The history of the literature for the bassoon in early 18th-century France has never been well-documented. However, this music is more important to the genre of French Baroque instrumental music than has heretofore been imagined. This essay shall examine the music for bassoon by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755) and Michel Corette (1709-1795), and touch upon the contributions of François Couperin (1668-1733), jean Baptiste Masse (fl.1730s), and Benoit Guillemant (fl.1740s). [see "List of Works"]

French instrumental music of the 17th- and 18th-centuries was closely identified with Courtly dances and the opera, and only slowly gained independence as a separate genre. The early decades of the 18th-century in France have been given the descriptive title Rococo, and it is at the end of the first phase of the Rococo (1700-1730), the Style regence or Gallant style, which corresponds with the musical maturity of Couperin, that the first solo works for bassoon appear. Solo pieces for the instrument continue into the second phase of the Rococo (1730-1760), the Style pittoresque or Style Louis XV, which has come to be associated with the musical ascendancy of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). The main characteristics of French Rococo music is a lightness and grace, and the use of pastoral or popular themes, or the employment of French dance forms.1

The French Flute School emerged during the Rococo and a multitude of musical works were written by flute-playing composers: Rene Pignon Desoteaux (c. 1646-1728), Michel de la Barre (1675-1743), Michel Blavet (1700-1768), Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin (1690-1768), Jacques Hotteterre (1680-1761), and Jacques-Christophe Naudot (d. 1762); as well as solos for flute by Marin Marais (1656-1728), Couperin, Boismortier, Jacques Aubert (1689-1753), Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) and Corrette.2 Even though a comparable French Bassoon School did not arise, the bassoon as solo instrument provided a respectable contribution to the French music scene. When one speaks of the French Baroque, the attention is almost exclusively focused on Paris, and all of the composers to be discussed wrote and published their pieces for bassoon in this city.

There is a difficulty in dealing with music composers specifically for the bassoon, since this genre did not actually exist. One can presume that all of the early French instrumental compositions for treble instruments (flute, oboe, violin) with an unspecified bass voice ("avec la basse") would have readily been performed with a bassoon, if a violoncello or viol was not used. It seems likely that the bassoon would be a logical basso continuo choice to accompany flutes or oboes. Music that fits into this category is extensive, and suitable examples can be culled from the work of all the composers involved in this study. Upon examining the original publications of French bassoon music, one discovers that the instrument is always listed as a performance possibility along with the violoncello or the viol. Sometimes the wind instrument heads the list, sometimes the violoncello (never the viol), and it must be presumed that the composers saw the instruments as being musical and technical equals. For music publishers, and composers, it was to their financial advantage to list multiple choices of instruments for the works in their catalogs, increasing the potential market. It seems plausible that Boismortier understood better the technical difficulties of the bassoon over those of the violoncello, since he wrote in the advertisement for Cinq Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole ou basson.... Opus 26 (1729): "As I don't play the violoncello well enough to be able to judge these pieces myself, I've requested M. L'Abbe, who is a known celebrity on this instrument, to examine them."3 Arguably, Boismortier did not have to mention consulting a famous bassoon player since he was more familiar with woodwind technique, particularly that of the flute, as evidenced by his many opus numbers for flute.

The first great 18th-century French composer was François Couperin. Although a prolific composer of sacred music, during his final two decades Couperin concentrated almost exclusively on instrumental music. His influence was widespread and his music embodied the French Baroque style: use of the Rondeau, use of the basso continuo (with importance given to the outer voices), and expressive ornamentation. Two works, the "Concerts Royaux" (1722) and the "13e concert a 2 instrumens a l'unisson" (1724), are of importance to bassoonists.4 The "Concerts Royaux" are a set of four suites for a chamber ensemble consisting of harpsichord, violin, flute, oboe, viol and bassoon. However, the bassoon operates in conjunction with the harpsichord as part of the continuo and never achieves musical independence. The "13e concert," part of Les gouts-reunis on nouveaux concerts, is a four movement (Prelude, Air, Sarabande, Chaconne) suite in G Major for two like instruments in the tenorbass range and is eminently suitable for performance on the bassoon. [Example One]

