treble staff). Higher notes are
   possible but difficult to produce and rarely called for; orchestral
   parts rarely go higher than the C or D, with even Stravinsky's famously
   difficult opening solo in The Rite of Spring only ascending to the D.
   The low A at the bottom of the range is only possible with a special
   extension to the instrument; as its use makes the bottom B-flat
   impossible to play and affects the intonation of the lower notes, it is
   rarely called for. The last chord of the 1922 Quintet for Winds by Carl
   Nielsen includes an optional low A, and Gustav Mahler occasionally uses
   it in his symphonies. Frequently, a paper tube or English horn bell
   placed in the bassoon's bell is used instead of a specially made
   extension. Another frequent alternative is to use the bell of a
   clarinet. A plastic tailpiece from a plumbing supply store has also
   been used.

Usage in ensembles

Modern ensembles

   The modern symphony orchestra typically calls for two bassoons, often
   with a third playing the contrabassoon. (The first work written with an
   independent contrabassoon part was Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, although
   Bach's St. John Passion and a work by Mozart called for a "large
   bassoon" and were written below the range of the modern bassoon.) Some
   works call for four or more players. The first player is frequently
   called upon to perform solo passages. The bassoon's distinctive tone
   suits it for both plaintive, lyrical solos such as Ravel's Bolero and
   more comical ones, such as the grandfather's theme in Peter and the
   Wolf. Its agility suits it for passages such as the famous running line
   (doubled in the violas) in the overture to The Marriage of Figaro. In
   addition to its solo role, the bassoon is an effective bass to a
   woodwind choir, a bass line along with the cellos and double basses,
   and harmonic support along with the French horns.

   A wind ensemble will usually also include two bassoons and sometimes
   contra, each with independent parts; other types of concert wind
   ensembles will often have larger sections, with many players on each of
   first or second parts; in simpler arrangements there will be only one
   bassoon part and no contra. The bassoon's role in the wind band is
   similar to its role in the orchestra, though when scoring is thick it
   often cannot be heard above the brass instruments also in its range. La
   Fiesta Mexicana, by H. Owen Reed, features the instrument prominently,
   as does the transcription of Malcolm Arnold's Four Scottish Dances
   which has become a staple of the concert band repertoire.

   The bassoon is also part of the standard wind quintet instrumentation,
   along with the flute, oboe, clarinet, and horn; it is also frequently
   combined in various ways with other woodwinds. Richard Strauss's
   "Duet-Concertino" pairs it with the clarinet as concertante
   instruments, with string orchestra in support.

   The bassoon quartet has also gained favour in recent times, with the
   Bubonic Bassoon Quartet being one of the more notable groups. The
   bassoon's wide range and variety of tone colors make it ideally suited
   to grouping in like-instrument ensembles. Peter Schickele's "Last Tango
   in Bayreuth" (after themes from Tristan and Isolde) is a popular work;
   Schickele's fictional alter ego P. D. Q. Bach exploits the more
   humorous aspects with his quartet "Lip My Reeds", which at one point
   calls for players to perform on the reed alone.

Earlier ensembles

   The bassoon's use in the early symphony orchestra was solely as a
   continuo instrument. Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and his Les
   Petits Violons included oboes and bassoons along with the strings in
   the 16-piece (later 21-piece) ensemble, as one of the first orchestras
   to include winds. Antonio Cesti included a bassoon in his 1668 opera
   Pomo d'oro. However, the use of the bassoon in the concert orchestra
   was sporadic until the late 17th century when winds began to make their
   way into the standard instrumentation, largely due to improvements in
   the design of wind instruments that corrected tuning problems and gave
   them greater ability to play chromatically (as the fretless strings
   were easily able to do). The bassoon was introduced as a regular member
   of the symphony orchestra as part of the basso continuo along with the
   cellos and bass viols; they also filled out the choirs of wind
   instruments in opera orchestras, first in France and then in Italy.
   Johann Stamitz and his symphonies gave the winds slightly more
   independence by scoring them for orchestral colour rather than strict
   doubling, but still the bassoon was not used as an independent melodic
   instrument.

