CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE FOR THE BASSOON


By Richard W. Lottridge
Professor of Music, University of Wisconsin at Madison

During the summer of 1975, thanks to the encouragement of the University of Wisconsin Graduate School, I was able to spend time looking into the contemporary literature for the bassoon.

Efforts were concentrated on works for bassoon and piano and for unaccompanied bassoon. The use of multiphonics and other contemporary techniques interested me, but I was not able to locate many compositions using them.

One of the objectives I had in mind was to find new works which I could use or recommend to my students for recital use. Unfortunately, I found few works I would enjoy working on for public performance: however, a few did emerge.

One of them, using multiphonics and various effects on the piano strings, which I especially liked, was David Ward-Steinman's Child's Play. I felt that the multiphonics were not used merely as a gimmick but as an effective compositional tool, and that this work had form and style.

When exploring bassoon literature, one must not overlook composer Alec Wilder. His third sonata should be available soon. As with his first two sonatas, it is filled with nice melodies, canons which defy the performers and a style typical of Wilder's compositions.

There are a number of unaccompanied compositions which have become available in the last decade. One of the problems with solo works, of course, is making them interesting musically. Many of the compositions probably should be used as etudes rather than as performance pieces. The Willson Osborne Rhapsody is still unique as a solo work of expressive beauty.

Today's composers seem to have overlooked the possibility of writing for bassoon and harpsichord. The bassoon is at a distinct disadvantage when playing a sonata with a large grand piano where the piano part is in the same general range with the bassoon. Writing for harpsichord would eliminate this balance problem.

Although there seems to be more and more solo literature for the bassoon, my investigation indicates that we still are lacking in enough new "Major" works for bassoon and keyboard.

The following is a list which eliminates the standards such as Etler and Hindemith and is far from being complete; however, it should give the reader an idea as to what literature is available for exploration.

Bassoon and Piano

Ancelin, Pierre - La Naissance de Gargantua, deux scènes pour basson et piano (Les Editions Ouvrieres)
As with a great deal of French woodwind music, this piece has its technical difficulties. Not a bad piece, in spite of the title.
Ameller, Andre - Belle Province Gaspésie (Alphonse Leduc)
Two minutes duration. Pleasant, slow and easy. (the Gaspé area is in maritime Canada the composer Ameller is a Canadian living in France. Ed.)
Boizard, Gilles - Fantaisie (Editions Musicales Transatlantique)
One of the works: Morceau de Conservatoire National Superiéur de Musique. Difficult.
Bozay, Attila - Episodi (Editio Musica Budapest)
Four movements. Seven minutes duration. Fast movements have good rhythmic vitality, and the slow movements allow for expression.
Bozza, Eugène - Shiva (Alphonse Leduc)
Two long cadenzas separated by a recitative and ending with a quick scherzo-style section. It is interesting to note that "Shiva" is one of the three Hindu divinities, considered by those who worship him as a creative force.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario - Sonatina (General Music, Not published yet, to my knowledge.)
Three movements. Composed in 1946. Nice and melodious. (recorded by the writer on Golden Crest RE 7055)
Coulthard, Jean - Lyric Sonatina (Waterloo Music Co., Ontario, Canada)
Three movements. A fairly difficult but appealing work. Busy piano part.
DeGastyne, Serge - Sonatina for Bassoon and Piano (Fereol Publications. P.O. Box 6007 Alexandria, Virginia 22306)
Three movements. Busy work.
Dubois, Pierre Max - Tropical (Editions Rideau Rouge)
An andante for bassoon and piano. About one minute in duration. Good for use in a group of short solos on a recital.
Dubrovay, László - Cinque Pezzi (Editio Musica Budapest)
Well written. Piano stays out of the way, and yet it is an interesting part. Good 20th-century work in the traditional style. Seven minutes duration.
Hanus, Jan - Short Story (General Music Publishing Co.)
Folk dance style - not difficult. Two and a half minutes duration.
Kardos, Istvan - Bipartitum for Bassoon and Piano (General Music Publishing Co.)
Two movements. Moderately difficult.
Karolyi, Pal - Contorni per fagotto e piano (Editio Musica Budapest)
Pianist must play on strings; bassoon flutter-tongue, quarter tones and multiphonics.
Kocsar, Miklos - Dialoghi per fagotto e piano (Editio Musica Budapest)
Five movements. Very free, in quasi-recitative style.
Markiewiczowna, Wladyslawa - Toccata (PWM. Warsaw)
Good staccato exercise for the bassoon. Difficult piano part. 5 minutes 30 seconds duration.
Murail, Tristan - Trans-Sahara Express (Editions Rideau Rouge)
A good introductory to contemporary notation. Not difficult.
Rothgarber, Herbert - Interplay for Bassoon and Piano (Southern Music Company)
This piece alternates between a somber mood and a lively section, which contains a jazz motif.
Sauguet, Henri - Un Soir a Saint-Émilion (Alphonse Leduc)
A "Romance pour basson et piano." Quiet mood and not difficult. Four minutes duration. (Editor's note: This work is dedicated to the French bassoonist Gerard Faisandier, who is also a wine grower. Saint-Emilion is one of the wine districts. On the back cover of this composition is a photograph of four labels from wine bottles produced at Saint-Emilion . . . but Faisandier's label is not among them!)
Schectman, Saul - Serenade (Boston Music Co.)
Three movements (Promenade, Aria and Scherzo). Nice texture throughout. Conventional writing.
Schwartz, Elliott - Romance for Bassoon and Piano (General Music Publishing Co.)
Makes use of full range of the bassoon. A nice work. Three and a half minutes duration.
Siegmeister, Elie - Contrasts (MCA)
Three part work (A and C sections lively and B section is "blues" style.) Nice work. About five minutes long. Very American in style.
Srebotnjak, Alojs - Six Pieces (G. Schirmer)
Short pieces. Some tricky rhythm and lots of leaping intervals.
Ward-Steinman, David - Child 's Play (Highgate Press)
Multiphonics used musically in this work. Recorded on Advance Records.

