ISBN: HB: 9780300118292
June 2012
352 pp.
23,4x19,0 cm
15 musical examples, 68 black&white illus.
HB:
£70.00
QTY:
Bassoon
This welcome volume encompasses the entire history of the bassoon, from its origins five centuries ago to its place in 21st-century music. James Kopp draws on new archival research and many years of experience playing the instrument to provide an up-to-date and lively portrait of today's bassoon and its intriguing predecessors. He discusses the bassoon's makers, its players, its repertory and its audiences, all in unprecedented detail.
The author examines the acoustical consequences of various design changes to the bassoon, from its invention in 16th-century Italy, through its redesign in 17th-century France as a four-piece instrument, to the dominance of the Heckel-system bassoon in the early 21st century. He also offers new coverage of the bassoon's social history, including its roles in the military and the church and its global use during the European Colonial period. Separate historical chapters devoted to contrabassoons and smaller bassoons complete the volume.
The author examines the acoustical consequences of various design changes to the bassoon, from its invention in 16th-century Italy, through its redesign in 17th-century France as a four-piece instrument, to the dominance of the Heckel-system bassoon in the early 21st century. He also offers new coverage of the bassoon's social history, including its roles in the military and the church and its global use during the European Colonial period. Separate historical chapters devoted to contrabassoons and smaller bassoons complete the volume.
About the author
Dr James Kopp is a professional bassoonist and has an international reputation as a maker of reeds for modern, contra, and early bassoons. He has written numerous articles on a wide range of aspects of the instrument, and is also senior editor of the forthcoming "Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments", second edition. This is his first book.