   Antonio Vivaldi brought the bassoon to prominence by featuring it in 37
   concerti for the instrument. The early classical orchestra included the
   bassoon, it was again only filling out the continuo and often
   unmentioned in the score. Symphonic writing for bassoons as
   fully-independent parts rather than mere doubles would not come until
   later in the Classical era. Mozart's Jupiter symphony is a prime
   example, with its famous bassoon solo. The bassoons were generally
   paired, as in current practice, though the famed Mannheim Orchestra
   boasted four.

Technique

   The bassoon is held diagonally in front of the player and cannot easily
   be supported by the player's hands alone. The most common means of
   support are either a neck-strap or shoulder-harness attached to the top
   of the butt joint, or a strap attached to the base of the butt joint
   which harnesses to the chair or is supported by the player's weight.
   More unusually, a spike similar to those used for the cello or bass
   clarinet is attached to the bottom of the butt joint.

   The Heckel-system bassoon is played with both hands in a stationary
   position, with six main finger holes on the front of the instrument
   (some of which are open, and some of which are aided by keywork). Also
   on the front of the instrument are several additional keys to be
   controlled by the pinky fingers of each hand. The back of the
   instrument has over a dozen keys to be controlled by the thumb (the
   exact number varies depending on model).

   While instruments are constructed to have accurate pitch throughout the
   scale, the player has a great degree of flexibility of pitch control
   through the use of breath support and embouchure. Players are also able
   to use alternate fingerings to adjust the pitch of most often played
   notes.

Extended techniques

   Many extended techniques can be performed on the bassoon, such as
   multiphonics, flutter tonguing, circular breathing, and harmonics.

Reeds and reed construction

The modern reed

   Bassoon reeds are only a few centimeters in length and are often
   wrapped in colorful string.
   Enlarge
   Bassoon reeds are only a few centimeters in length and are often
   wrapped in colorful string.

   Bassoon reeds, made of Arundo donax cane, are generally made by the
   players themselves. Reeds begin with a piece of cane that has been left
   to dry. The cane is then cut and gouged into smooth strips, leaving the
   bark attached. After soaking, the strip of cane is cut into the desired
   thickness, or profiled. This can be done by hand; it is more frequently
   done with a machine or tool designed for the purpose. It is then cut to
   the correct outline, or shaped. Making sure the cane is thoroughly
   soaked, to avoid cracking, the profiled and shaped strip of cane is
   folded over in the middle. The outer edges, where the bark remains
   after profiling, are secured by three coils of wire at 2 mm and 8 mm
   from the beginning of the blade, and 6 mm from the bottom. The flat
   piece of cane is placed on a long, thin mandrel and pressed fimrmly
   around it to form into the proper shape, until the bottom of the reed
   is rounded enough to fit securely on the end of the bocal.

   After the reed has dried, the wires are tightened around the reed,
   which has shrunk after drying. The lower part is sealed (generally with
   rubber cement or epoxy) and then wrapped with string to ensure both
   that no air leaks out through the bottom of the reed and that the reed
   maintains its shape.

   To finish the reed, first, the tip (previously the center of the strip
   of cane) is cut, so that the blades above the bark are roughly 27 mm
   long. The reed is then scraped with a knife until it has the proper
   profile, which has a thin tip leading to a thicker back section, and
   the "spine" going lengthwise down the centre also thick. Specific
   measurements differ from player to player and instrument to instrument.
   The very tip of a reed blade is frequently only 0.1 mm thick.

   As the style of reed desired varies a great deal from player to player,
   most advanced players will make their own reeds in order to customize
   them to their own individual playing style, and almost all will be
   familiar with the process of making one. However, several companies
   offer premade reeds, and several individuals also produce reeds for
   sale, some specializing in this over playing.