Wilder, Alec

Three nice sonatas from the man who is not afraid to write a melody. Alec Wilder is certainly a friend of woodwind players with his many quintets and sonatas. There are two excellent trios for clarinet, bassoon and piano, which I assume will be made available from Margun Music, Inc.
Zehm, Friedrich - Pentameron (Schott)
A good five movement piece with variation of style between the movements. Not difficult.
Zur, Menachem - Three Pieces (Seesaw Music Corp.)
Includes muItiphonics and improvisation.

Unaccompanied Bassoon

Acker, Dieter - Monodie für Fagott Solo (Edition Gerig)

Aitken, Hugh - Montages, Partita for Solo Bassoon (Oxford Univ. Press)
A charming five-movement work.
Arma, Paul
Both of the above works are good study pieces.
Arnold, Malcolm - Fantasy for Bassoon (Faber Music)
A fast, spirited work.
Bon, W. F. - Sonate voor Fagot (Donemus)
Four movements. Nice work. Some flutter tongue.
Brons, Carel - Monoloog IV (1968) (Donemus)
Short work. Probably sounds improvised when played well.
Cohn, Arthur
These works may be played with or without piano accompaniment. The Hebraic Study includes quarter tones.

Cope, David - Three Pieces for Bassoon (Seesaw Music Corp.)

Leichtling, Alan - Serenade-Etude for Bassoon or Contra (Seesaw Music Corp.)
Five movements. Originally written for contra bassoon.
Perle, George - Three Inventions (Theodore Presser Co.)
Watch out for high g" -'s. Recorded by Arthur Grossman on Coronet Stereo 2741 (Persichetti's "Parable" is also on this recording)

Persichetti, Vincent - Parable (Elkan-Vogel)

Raphael, Gunter - Solo Sonaten, Op. 46 (Willy Muller)
Written in 1954. Four movements. A good study piece. 8 1/2 minutes duration.
Russell, Armand - Sardonics (Seesaw Music Corp.)
Five short movements. Uses multi phonics, improvisations, key clicks and other effects.
Schroder, Hanning - Musik für Fagott Solo (Lienau)
Five movements. A good study piece.
Stein, Leon - Sonata for Solo Bassoon (American Composers' Alliance)
Three movements.
Thimmig, Les - Three Fagottelles (G. Schirmer)
Three movements. Sounds improvised when played well. Difficult, but fun to prepare.

Ultan, Lloyd - Sonatine for Unaccompanied Bassoon (American Composers' Alliance (?) -)

Weait, Christopher - Variations for Solo Bassoon (Harmuse Publications 529 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
This work demonstrates different effects which can be produced on the bassoon. Recorded by the composer ("Four Centuries of Music for Bassoon." Pyramid Stereo 102, Canada; Lyrichord Stereo LIST 7277, U.S.A.)
Weiner, Stanley - Sonata for Bassoon Solo (MCA)
A nice work. Three movements.
Zonn, Paul - Asanomusic (American Composers' Alliance?)
Written at Tanglewood, 1968. Short duration.

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