By Sam Cronk

A larger and lower-voiced version of the oboe, the bassoon makes up the tenor and bass section of the woodwinds in the western orchestra. It is basically a long conical wooden tube called the "bore" with metal key, and a mouthpiece that has a double reed. What makes this instrument unusual is its shape - essentially, its body doubles or folds over.. This makes an otherwise extremely long instrument far more portable, and creates the bassoon's unique sound.
The French word for bassoon, "fagot", was first used in the 14th century, and actually means "a bundle of sticks". Most bassoons are still made out of wood, though some manufacturers have experimented with metal. In 1889, Lecomte created a bassoon made of nickel-plated brass which was exhibited at the Worlds Fair.

The modern bassoon had many ancestors. Among these were the curtal, the strong-voiced serpent, the dulcian and the chorist bassoon. References to the English curtal (from the German 'kortholt', or 'short wood') date back to around 1574. The dulcian (from the Latin for "sweet") was a one-piece bassoon-like instrument used in Western Europe before 1700. The chorist bassoon, a very low-pitched instrument, had as its sole purpose to support the bass in church choirs, again mainly before 1700. Early bassoons were also used during French military campaigns or outdoor festivals By the late 18th century, the bassoon was featured in French and British theatrical and chamber ensembles and also accompanied the organ during church services.
18th century musician and poet C.F.D. Schubart describes the bassoon in this way:

(it) adapts itself to all forms: it accompanies martial music
with manly dignity; it is heard in sacred rooms with majesty;
it carries the opera (by virtue of its basso continuo function);
it reasons with wisdom in the concerto; it gives sway to the dance;
and it is everything it wants to be."

Highlights from the bassoon's large repertoire include: Mozart's "Concerto for Bassoon in Bb major" (K. 191), Stravinksly's "Le Sacre du printemps" (most prominent at the beginning); Beethoven's "Octet" (op. 103), and Oscar Morawetz's "Sonata for bassoon and piano" (1981).