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CONTRAFAGOTTO, DOUBLE

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 41 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CONTRAFAGOTTO, See also:DOUBLE :See also:BASSOON Or CONTRABASSOON (Fr. contrebasson; Ger. Kontrafagott), a See also:wood-See also:wind See also:instrument of the double See also:reed See also:family, which it completes as See also:grand See also:bass, the other, members being the See also:oboe, See also:cor anglais, and bassoon. The contrafagotto corresponds to the double bass in strings, to the contrabass See also:tuba in the See also:brass wind, and to the pedal See also:clarinet in the single reed wood wind. There are at the See also:present See also:day three distinct makes of contra- fagotto. (I) The See also:modern See also:German (fig. 1) is founded on the older See also:models, resembling the bassoon, the best- known being Heckel's of Biebrich-am-Rhein, used at See also:Bayreuth and in many German orchestras. In this See also:model the See also:character- istics of the bassoon are preserved, and the See also:tone is of true fagotto quality extended in its See also:lower See also:register. The Heckel See also:con- trafagotto consists of a wooden See also:tube 16 ft. 4 in. See also:long with a conical See also:bore, and doubled back four times upon itself to make it less unwieldy. It is thus about the same length as the bassoon and terminates in a See also:bell 4 in. in See also:diameter pointing downwards.

The crook consists of a small brass tube about 2 ft. long, having avery narrow bore, to which is See also:

bound the double-reed See also:mouthpiece. (2) The modern See also:English double bassoon is one designed by Dr W. H. See also:Stone, and made under his superintendence by Haseneier of See also:Coblenz. It From Capt. C. R. Day's is stated that See also:instruments See also:cat. 01 See also:Mus. Inst. by of this See also:pattern are less ppeerottismisswoionodeof Fyre & fatiguing to See also:blow than Sp. See also:Morton model. conical, starting with a diameter of a in. at the reed and ending in a diameter of 4 in. at the open end of the tube which points upwards and has no defined bell, being merely finished with a rim. See also:Alfred Morton, in See also:England, has constructed double bassoons on Dr Stone's See also:design (fig.

2). (3) The third model is of brass and consists of a conical tube of wide calibre some 15 or 16 ft. long, curved See also:

round four times upon itself and having a brass tuba or See also:euphonium bell which points upwards. This brass model, usually known as the Belgian or See also:French (fig. 3), was really of See also:Austrian origin, having been first introduced by Schollnast of Presburg about 1839. B. F. Czerveny of See also:Koniggratz and See also:Victor Mahillon of See also:Brussels both appear to have followed up this See also:idea independently; the former producing a See also:metal contrafagotto in Eb in 1856 and one in Bb which he called sub-contrafagotto in 1867, while Mahillon's was ready in 1868. In the brass contrafagotto the lateral holes are pierced at theoretically correct intervals along the bore, and have a diameter almost equal to the See also:section of the bore at the point where the hole is pierced. The See also:octave See also:harmonic only is obtainable on this instrument owing to the See also:great length of the bore and its large calibre. There are therefore two octave keys which give a See also:chromatic See also:compass _ -ah 8va. See also:bassa. The modern wooden contrafagotto has a See also:pitch one octave below that of the bassoon and three below that of the oboe; its compass extending from 16 ft. C. to See also:middle C.

The harmonics of the octave in the middle register and of the 12th in the upperregister are obtained by skilful manipulation of the reed with the lips and increased pressure of the breath. The notes of both extremes are difficult to produce. Although the double bassoon is not a transposing instrument the See also:

music for it is written an octave higher than the real sounds It is not known precisely when the See also:change took See also:place, though it was probably soon after the transformation of the bassoon, but See also:Handel scored for the instrument and it was used in military bands before being adopted in the See also:orchestra. The See also:original instrument made for Handel by T. Stanesby, junior, and played by J. F. Lampe at the Marylebone Gardens in 1739, was exhibited at the Royal Military See also:Exhibition, See also:London, in 189o. Owing to its faulty construction and weak rattling tone the double bassoon See also:fell into disuse, in spite of the fact that the great composers See also:Haydn, See also:Mozart and See also:Beethoven scored for it abundantly; the last used it in the C See also:minor and choral symphonies and wrote an See also:obbligato for it in Fidelio. It was restored to favour in England by Dr W. H. Stone. (K.

End of Article: CONTRAFAGOTTO, DOUBLE

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