Contrabassoon

What it means

The contrabassoon sounds an octave lower than the bassoon. Its tube is over five metres long and is folded several times, so that the instrument stands upright before the player and usually rests on an endpin. The bell points, depending on construction, downward or upward. It is notated in the bass clef an octave higher than it sounds. As with the bassoon, the double reed sits on a bocal, but a distinctly larger one. The range extends into the lowest region of the orchestra, down into the area of sub-contra B♭.

Musical use

As the lowest woodwind instrument, the contrabassoon gives the wind group a foundation that differs in sound from tuba and double bass: grainy, rough, and in the extreme depth perceptible more as vibration than as pitch. Composers have used it since the late eighteenth century, at first sparingly to reinforce the bass, since the nineteenth century also as a colour of its own, occasionally for grotesque or eerie effects. In the middle register it sounds surprisingly soft and can take on melodic tasks, which is rarely used.

Performance practice

The air requirement is exceptionally high; plan breathing places generously and work with calm, broad air flow. The response in the low register is sluggish — start earlier so that the tone stands in time, and keep the embouchure loose, otherwise it cracks. Reeds are large, expensive, and delicate; work them carefully and keep several broken-in ones ready. Adjust endpin and strap so that the hands reach the keys without stretching. Check the airtightness of the many pads regularly, because leaks first make the lowest register unplayable, and warm the instrument up thoroughly before tuning.

Bear in mind that the sounding depth is easily overdosed in the orchestra: in the lowest registers the pitch is hardly perceived anymore, and the sound lies over everything. Play therefore restrainedly and check the effect from the hall. Watch for clarity in articulation, because low notes blur without a clear attack. With doublings with double bass and tuba, agreement on articulation and volume is worthwhile. Keep the instrument warm, otherwise it responds unreliably in the low register.