 The Bassoon BBoard
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-03-04 23:17
When I was a mere lad of twenty or so, I used to play in the Washington University Symphonic Orchestra in Saint Louis MO. I was the "third clarinet", bass clarinet and ultimately ended up sitting in on bassoon since there was a need there as well.
The last concert of one year had Beethoven's Ninth, and there was that contra part from hell. The school dated back to the 1800's, and their idea of a contra bassoon was an old Heckel that was set up along the lines of a standard bassoon, only twice as huge. (It also smelled pretty foul, for that matter.)
I limped through the soaring runs that the deaf guy wrote, but the spread on the tone holes and the reach of the fingers on the right hand were more than any human being should have to endure. Impressive looking horn, though.
And, it actually looked like a bassoon, not like some contra clarinet on steroids with a bad sunburn...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
Post Edited (2007-03-05 18:21)
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Bob Phillips |
2007-03-04 04:53 |
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Re: BASSOONarama, Death of Contrabassoon new |
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Terry Stibal |
2007-03-04 23:17 |
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Bob Phillips |
2007-03-05 03:46 |
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