It is the lowest of the woodwind instruments. It is extremely large (twice the length of tubing of the baritone saxophone, with a bore twice as wide, standing 1.9 meters tall, or 6 feet 4 inches) and heavy (approximately 20 kilograms, or 45 pounds), and is pitched in the key of E♭, one octave below the baritone saxophone. The contrabassoon reed is similar to an average bassoon's in that scraping the reed affects both the intonation and response of the instrument.[1]. A rare use of the instrument in jazz was by Garvin Bushell, who sat in as a guest with saxophonist John Coltrane during his 1961 recording sessions at the Village Vanguard. Bach's St. John's Passion (1749 and 1739-1749 versions), and G.F. Handel's L'Allegro (1740) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749)[3]. The bassoon's weight is a byproduct of the materials it is made from. Examples of these low-pitched dulcians include the octavebass, the quintfaggot, and the quartfaggot. Throughout the long history of contra-register double-reed instruments the assumed role has been to provide a foundation for the wind chord, along the same line as the double bass does for the strings. There is a "thinning" of the sound in extreme high register, as in all double reeds, but unlike oboe and bassoon which become more penetrative and "intense" in this register, the contrabassoon's sound becomes less audibly substantial and is easily drowned out. There were several "attempts" to create a sucontrabass during the heyday of the lower saxes in the 20s--30s, but they were not correctly tuned, required several people to play, and were generally just scaled up versions of smaller saxes. Heckel Contrabassoon #1002 is up for sale. Answered. The contrabassoon is commonly known as the grandfather of the woodwind section of the orchestra. £36795.00: Fox Model 920 Contrabassoon Special Order ; Fingering is slightly different, particularly at the register change and in the extreme high range. Both companies' improvements allow for improved technical facility as well as greater range in the high register. Contrabassoon - Sound characteristics Dark, sonorous, full, resonant, heavy, grave, mighty, substantial, somber, rumbling, buzzing, rough, acerbic, husky. The cost of a harp will depend on the brand, the size, the type, the number of strings, the material it’s made from, condition and who it’s purchased from, but ultimately, the harp’s price can be from as little as $300 to more than $200,000. A clear example of this can be heard in Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice (originally scored for contrabass sarrusophone). It weighs around 16 to 22 pounds with a bell diameter of 18 to 25 inches. It is also used by saxophone ensembles including the Raschèr Saxophone Orchestra Lörrach,[5] Saxophone Sinfonia, National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain, Northstar Saxophone Quartet, Koelner Saxophone Mafia, Toronto-based Allsax4tet and the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. The large blades allow ample vibration that produces the low register of the instrument. Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is one of the few orchestral works that requires two contrabassoons.[5]. A good average value would be around 3.5Kg (around 7.5 pounds.) Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. An increasing number of performers and recording artists are making use of the instrument, including Anthony Braxton, Paul Cohen, David Brutti, Jay C. Easton, Randy Emerick, Blaise Garza, Marcel W. Helland, Robert J. Verdi, Joseph Donald Baker, Thomas K. J. Mejer, Douglas Pipher, Scott Robinson, Klaas Hekman, Daniel Gordon, Daniel Kientzy, and Todd A. However, when these tones are reinforced by another instrument playing at the octave or fifteenth, they sound clearly defined and have tremendous resonance and presence. A much lesser used support system is the bassoon harness which spreads the weight more equally across most of the back (see figure 1b). In 2008, one of only four Fox 950 contrabassoons was stolen from the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Fox Model 900 Contrabassoon Special Order The Fox 900 is one of the world’s most popular contras. Tonally, it sounds similar to the bassoon, but at all parts of its compass is distinctly different in tone from it. The large blades allow ample vibration that produces the low register of the instrument. The contrabass saxophone is the second-lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. Different grains and quality of wood will change how the instrument plays – thinner wood, finer grain = quicker response because it vibrates easier. White. The contrabassoon has a range of B0–C4. Saxophone ensembles were also popular at this time, and the contrabass saxophone was an eye-catching novelty for the groups that were able to obtain one. However, until the late 19th century, the contrabassoon typically had a weak tone and poor intonation. Some notable early uses of the contrabassoon during this period include in J.S. Stephen Hough has written a trio for piccolo, contrabassoon and piano Was mit den Tränen geschieht. The school offered a reward for the US$30,000 instrument, however, as of 2015, it is still missing and presumed destroyed. The contrabassoon can also produce a "buzz" or "rattle", particularly when loud and in its low register, which gives the sound an edged quality. The contrabassoon has a water key to expel condensation and a tuning slide for gross pitch adjustments. Composers have often used the contrabassoon to comical or sinister effect by taking advantage of its seeming "clumsiness" and its sepulchral rattle, respectively. [2] There is evidence that a contrafagott was used in Frankfurt in 1626. The contrabassoon compared to the bassoon. posted by daisystomper at 1:25 PM on October 29, 2017 Compared to the standard-sized bassoon instruments, it is quite long and has a wider pipe. Contrabassoon stand Secure stand, Compact folding design, Weight: 3.1 kg, Height: 700 to 1200 mm, Colour: Black While there are few orchestral works that call specifically for the contrabass saxophone, the growing number of contrabass saxophonists has led to the creation of an increasing body of solo and chamber music literature. The reed is considerably larger than the bassoon's, at 65–75 mm (2.6–3.0 in) in total length (and 20 mm (0.8 in) in width) as compared to 53–58 mm (2.1–2.3 in) for most bassoon reeds. Solo literature is somewhat lacking, although some modern composers such as Gunther Schuller, Donald Erb, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Woolrich, Kalevi Aho, and Daniel Dorff have written concertos for this instrument (see below). 