Although Couperin embodied the pure French Gallant style, Italian Baroque compositional elements were making inroads into the French musical milieu. The concerto, developed in Italy in the late 17th- and early 18thcenturies by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709), and Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750), and brought to fruition by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), did not appear as a genre in France until the late 1720s. The concerto, as an instrumental form in France, would play a secondary role to the more intimate chamber categories, suites and sonatas. The obvious reason is that the French Rococo composers wrote for an audience comprising mostly of amateur players, not professional musicians. Indeed, many of the works entitled "concerto" by French composers, fall more distinctly into the area of chamber music, if a modern definition is used. During the Rococo, the use of the term "concerto" indicated works based on Italian models, while the French concert referred to ensemble pieces in the French style.5

The leader in introducing indigenous French concertos to Parisian audiences was Boismortier. In 1727 he published VI Concertos pour 5 flutes traversieres ou autres instruments sons basse, Opus 15, the first compositions to be designated "concerto" by a French musician. Even though these six sets of works were called concertos, they also belong to the concert genre, and provide a hybrid of Italian and French Baroque styles. In form they follow the standard Italian concerto model as established by Vivaldi: three movements - fast, slow, fast (although three of the concertos are reversed - slow, fast, slow), and each movement contains alternating solo and tutti passages. In musical style, Boismortier's elegant concertos are decidedly French.

The next year, 1728, Michel Corrette wrote the first French concerti grossi conforming to Italian models, the VI Concertos pour les flûtes, vioIons out hautbois avec la basse chiffrée pour le clavecin, Opus 3.6 The same year, the "Concerto" in D Major for bassoon by Boismortier, included with Cinq Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole ou basson avec la basse chiffrée suivies d'un concerto pour l'un ou I'autre de ces instruments, Opus 26, achieves the honor of being the first French concerto for solo instrument and orchestra.7 Rarely does the literature for bassoon receive such notoriety, even though it shares the limelight on this occasion with the violoncello (or viol). However, after this breakthrough, only one additional French Baroque concerto for the bassoon, Le phénix ("the phoenix") by Corrette, was written. Nonetheless, sonatas for one or two bassoons by Boismortier, Corrette, Masse, and Guillemant take up the slack.

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was a productive musician with over 110 compositions to his credit, including music for the stage, plus vocal works, both sacred and secular. The great bulk of his output was in the realm of chamber music. Sometime after 1721 he moved to Paris and began publishing his music there. Unusual for the time, and even ours, Boismortier was not a teacher, not dependent upon patrons, and he rarely worked as a practising musician. His compositions were popular, often going through several printings, and he earned 50,000 écus (worth about $12,000 in modern currency) from their sale.8 Much of what we know about Boismortier comes from jean Benjamin de Laborde's Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne (Paris, 1780). Laborde reported that the composer would have had a good reputation even if he had written only half the number of compositions. "Although [his works] have long been forgotten, whomsoever takes pains to search through this abandoned mine will find enough gold dust to make an ingot. " However, Boismortier was not without his detractors, and as Laborde noted, he was the butt of contemporary jokes:

Bienheureux Boismortier, dont la fertile plume Peut tous les mois sans peine enfante un volume.9

("Happy Boismortier, whose fertile pen can each month painlessly give birth to a volume. ")

Unfortunately, much of Boismortier's music is inconsistent, both in quality and style. Most of it was written for amateur consumption and it rarely is technically demanding. Nonetheless, this musician occupies the pivotal position in the development of the French concerto, and cannot be overlooked.

Over a thirteen year span Boismortier published six sets of works for the bassoon: Six Sonotes a deux bassons..., Opus 14 (1726), Cinq Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole ou basson... suivies d'un concerto, Opus 26 (1729), Cinq Sonates en trio... suivie d'un concerto a cinq parties pour une flute, un violon, un hautbois, un basson et la basse, Opus 37 (1732), Six Sonates pour deux bassons..., Opus 40 (1732), Six Sonates dont la derniere est en trio pour les violoncelles, bassons on violes avec la basse, Opus 50 (1734), and Petites Sonates suivies d'une chaconne pour deux bassons..., Opus 66 (1737). The composer published the works himself and had them distributed by two Parisian music publishers, Boivin and Le Clerc.

