Bassoon history

The bassoon is a 17th-century development of the earlier sordone, fagotto, or dulzian, known in England as the curtal. It was first mentioned about 1540 in Italy as an instrument with both ascending and descending bores contained in a single piece of maple or pear wood.

1. Who invented the bassoon?
2. When was bassoon created?
3. What are 3 facts about the bassoon?
4. What was the bassoon originally made of?

Who invented the bassoon?

The man most likely responsible for developing the true bassoon was Martin Hotteterre (d. 1712), who may also have invented the three-piece flûte traversière (transverse flute) and the hautbois (baroque oboe).

When was bassoon created?

The musical instruments that could be described as ancestors of the bassoon were developed in the 16th century, and include the shawm, the rankett, and the dulcian (or curtal). All of these are low-pitched instruments that use a double reed.

What are 3 facts about the bassoon?

The bassoon is a four foot long instrument. The tube inside would stretch to eight feet if straightened out. To play the bassoon the bassoonist must use every finger and their thumbs as well. The parts of a bassoon include the bell joint, reed, crook, pads, bass joint, rod system, keys, wing joint, hand rest, and butt.

What was the bassoon originally made of?

Early bassoons were made out of harder woods, but the modern instrument is typically made of maple. One of the precursors to the bassoon, the dulcian, was made out of a single piece of wood. A double reed is used to play the bassoon, which is made out of a cane called an arundo donax.