2011-09-13 03:36:23. Most major orchestras use one contrabassoonist, either as a primary player or a bassoonist who doubles, as do a large number of symphonic bands. The first composer to write a separate contrabassoon part in a symphony was Beethoven, in his Fifth Symphony (1808) (it can also be heard providing the bass line in the brief "Janissary band" section of the fourth movement of his Symphony No. It can be smooth and mellow, or harsh and buzzy depending on the player, and on the mouthpiece and reed combination used. [citation needed] He commissioned, premiered and recorded Aztec Ceremonies for contrabassoon by Graham Waterhouse.[15]. is shipping to a PO Box or, if the order is held for credit card verification, it may take more than five buisness days to arrive. Like we were saying, an orchestra is a large group of instruments, a.k.a. As of 2019, there are eight firms which manufacture contrabassoons (in alphabetical order): These firms once manufactured contrabassoons, but no longer do so. There is tympani. [6], Learn how and when to remove this template message, "June 28, 1846: Parisian Inventor Patents Saxophone", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwTorKNmED4, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Contrabass_saxophone&oldid=983647960, Articles needing additional references from June 2010, All articles needing additional references, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 October 2020, at 12:39. The width at the tip of the reed is 21mm* The length of the blade is 37mm* long& the length of the tube is 38mm* As these reeds are handmade. Lately, some contrabassoon players have switched to the contraforte I don't like the sound of the contraforte nearly as much. Recently, Benedikt Eppelsheim has had great success with his line of bass wind instruments including bass and contrabass saxophones, and c… In recent years, the rock group Violent Femmes have incorporated the contrabass saxophone into the band's live performances as well as their newest albums. The large blades allow ample vibration that produces the low register of the instrument. The horn was ordered in 1982 while he was in the Toronto Symphony and he has since been playing it … Contrabassoon is notated an octave above sounding pitch in all clefs, and typically uses bass clef. Chip Owen, at the American company Fox, began manufacturing an instrument in 1971 with some improvements. Because its deepest tones vibrate so slowly (as with the contrabassoon or pedal notes on a pipe organ) it can be difficult for listeners to perceive individual pitches at the bottom of its range; instead of hearing a clearly delineated melody, listeners may instead hear a series of rattling tones with little pitch definition. The contrabassoon was developed in the mid-18th century; the oldest surviving instrument, which came in four parts and had only three keys, was built in 1714. Due to its large body and wide bore, the sound of the contrabass saxophone has great acoustical presence and a very rich tone. Alternate low C bell The alternate low C bell is designed to reduce the weight and bulk of the instrument in situations where the full range of the subcontrabassoon is not required. Many works have been written specifically for her,[citation needed] and she has released several CDs. [9], Most major symphony orchestras employ a contrabassoon, and many have programmed concerts featuring their contrabassoonist as soloist. ], however, the contrabass saxophone has experienced a resurgence in interest. Compared with the bassoon, the contrabassoon has much greater difficulty producing notes with stability and projection in the (written) range corresponding to the top octave on bassoon. Although still quite rare, perhaps partly due to its great expense, three manufacturers now produce contrabass saxophones: Benedikt Eppelsheim of Munich, Germany[2] Romeo Orsi Wind Instruments of Milan, and J’Elle Stainer of São Paulo, Brazil.[3]. all you ounce/pound guys, why not join the rest of the world so we know what you're talking about? In some contemporary jazz/classical ensembles the contrabass saxophone doubles the baritone saxophone either at the same pitch or an octave below, depending on the register of the music. Weights vary massively from instrument to instrument, simply because a good instrument is hand made by a luthier. Scoring for it very seldom calls for notes above written-pitch F or G above the bass staff, and the higher clefs are therefore seldom required. One of the few contrabassoon soloists in the world is Susan Nigro,[14] who lives and works in and around Chicago. The Scottish composer Alistair Hinton has included parts for soprano, alto, baritone and contrabass saxophones in his Concerto for 22 Instruments completed in 2005. a clarinet weighs about 800 grams. It has a wide dynamic range& warm centered tone. Contrabassoon proper has much more color and personality. Its middle and upper registers are warm, full, and expressive. The costs noted below are averages we found for the most popular harp options on the market. By the onset of the Great Depression, the saxophone craze had ended, and the contrabass, already rare, almost disappeared from public view. Double reeds are used on the oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn, bass oboe, Heckelphone, bassoon, contrabassoon, sarrusophone, shawm, bagpipes, nadaswaram and shehnai. This effect can be mitigated greatly by changes to the reed design, but it can be a desirable quality for some players, as it adds to the sinister or monstrous quality which some contrabassoon writing seeks to affect, and causes the contrabassoon sound to be more prominent in musical textures. It weighs exactly 10kg. How much does a harp cost? However, until the late 19th century, the contrabassoon typically had a weak tone and poor intonation. The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. 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