Although the title pages of the above works list multiple instruments, bassoons, violoncellos, or viols, there is little stylistic differences between those works that present the bassoon first (Opus 14, Opus 40, Opus 66), and those first mentioning the violoncello (Opus 26 and Opus 50). The four-part "Concerto" in E minor, Opus 37, does not fit into either category because the fourth solo voice is specifically designated for the bassoon. There are six sonatas in Opus 14 and Opus 40, while Opus 66 includes nine Petites Sonates and a chaconne. Boismortier's first works for the bassoon, the Six Sonates, Opus 14, are completely French in tempo markings (Gravement, Courante, Gigue, Moderement, Gracieusement, etc.), and the style is idiomatic for the bassoon, with a prevalent use of wide skips. All six sonatas are four movements in length and they run to four pages each, in score format, in the original editions. Throughout Opus 14, Opus 40, and Opus 66, Boismortier utilizes a quasi-canonic style, both parts are treated almost equally, and although the use of the bass clef dominates, the tenor clef is also employed. The range for both parts is C to G'. [Example Two]

Completely unusual for French music of the period is the lack of ornaments, except for an isolated appogiatura and a two- note turn in the third movement, Lentement, of the "Premiere Sonate." The performers would have worked out their own ornaments, they would not have played the sonatas of Opus 14 in the published unadorned state. This absence of ornaments is more typical with Italian music of the time than French music, and its nonexistence is slightly jarring. This set of sonatas is also a turning point for Boismortier. Beginning with his next opus number, VI Concertos pour 5 flutes traversieres..., Opus 15, the composer adopts the use of Italian terms (Adagio, Allegro, Corrente, Giga, etc.), and from this time on, will mix French and Italian nomenclature in his solo and duet sonatas for the bassoon.10

Opus 40 and Opus 66, like Opus 14, are sets of sonatas for two bassoons, although Opus 40 also includes "... un nombre de pieces qui peuvent le jouer seul, & facilement. " The six sonatas of Opus 40 and the nine small sonatas of Opus 66 combine French and Italian terms, amongst abstract and dance movements, while ornaments, mainly trills, appear with regularity. In the first editions of Opus 40 (1732) and Opus 66 (1737), the individual sonatas are reduced in length; whereas the sonatas of Opus 14 were four pages long, the sonatas of Opus 40 are of three page duration, while the sonatas, Opus 66, mirroring their name, average two pages. Accompanying this reduction in size is a noticeable simplification in technique. [Example Three]

In total numbers of movements, the sonatas of Opus 40 and Opus 66 average four movements apiece, the exceptions: three movements - Opus 66, #3; five movements Opus 66, #6, 7, and 9. The solo pieces which follow the sonatas in Opus 40 are a suite of ten French instrumental pieces and dances (Rondeau, Rigaudon, Paysane, Gavotte, Minuet) for solo bassoon with figured bass ("basse chiffree"). The use of the figured bass in the lower voice distinguishes this suite from the previous six sonatas, which are for two solo bassoons.

The Cinq Sonates, Opus 26, and the VI Sonates, Opus 50, differ from Opus 14, Opus 40, and Opus 66, in that they are solo sonatas with continuo. The violoncello is listed first and it is apparent that these works were originally conceived with a stringed instrument in mind since stopped chords (double, triple, and quadruple) are included. The technical demands are greater than those found in Opus 40 and Opus 66, but no more than those of Opus 14. [Example Four]

There is a mixture of French and Italian styles and ornaments appear frequently. The continuo is a non-realized figured bass, although Boismortier would become the first French composer to write wind sonatas with a fully realized harpsichord part, the Six Sonates pour un clavecin et une flute traversiere, Opus 91 (c. 1741-1742).11

The "Concerto" in D Major, Opus 26, is written for a small orchestra of soloist, two violins, and continuo ("organo"). The solo line often, but not always, plays unison with the continuo when the full ensemble is playing the orchestral tutti. The three movement (Allegro, Adagio, Allegro) concerto follows the basic format of the Italian concerto school, but Boismortier also remains faithful to French sensibilities with his use of a modified Rondeau in the outer movements, and with the opportunity for double-clotting in the interior movement. By using the Rondeau, Boismortier presents his tuttis in a fashion akin to the refrains of the Rondeau, while the soloist represents the Rondeau's alternating couplets. The composer does not progress to advanced tonal areas, only briefly reaching E minor (v of' V) in the first movement. The Largo is sparsely ornamented and the soloist should elaborate on the unspectacular line Boismortier has provided. The absence of stopped notes makes the concerto more access] - to bassoonists than the preceding sonatas of' Opus 26.

