User:Bassoonisms/Bassoon/Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography
'''1. Waterhouse, William. "Bassoon." Grove Music Online. 2001. Oxford University Press.'''

The pertinent sections of this article include the introduction, the section on the modern bassoon, and the section on repertory and use. The introduction gives a brief overview about the bassoon, including its range, and notable features of the instrument such as the U-shaped conical bore, how many joints it is comprised of, and a description of its sound. The section on the modern instrument goes into further detail about the materials it is made of, the two systems (Heckel and Buffet), the names and descriptions of the joints, and more detailed information. Some of this information could be used for the lead section, but it may be too detailed and could be cited in the section on construction instead. The section on repertory and use begins in the 17th century with the use of the Dulcian and goes through the history of the bassoon's use in ensembles, with musical examples. Waterhouse describes the first instances of bassoon-only ensembles, with the Boismortier duets as well as a quartet by Corrette. An interesting note should be Schubart's quote that the bassoon can be used in almost every instance.

'''2. Kopp, James B. The Bassoon. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.'''

Kopp describes the development of the bassoon from a technological standpoint and gives it historical context. He begins his book by describing the precursors to the bassoon, and does not mention much about ensembles until the chapter about the dulcian, where he describes its role in "cornetto or recorder consorts." In accordance with this format, each chapter about the different iterations of the bassoon throughout history include a section about repertory, where Kopp details how the role of the instrument changed to fit according to the needs of the ensemble during their time. He includes specific composers and pieces where the bassoon's use is exemplified.

'''3. Jansen, Will. The Bassoon, Its History, Construction, Makers, Players and Music. Buren: Fritz Knuf, 1978.'''

The Jansen books are an all-encompassing multi-volume work that include many details about the bassoon. The specific volume referenced for the purpose of this assignment will be Volume III, which includes sections on performance practices, how the bassoon fits into the orchestral environment and orchestral scoring, how it fits into other genres of music (religious, opera and operetta, film and musicals, wind ensemble and its history). In his section specifically about the wind ensemble and its history, Jansen discusses a variety of ensembles and includes mention of divertimento and harmoniemusik. Jansen inserts much of his opinion into his writing, but has a great amount of data to support his claims. As he explains the various ensembles the bassoon has been involved in, he does so with historical context. He gives specific examples of composers who have used the bassoon in various contexts and describes how the bassoon's characteristics contributed to those ensembles and works. An interesting note, though not necessarily to be included in this article: previous bassoon professor Kathleen Reynolds is mentioned as a notable American female bassoonist in the section about female bassoonists!

'''4. Vonk, Maarten. A Bundle of Joy: A Practical Handbook for Bassoon. FagotAielier Maarten Vonk, 2007.'''

Vonk, a bassoonist and bassoon technician, wrote a practical handbook for the bassoon. It covers a wide variety of information, including sections on playing fundamentals such as breathing and embouchure. He also discusses ergonomics, maintenance, solving problems, a fingering chart, the contrabassoon, bassoon in jazz and popular music, and how to record bassoon. In the context of this class and writing about the bassoon's role in chamber ensembles, it would serve to support the sections about its role in jazz and popular music ensembles.

'''5. Hall, Ronn K. (2017). An Exploration into the Validity and Treatment of the Bassoon in Duet Repertoire from 1960 - 2016 (DMA). University of Maryland.'''

In his dissertation, Hall explores and pushes the boundaries regarding standard treatment of the bassoon in duet repertoire. He does this through three recital programs involving the bassoon and different instrumentations: the bassoon and electronics and percussion, bassoon and winds, and bassoon and strings. In his introduction, Hall briefly describes the evolution of the bassoon through chamber, mostly duo, works and its role in the ensembles. He claims that composers tend to shy away from including bassoon in duets, and argues it had lead to bassoonists looking for repertoire from other instruments rather than playing the repertoire that already exists - they simply have little knowledge of what is out there. Additionally, Hall pushes the boundaries of current conceptions and stereotypes regarding bassoon duet repertoire by presenting works from twentieth and twenty-first century composers. He notes that the scope of his dissertation avoids works including piano and keyboard instruments (save for one piece written for bassoon and pipe organ), and also only includes works originally written for the bassoon, not arrangements or transcriptions.

'''6. Renteria, Lisa M. (2007). The Bassoon's Essential Role in the Evolution of the Wind Octet: The Serenade in E-Flat Major K. 375 by Mozart and the Octet for Winds by Stravinsky (DMA). The University of Arizona.'''

Renteria makes the argument that the two bassoons in the instrumentation of the wind octet are what give the ensemble the core of its characteristic sound. She begins her dissertation with the use of the bassoon in early ensembles, then connects the bassoon's use in wind octets through Harmoniemusik. She follows these sections with deeper analysis of Mozart's use of the bassoon, the historical changes the wind octet underwent, then Stravinsky's use of the bassoon. She also describes the similarities and differences between the two octets, and how that affected the bassoon's role in the ensemble. Most notably, she cites Mozart's use of the bassoon to be play both solos and bass parts, as well as describes his use of the bassoon to mostly explore its range, blending abilities, and flexibility. In order to explain the importance of these qualities in the octet, she also describes Mozart's use of the bassoon in his other works. Renteria notes Stravinksy's use of the bassoon mostly makes use of the high register and often wrote for pairs of bassoons sharing the technical difficulties of parts.

'''8. Mettler, Larry Charles. (1960). An Analysis of the Bassoon and Its Literature (MS). Eastern Illinois University.'''

Mettler's dissertation begins with a brief history of the bassoon's technological evolution before further going into detail about the repertoire. There are sections specifically about the role of the bassoon in orchestra throughout history and gives examples of composers who wrote for the bassoon in each time period. Additionally, his work delves into the "limitations" of the instrument, but it seems his sections regarding the role of the instrument itself would be most useful here; given the age of this source, the perceived "limitations" of the bassoon may not exist today. The section on etudes, methods, and studies will not be used for the purpose of this class.