The early reed

   Little is known about the early construction of the bassoon reed, as
   few examples survive, and much of what is known is only what can be
   gathered from artistic representations. The earliest known written
   instructions date from the middle of the 17th century, describing the
   reed as being held together by wire or resined thread; the earliest
   actual reeds that survive are more than a century younger, a collection
   of 21 reeds from the late 18th century Spanish bajon.

The bassoon in jazz

   The bassoon is infrequently used as a jazz instrument and rarely seen
   in a jazz ensemble. It first began appearing at all in the 1920s,
   including specific calls for its use in Paul Whiteman's group and a few
   other session appearances. The next few decades saw the instrument used
   only sporadically, as symphonic jazz fell out of favour, but the 1960s
   saw artists such as Yusef Lateef and Chick Corea incorporate bassoon
   into their recordings; Lateef's diverse and eclectic instrumentation
   saw the bassoon as a natural addition, while Corea employed the bassoon
   in combination with flautist Hubert Laws. More recently, Illinois
   Jacquet and Frank Tiberi have both doubled on bassoon in addition to
   their usual saxophone performances. Bassoonist Karen Borca, a performer
   of free jazz, is one of the few jazz musicians to play only bassoon;
   Michael Rabinowitz, the Spanish bassoonist Javier Abad, and James
   Lassen, an American resident in Bergen, Norway, are others. Lindsay
   Cooper, Paul Hanson, and Daniel Smith are also currently using the
   bassoon in jazz. French bassoonists Jean-Jacques Decreux and Alexandre
   Ouzounoff have both recorded jazz, exploiting the flexibility of the
   Buffet system instrument to good effect.

The bassoon in art and literature

   L'orchestre de l'opéra, painting by Edgar Degas, 1870
   Enlarge
   L'orchestre de l'opéra, painting by Edgar Degas, 1870

   Much of the early history of the bassoon is known through its
   representation in painting; the only source of description for the
   early bassoon reed, for example, is in paintings from late 16th century
   Spain.

   There was also a painting made by Edgar Degas in 1870, called
   "L'orcheste de l'opéra" ("The Orchestra of the Opera", also known as
   "In the Orchestra Pit"), features a bassoon player in the orchestra
   amongst several other orchestra members.

Concerti and other orchestral literature

Baroque

     * Antonio Vivaldi wrote 37 concerti for bassoon
     * Georg Philipp Telemann Sonata in F minor

Classical

     * Johann Christian Bach, Bassoon Concerto in B flat, Bassoon Concerto
       in E-flat major
     * Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Bassoon Concerto in F, W75
     * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bassoon Concerto in B flat, K191
     * Carl Stamitz, Bassoon Concerto in F Major
     * Johann Baptist Vanhal, Bassoon in C Major, Concerto in F Major for
       two bassoons and orchestra

Romantic

     * Carl Maria von Weber, Andante e rondo ungarese in C minor, op. 35;
       Bassoon Concerto in F, op. 75
     * Camille Saint-Saëns, Sonata for bassoon and piano in G Major, op.
       168

Contemporary

     * Luciano Berio, Sequenza XII for Bassoon (1995)
     * Edward Elgar, Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, op. 62
     * Alvin Etler, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
     * Hindemith, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (1938)
     * Gordon Jacob, Concerto for Bassoon, Strings and Percussion, Four
       Sketches for Bassoon, Partita for Bassoon
     * Francesco Mignone, Double Bassoon Sonata, 14 valses for Bassoon
     * Willson Osborne, Rhapsody for Bassoon
     * John Steinmetz, Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
     * Richard Strauss, Duet Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon with
       strings and harp (1948)
     * John Williams, The Five Sacred Trees: Concerto for Bassoon and
       Orchestra (1997)
     * Richard Wilson, Profound Utterances (1984) and Bassoon Concerto
       (1983)