The Cinq Sonates en trio pour en dessus et deux basses suivies d'un concerto a cinq parties es pour une flute, un violon, un hautbois, un basson et la basse, Opus 37 (1732), provides additional chamber music opportunities for the bassoonist. The Cinq Sonates are trio sonatas for one soprano and two bass instruments. It would be appropriate to perform these five sonatas with a flute, or oboe, and two bassoons. The quadruple "Concerto" in E minor is similar to Boismortier's pathbreaking chamber concertos, the quintuple flute concertos. The flute, violin, oboe, and bassoon function as individual soloists and as solo pairs: flute-violin and oboe-bassoon.12 It is only in this concerto that Boismortier wrote a part exclusively for the bassoon, a part that is not to be shared with the violoncello or viol.

In the 40-odd individual works for the bassoon, Boismortier prefers to stay within the confines of two sharps to two flats, favoring D Major (7 compositions), E minor (6), and a minor (5). Boismortier carefully balances the tonalities of the sonatas within each opus number, often without repeating a key. Surprisingly, C Major (which was Vivaldi's favorite key throughout his oeuvre and in his bassoon concertos) is found as the tonality of' only two works, the "Sixieme Sonate," Opus 14, and the "Premiere Sonate," Opus 66.13 The most adventurous tonalities used are A Major -7 the "Sonata IVa,,, Opus 40, the "Chaconne," Opus 66, and C minor - the "Sonata Quarta, " Opus 50. (Note: this is the fifth sonata, number four is entitled "Sonata IVa.,,)

An untapped resource of music for the French Baroque bassoon awaits discovery in the
duos by Jean Baptiste Masse and Benoit Guillemant. All that is known of Masse is that he was a violoncellist who wrote several collections of duets for two violoncellos, or bassoons, similar to Opus 14, Opus 40, and Opus 66 by Boismortier.14 Masse published five sets of Sonates à deuxvioloncelles... ces sonates peuvent s exécuter sur deux instruments égaux comme deux bassons, deux violles et deux violons, Opus I - V (1730). Each opus contains six sonatas. In addition, in the same year, Masse wrote and published Minuets nouveaux pour deux violoncelles. Ces menuets peuvent s'exécuter sur deux instruments égaux comme deux basson, deux violles et deux violons, Ier suite, oe met ae. No further compositions of any kind are known by this enigmatic musician. Benoit Guillemant was a flute player and composer who lived in Paris between 1746 and 1757... His orchestral music, now lost, provides an interesting footnote to the development of symphonic music in France. Among his small known output, six opus numbers and several presumably-lost works, are the Pieces a deux bassons ou violoncelles, Opus 3 (1746). The only known extant copy of these pieces resides in the Bibliotheque nationale, Paris.15

Each of the four French Baroque composers that wrote solos or duos for the bassoon, Boismortier, Masse, Guillemant, and Corrette, published their music themselves. However, all four musicians had their compositions distributed by the same two Parisian publishers, Le Clerc and Boivin. Jean Le Clerc (1694-c. 1760) had a shop at "la croix d'or" on the Rue de Roule from 1713 to 1759, while François Boivin worked at "la règle d'or" on the Rue de St. Honore. Boivin was in business from 17 10 until his death circa 1733/1734, when his widow assumed control and managed the firm until 1754.16 A further avenue of study on French Baroque music for the bassoon would entail an examination of the violoncello music published/distributed by Le Clerc and Boivin to see if additional works also listing the bassoon turn up.

