Back to results

Columbus State University

Bassoon in the Baroque Era

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Good afternoon! Welcome to my lecture recital. I hope you will enjoy learning about the bassoon in the Baroque era. This lecture focuses on the origins and developments of the Baroque bassoon, elements of Baroque style found in music for bassoon, and the application of those elements through Antonio Vivaldi's composition for bassoon, Concerto in G minor, Op. No. 23.</p> <p>In the 1901 edition of his book, The Holy Cross and Other Tales, Eugene Field states:</p> <p>If you have never beheld or heard a bassoon you are to understand that it is an instrument of wood, of considerable more length than breadth, provided with numerous stops and keys, and capable of producing an infinite variety of tones, ranging from the depth of lugubriousness to the highest pitch of vivacity (198).</p> <p>The legacy of the bassoon goes back over four hundred years, beginning with the precursor to the bassoon, the dulcian. The earliest written reference to the dulcian is from the early sixteenth century; it is thought that the dulcian originated around that time (Jansen 14). The original dulcian was made of one piece of wood, had few keys, and had a wide, conical bore. Its name derived from the Latin root dulc, meaning soft and sweet, and is thought to refer to the subdued tone quality of the dulcian, which contrasted to the louder tones of the shawms and pommers (Oxford 4). Shawms were double-reed instruments similar to oboes that developed into families during the rise of instrumental playing in the early sixteenth century; the lowest pitched of which were called pommers. These families had different sizes of the same instrument, with adaptations depending on the individual instruments, and made it possible to perform with an extended range within the family.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Music Education - Instrumental Concentration
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Schwob School of Music
Year dc:date.available
2009

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Spradley, Emily
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Andrée Martin

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

Language dc:language
English

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:csuepress.columbusstate.edu:theses_dissertations-1100

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Columbus State University
Base URL
csuepress.columbusstate.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Spradley, Emily. Bassoon in the Baroque Era. Thesis thesis, 2009. https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/100