ETYM French basson, from basse bass; or perh. from bas son low sound. Related to Bass a part in music.
A double-reed instrument; the tenor of the oboe family.
Double-reed woodwind instrument in B flat, the bass of the oboe family. It doubles back on itself in a tube about 2.5 m/7.5 ft long and has a rich and deep tone. The bassoon concert repertoire extends from the early Baroque via Vivaldi, Mozart, and Dukas to Stockhausen.
The bassoon was developed from the Renaissance curtal about 1660 as a continuo instrument to provide bassline support. Further development in the 18th century led to the double bassoon or contrabassoon, an octave lower. Both instruments demonstrate an agility humorously at variance with their low pitch range and rich, glowing tone, but are also capable of dignified solos at high register, famously in the eerie opening bars of Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring 1913.