Intertwined with the music for bassoon by Boismortier are the compositions of Michel Corrette. Corrette was an organist, teacher, composer, and author of approximately twenty didactic methods for the amateur musician. His father, Gaspard Corrette, was also a composer. Little is known of his life, although it seems plausible that he was living in Paris by 1726. Corrette was famous as a teacher and among his instruction methods are books for organ (1737), violin (1738), and violoncello (1741), flute (1742; enlarged to include oboe and clarinet, 1773), keyboard accompaniment (1753), voice (1758), mandolin (1772), and harp - with and without pedal (1774). Even the bassoon is represented with a fingering chart and a small set of pieces, La gamme du hautbois et du basson avec les plus belles marches militaires (1776), now lost. Corrette wrote lengthy essays in his teaching methods and these volumes provide a wealth of material on French music and musicians, as well as European music history. Unlike Boismortier, who concentrated on chamber music, Corrette composed a large body of different types of works: concertos, sacred, secular, stage, orchestral, chamber, and keyboard music.17

Although Corrette was renowned as a teacher, he also had his detractors. A certain Abbe Pierre Gavinies called Corrette's pupils anachorêtes (from the Green anachoreein - "to succeed or follow") which is a cognate for ânes a Corrette ("Corrette's asses"). In 1779, the Paris Mercure reviewed a new edition of Les amusemens du Parnasse, a harpsichord method (1st edition, 1749; 2nd edition, 1979), by saying that it was good in its time but contemporary musicians would now find little value in it. While P. C. Roualle de Boisgelou, music cataloguer for the Bibliotheque nationale, wrote, "Corrette has composed a lot, but all of his works are dead before he is."18

A large percentage of Corrette's music is based on popular tunes of the time, and this accounts for many of the fanciful titles that abound in his music. Each of the twenty-five concertos comiques (1732-1760), for three treble instruments and basso continuo, is based on a different popular song. When he is not using well-known tunes as musical sources, Corrette's strange titles often point to the origin of his thematic ideas, or as references to other composers. The title of Les délices de to solitude. Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole, basson avec to basse contine chiffrée, Opus 20 (1739), refers to Couperin's "Les Délices " from the suite, Les petits âges (Second livre de pieces de clavecin, 7e ordre, 1716-1717). The source of the title of the quadruple bassoon concerto, Le phénix, remains a mystery. No similar title can be found either in the works of Couperin, or the extensive catalog of 18th-century French popular songs, La Clé du Caveau (1743).19

Corrette's six sonatas for bassoon, Les délices de la solitude ("the delights of solitude"), are counterparts to Boismortier's solo sonatas, Opus 26 and Opus 50. Like Boismortier's music after 1727, Corrette employs a melange of French and Italian terms in these four movement sonatas for bassoon and continuo. The technical requirements are greater than those required by Boismortier in any of his works for bassoon, but they are not as demanding as those to be found in Le phénix. The presence of Couperin is felt, not only in the homage of the title, but in the music itself. There is a strong connection between the two-note quavering of the opening of the sixth sonata [Example Five] and Couperin's musical depiction of a nightingale in "Le rossignol-en-amour" from Troisieme livre de clavecin, 14e ordre (1722).20

Throughout Les délices, a true joie de vivre, a gentle humor, is demonstrated. In 1766, Corrette reissued Les délices in an adaptation for violoncello only. This second edition lends credibility to the argument that the original listing of the bassoon in the first edition was not merely an afterthought, but a solid alternative to the violoncello.

Corrette's great work for the bassoon, and the outstanding example of French Baroque bassoon music is Le phénix. Concerto pour quatre violoncelles, violes ou bassons... (1738 ). The scoring is not as outlandish as it first appears, for Le phénix shows great kinship with Boismortier's concertos for five flutes. In both chamber concertos, the lowest voice is supplied with a figured bass, suggesting the possibility of employing a harpsichord. In neither case is the keyboard an absolute must. The title page to Le phénix also adds: "... ce concerto se peut jouer en trio, en obmettant le 3e violoncello." ("this concerto can be played as a trio, omitting the 3rd violoncello.") If this alternative is followed (not a recommended choice), a harpsichord must be added to fill out the missing chord tones.

