Klarinet Archive - Posting 000669.txt from 1997/12

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Tenoroon
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 17:38:16 -0500

On Fri, 12 Dec 1997, Craig Ruff wrote:

> On Fri, Dec 12, 1997 at 03:08:26PM -0600, Edwin V. Lacy wrote:
> > Actually, the tenoroon can be pitched in either F or G. I believe the
> > modern ones are a perfect 5th higher than the bassoon.
>
> Are tenoroon parts transposed like those of the clarinet family?

Well, since there is no music for it, it doesn't really matter. I suppose
that Moosmann must supply some kind of instructional materials, but I've
never seen them. I would expect that it would be transposing - a student
would need to learn to use the same fingering when seeing a particular
pitch notated that they will later use on the regular bassoon.

> I suppose you could consider the bassoon a basset instrument pitched in F,
> with an extension down to the Bb or A below that. That could explain the
> multitude of thumb keys! :-)

That (the extension) is exactly the explanation for the complicated key
work of the lower register of the bassoon. Based on the diameter of the
bore, the lowest note of the bassoon should have been F or E, or perhaps
Eb by stretching things a bit. The fact that it plays about a half an
octave lower than this explains some of its acoustical eccentricities.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

P.S.: I promise not to write any more messages to the list in this
thread, as it concerns an instrument not in the clarinet family. Some
seemed interested in at least a little discussion of this topic.