Bassoon and English horn

cor anglais union musicale la motte servolex

 contra basson union musicale la motte servolex

basson union musicale la motte servolex

 Musicians

Agnès Lainé Juliette LOMBARDI
Fanny CUGNET Gilbert FACHINGER

The English horn is in the family of wooden double-reeds, a relative of the oboe, which is equivalent to a fifth below. The name "English horn" comes from the description of the instrument in France: semi-circular as an English hunting horn, and bent (angle). As a double-reed, it has the capacity to obtain a steady stream of sound with carving melodies. Combined with its darker color (often melancholy) as well as the proximity of its range with the human voice (baritone to mezzo -soprano), it has a strong sound that was implemented by the composers themselves.

The bassoon is a double-reed instrument of the bass oboe family, consisting of a long conical bore tube made of wood (maple, rosewood), nearly 3 meters long, but bent to a height of 1.22 m (4 ft). It consists of a metal crook on which the reed is placed and four sections: the tenor, the butt, the bass, and the bell. The double reed is attached to a short copper pipe. There are two types of bassoons: the Buffet French bassoon, and the Heckel German bassoon (the most popular). Due to its size and weight, the bassoon requires extra support from a neck strap or a seat strap, or a spike resting on the floor, in order to be played. With its complicated fingering system and double-reed, the bassoon is more difficult to learn than some of the other woodwind instruments.

 

tesBasson