Le phénix was published as a concerto for four bassoons (or violoncellos) but it should rightfully be regarded as a solo concerto for bassoon, aided by three additional bassoons. All of the melodic interest is written into the first part, while the second bassoon is treated as the continuo line which accompanies the soloist. The third and fourth bassoons (and harpsichord) function in lieu of the orchestra tutti. Echoes of the works of Vivaldi, which were popular in Paris, can be heard in Le phénix. Stylistic devices common to the Italian master are prevalent, both in this concerto and throughout the music of the newly-developing French concerto school. These characteristics (unison lines, rushing scales, arpeggios) are abundant in Le phénix. [Example Six]

Similar features can be observed in Vivaldi's Concerto in G minor, P. 441 [Example Seven], a work which can also be performed by multiple bassoons.21

This Vivaldian style is not out of place in the music of Corrette since the French composer discussed the musical contributions of the Italian musician in Méthode Théorique et Pratique pour apprendre en pen de temps le violoncelle dans so perfection (1741).22

Tonally, Michel Corrette is a more daring composer than Boismortier, but even so, he is never as adventurous as Vivaldi. Although all three movements of Le phénix and the "Concerto," Opus 26, are in D Major, Corrette manages to progress to F# minor, the relative minor of the dominant, in the Adagio [Example Eight], while Boismortier only makes it to E minor (v of V).

Except for a stark plainness in the opening and closing bars of the second movement, Corrette is most "French" in this interior movement. Other than these stiff chords at the onset and conclusion, the composer has written out all ornamental flourishes and arabesques, leaving little room for the soloist to further improvise. The third and fourth bassoons are relegated to minor positions, as 30 bars out of the total 41 are written as a "quasi -fantasia" for the soloist, humbly assisted by the second bassoon. The range of the parts is from C# to A'. Only the first part plays the top tone, but it is a note that appears several times and is not an isolated experience. This note was not commonly found in early 18th- century bassoon music, but it was possible to play up to B1 by tightening the embouchure.23

According to a study of 75 French Baroque concertos for winds (including Le phénix and the "Concerto," Opus 26) by Jean-François Paillard, the favored meter for final concerto movements was 3/8 (38 out of 75) [Example Nine, Boismortier; Example Ten, Corrette], in a finale form identical to Italian models: an alteration of differing orchestral tuttis and solos progressing through new keys and themes, eventually returning to the opening tutti material as a "mini" recapitulation and conclusion.

As noted, this form is similar to the Rondeau, and it would develop into the Rondo by the end of' the century. Paillard also examined the tonalities preferred by the French composers, and discovered that C Major was the "number one" key (14 out of 75). This tonality was closely followed by D Major (12), the most prevalent key found in Boismortier's and Corrette's bassoon pieces, G Major (10), E minor (10), and A Major (8).24

During the time of Boismortier and Corrette, the Parisian musical scene was enriched by the efforts of' Anne Danican Philidor (1681-1728). Philidor, a member of the famous family of musicians, founded two different concert series in Paris, the Concert Spirituel (1725-1790), and the Concerts Française (1727-1730).25 The Concert Spirituel, originally established for the performance of sacred music, expanded in 1728 to include instrumental works. Programs for the Concert Spirituel are extant and while compositions by Boismortier and Corrette were performed with regularity, none of the pieces for bassoon are mentioned. Bassoonists made their debut in the Concert Spirituel in 1731, surprising an audience who had not considered the instrument as having solo capabilities, but the players (and composer) on this memorable occasion have gone unheralded.26 In 1735, the Besozzi brothers of Parma, Italy, the oboist Allessandro (1702-1775) and the bassoonist Paolo Girolamo (1704-1778), caused a furore by their masterful playing of double reed duets. Later in the century, the celebrated French bassoonist, Etienne Ozi (1739-1813) would be a star attraction at the Concert Spirituel.27 Less is known about the Concerts Française, a series devoted entirely to secular compositions. There is little information available concerning early French bassoon players, although it is known that the flute virtuoso-composer, Michel Blavet (1700-1768), who played in the Concert Spirituel was also a bassoon player. Another bassoonist known to have been performing in Paris at this time was Adolphe Blaise (1716- 1772), who joined the orchestra of the Paris Comedie Italienne in 1737.28

Boismortier and Corrette were famous musicians during the French Baroque, but by 1771 their fame had been eclipsed and neither composer was mentioned by the English music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814), in The Present State of Music in France and Italy.29 At this time, Boismortier had been dead sixteen years, while Corrette would live until 1795. After two centuries of neglect, the simplicity and grace of the music of Boismortier and Corrette has come to be recognized as representing the spirit of the French Rococo. Their works provide a link between the compositions of Couperin and Rameau. Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Michel Corrette, as well as Jean Baptiste Masse and Benoit Guillemant, must be remembered for their contributions to bassoon literature. For bassoonists, the French Baroque was not a feast, but neither was it a famine.