Famous orchestral passages

     * Béla Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra; the second movement features
       woodwind instruments in pairs, beginning with the bassoons, and the
       recapitulation of their duet adds a third instrument playing a
       staccato counter-melody.
     * Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony 4 in Bb major
     * Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony 9 in D minor, last movement
     * Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (In the fourth movement,
       there are several solo and tutti bassoon-featuring passages. This
       piece calls for four bassoons.)
     * Paul Dukas, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, widely recognized as used in
       the movie Fantasia
     * Edvard Grieg, In the Hall of the Mountain King
     * Carl Orff, Carmina Burana
     * Sergei Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf (possibly the most-recognized
       bassoon theme, the part of the grandfather)
     * Maurice Ravel, Rapsodie Espagnole (features a fast, lengthy dual
       cadenza at the end of the first movement)
     * Maurice Ravel, Boléro (the bassoon has a high descending solo
       passage near the beginning)
     * Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major
     * Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, second movement
     * Dmitri Shostakovich, several symphonies including #1, 4, 5, 8, & 9
     * Jean Sibelius, Symphony 2 in D major
     * Jean Sibelius, Symphony 5 in Eb major
     * Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring (opens with a famously
       unorthodox bassoon solo)
     * Igor Stravinsky, lullaby from The Firebird
     * Igor Stravinsky, Symphonies of Wind Instruments (less known but
       just as high and difficult as The Rite of Spring)
     * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony 4 in F minor
     * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony 5 in E minor
     * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony 6 in B minor

Notable bassoonists

     * Etienne Ozi (1754–1813): composer, pedagogue
     * Carl Almenräder (1786–1843): instrument designer, composer
     * Louis Marie Eugène Jancourt (1815–1900): composer, pedagogue,
       instrument designer
     * Julius Weissenborn (1837-1888): composer, pedagogue
     * Archie Camden (1888–1979): pedagogue
     * Simon Kovar (1890–1970): arranger, pedagogue
     * Sol Schoenbach (1915–1999): pedagogue, Philadelphia Orchestra
       principal preceding Bernard Garfield
     * Leonard Sharrow (1915–2004): pedagogue, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
       principal, 1951-1964
     * Maurice Allard (1923–): arranger
     * Sherman Walt (1923-1989): pedagogue, Boston Symphony Orchestra
       principal 1951–1989.
     * Mordechai Rechtman (1925–): pedagogue, arranger, conductor, Israel
       Philharmonic principal for 45 years
     * Bernard Garfield (1928–): pedagogue, Philadelphia Orchestra
       principal 1957–2000.
     * William Waterhouse (1931–): pedagogue, Royal Northern College of
       Music, and principal in various London orchestras in the period
       1955-1975
     * Walter Ritchie (1936–): pedagogue, Los Angeles Philharmonic
       Orchestra
     * Judith LeClair (1958-): pedagogue, New York Philharmonic principal
     * Benjamin Kamins: pedagogue, Houston Symphony principal 1981-2003
     * David McGill: Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal, Cleveland
       Orchestra principal 1988-1997
     * Frank Morelli: New York City Opera Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
       American Composer's Orchestra Brooklyn Philharmonic principal,
       plays in Windscape, teacher The Juilliard School SUNY Stonybrook
       Yale The Manhattan School of Music
     * Christopher Millard: pedagogue, soloist, teacher Ottawa University,
       National Arts Centre Orchestra, formerly in CBC Vancouver Orchestra
     * Klaus Thunemann pedagogue, soloist, North German Radio Symphony
       Orchestra, former principal
     * Dag Jensen (1964-) pedagogue, soloist, WDR Symphony Orchestra
       Cologne, former principal
     * Sergio Azzolini pedagogue, soloist, baroque bassoonist, conductor
     * Christopher Weait pedagogue, teacher The Ohio State University
       (1984-2006), former principal Toronto Symphony Orchestra
     * Arthur Weisberg pedagogue, teacher Jacobs School of Music
     * Norman Harvey Herzberg (1916-) Noted pedagogue, developer of reed
       making equipment. Champion of compositions of Paul Hindemith
     * Fernando Traba teacher, Principal of Florida West Coast Symphony

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassoon"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