About the writer...

Ronald Bukoff, Associate Conductor of' Bands at Cornell University, has recently been
appointed historian of the IDRS.

ENDNOTES

1. Daniel Heartz, " Rococo," Grove's 6, 16 (1980):85-86.

2. Leone Karena Buyse, "The French Rococo Flute Style Exemplified in Selected Chamber Works of' Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689- 1755)," The Emporia State Research Studies, XXVII 4 (Spring, 1979): 7-11.

3. Two cellists by the name of' L'Abbe played in the Paris Opera Orchestra during the 1720s. Jean-François Paillard, "Les Premieres Concertos Française pour Instruments à Vent," La Revue Musicale, 226 (1955): 160.

4. François Couperin, "Concerts Royaux, 0euvres Completes. VII, Musique de chambre I; "13e concert à 2 instrumens à l'unisson," 0euvres Complètes. VIII, Musique de chambre 11 (Paris: L'Oiseau Lyre, 1933): 181-189.

5. Manfred F. Bukofzer, Music in the Baroque Era (New York: Norton, 1947): 248.

6. James R. Anthony, French Baroque Music (NewYork: Norton, 1974): 304.

7. Paillard: 157.

8. More information on Boismortier's life and works can be found in: Laurel Fay, "Boismortier," Groves 6, 2 (1980): 862-863; Felix Raugel, "Boismortier," Die Musik in Geschichte and Gegenwart, 2 (1952): 71-73.

9. Jean Banjamin de Laborde, Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne. Vol. 3 [Paris: Pierres, 1780, (New York AMS Press, 1978): 393-394.

10. Ross Patrick Burden, "A Comprehensive Performance Project in Clarinet Literature with an Essay on the Wind Music of Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755)," (D.M.A. dissertation, The University of' Iowa, 1971): 42.

11. Fay: 852-863.

12. An analysis of' this concerto can be found in: Buyse: 17-18.

13. The titles used in this paragraph, and elsewhere in the essay, are identical with those used by Boismortier in his original publications.

14. Robert Eitner, "Masse," Biographische Bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon, 6 (1959): 372.

15. Roger Cotte, "Guillemant," Die Musik in Geschichte and Gegenwart, 5 (1956): 1097.

16. Burden: 17-18.

17. More information on Corrette's life and works can be found in: David Fuller, "Corrette," Grove's 6, 4 (1980): 801-802; Eugene Borrel,''Corrette," Die Musik in Geschichte and Gegenwart, 2 (1952): 1692-1695.

18. Fuller: 801; Mirjam Nastasi, "Introduction,'' Méthode de la Flute Traversière, 1735, by Michel Corrette (Buren, The Netherlands: Frits Kind', 1978): unpaged.

19. Pierre Adolphe Capelle, La Clé du Caveau [1st
edition, 1743] (Paris: Janet et Cotelle, 1827?).

20. François Couperin, "Le rossignol-en-amour"' 0euvres Completes. IV, Musique de clavecin II (Paris: L'Oiseau Lyre, 1933): 31.

21. Ronald N. Bukoff, "A Vivaldi concerto for three bassoons?," The Double Reed, 7, 1 (Spring, 1984): 26-28.

22. Michel Corrette, Méthode Théorique et Pratique pour apprendre en peu de temps le violoncelle dans sa perfection [Paris, 1741] (Geneva: Minkoff Reprints, 1972): 1, 5.

23. Lyndesay G. Langwill, The Bassoon and Contrabassoon (New York: Norton, 1965): 35-36.

24. Paillard: 149-150.

25. Julian Rushton, "Philidor," Grove's 6, 14 (1980): 627.

26. Constant Pierre, Histoire du Concert Spirituel, 1725-1790 (Paris: Société Française de Musicologie, 1975): 89.

27. "Paris," Grove's 5, 6 (1954): 549.

28. Will Jansen, The Bassoon. Its History, Construction, Makers, Players and Music, Vol. IV (Buren, The Netherlands: Frits Knuf, 1978): 1712.

29. Charles Burney, The Present State of Music in
France and Italy... (London: T. Becket, 1771).

MUSIC FOR THE BASSOON: THE FRENCH BAROQUE:

ChZz--Switzerland, Zurich: Zentralbibliothek

FPa--France, Paris: Bibliothèque du Conservatioure national de musique

FPc--France, Paris: Bibliothèque nationale

GBLbm--Great Britain, London: British Museum

NLDHgm--Netherlands, The Hague: Gemeentemuseum

USNYp--United States, New York: New York Public Library

USWc--United States, Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress, Music Division

François Couperin (1668-1733)

"Concerts Royaux," Troisiéme livre de pièces de clavecin. Paris, 1722. [Harpsichord, violin, flute, oboe, viol, bassoon]. Modern edition - Oeuvres Complètes. VII Musique de chambre I. Paris: L'Oiseau Lyre, 1933: 1-105.

"13e concert à 2 instrumens à l'unisson," Les goûts-réünis ou nouveaux concerts. Paris, 1724. Modern edition - Oeuvres Complètes. VIII, Musique de chambre II. Paris: L'Oiseau Lyre, 1933: 181-189; Mainz: B. Schott's, 1970; Monteaux: Musica Rara.

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755)

Six Sonates à deux bassons , violoncelles ou violles, Opus 14. Paris, 1726. [FPn, GBLbm, IMOe].d

Cinq Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole ou basson avec la basse chiffreé suivies d'un concerto pour l'un on l'autre de ces instruments, Opus 26. Paris, 1729. [FPn, GBLbm]. Modern edition - "26/2," Monteux: Musica Rara; "26/4," Mainz: B. Schott's; "26/5," Mainz: B. Schott's; "Concerto," Milan: Ricordi, 1957; "Concerto," London: Kalmus; "Concerto," Monteux: Musica Rara.

Cinq Sonates en trio pou un dessus et deux basses suivies d'un concerto a cinq parties pour une flute, un violon, un hautbois, un basson et la basse, Opus 37. Paris, 1732.
(FPn]. Modern edition - -37/2, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 166; Monteux: Musica Rara;
"Concerto," Bäden: Deutscher Ricordi, 1956.

Six Sonates pour deux bassons, violoncelles, ou violles, suivies d'un nombre de pièces qui peuvent se jouer seul et facilement, Opus 40. Paris, 1732. [FPn, GBLbm].

Six Sonates dont la dernière est en trio pour les violoncelles, bassons ou violles avec la basse, Opus 50. Paris, 1734. [FPn, GBLbm].

Petites Sonates suivies d'une chaconne pour deux bassons, violoncelles ou violes, Opus 66. Paris, 1737. [FPc]. Modern edition - Monteux: Musica Rara.

Jean Baptiste Masse (fl.1730s)

Sonates a deux violoncelles... Ces sonates peuvent s'exécuter sur deux instruments égaux comme deux bassons, deux violles et deux violons, Opus I - V. Paris, 1736. [I:FPn, NLDGgm, USNYp, USWc; II-IV:FPn, USNYp; V:ChZz]

Menuets nouveaux pour deux violoncelles... Ces menuets peuvent s'exécuter sur deux instruments égaux comme deux bassons, deux violles, et deux violons, Ier suite, 2e et 3e. Paris, 1736. [1 & 3:FPa, USWc; 2:USWc].

Michel Corrette (1709-1795)

Le phénix. Concerto pour quatre violoncelles, violes ou bassons... ce concerto se peut jouer en trio, en obmettant le 3e violoncelle. Paris, 1738. [FPa]. Modern edition - London: Nova Music, 1983.

Les délices de la solitude. Sonates pour le violoncelle, viole, basson avec la basse continu chiffreé, Opus 20. Paris, 1739. [FPn]. Modern edition - "20/2," Kassel: Barenreiter; "20/6," Mainz: B. Schott's, 1964.

La gamme A hautbois et A basson avec les plus belles marches militaires. Paris, 1776. - Lost

Benoit Guillemant (fl.1740s)

Pièces à deux bassons ou violoncelles, Opus 3. Paris, 1746. [FPn, FPc].

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