Bassoon and Contrabassoon Fingering Charts before 1900 and modern writings on historical instruments.


Allison, Robert. "Two `Improved' Bassoons." Woodwind Magazine 6/2 (October 1953): 7-8. Discusses Cornelius Ward of London (no examples of his bassoons remain) and a Boehm-system bassoon. Gives fingerings for F3-F4.

Almenraeder, Carl. Gamme ou Tablature de Basson système Almenraeder à 16 clefs. Mayence: B. Schott's Söhne. For the 16-keyed bassoon.

Almenraeder, Carl. Grifftabelle für Fagott nach C. Almenraeder. Leipzig: C. Merseburger.

Almenraeder, Carl. Traité sur le Perfectionnement du basson- Neue Verbesserungen am Fagott. Mayence: B. Schott's S”hne, 1824.

Almenraeder, Carl. "A Translation of: Treatise on the Improvement of the Bassoon Including Two Tables by Carl Almenraeder." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 14 (1986): 33-39. Translated with a forward by Charles Koster. Fingering chart for circa 1820 bassoon.

Anonymous. Fingering chart for the bassoon with 17 keys. Hannover: L. Oertel Verlag.

Anonymous. Bassoon instrumental chart for the bassoon with 22 keys. Chicago, Illinois: Rubank Inc.

Anonymous. Boosey & Hawkes instruction wall charts-Bassoon and Contrabassoon. London: Boosey & Hawkes.

Anonymous. Complete Instructions. London: Preston, 1790. Probably based on Longmand and Lukey chart. Four key bassoon. Copies in the British Museum and Library of Congress.

Anonymous. Dutch chart. Holland: date unknown. Four-keyed bassoon.

Anonymous. Fingering tables for all wind instruments series-Bassoon and Contrabassoon. Leipzig: Fr. Zimmermann.

Anonymous. Gammes et Tablatures de basson avec 6 - 7 - 10 - 14 et 15 clefs. Paris: Le Boulch.

Anonymous. Principe de basson par Abrahame. Paris: Frè, c1775-1832. Five-keyed bassoon. Reprint of Hotteterre by Bailluex.

Anonymous. Royal Encyclopaedia. London: C. Cooke, 1791.

Anonymous. Tablature de Basson. Paris: Leduc. Fingering chart for the Buffet system.

Anonymous. Tablature pour le Basson. Montreal: c. 1759. Hand copied chart apparently from Diderot. Four-keyed bassoon.

Anonymous. Tablature pour le basson.. Eichstätt Ord. Archives no. 483. France? Six-keyed bassoon.

Anonymous. Tablature de Contrebasson. Paris: Leduc. Fingering chart for the Buffet-system contrabassoon.

Bailleux, Antoine. Method ... par Mr. Hotteterre le Romain. Noevelle Edition Augmentée des Principes de clarinet et du basson. Paris: Bailleux, c. 1765. Another edition of Hotteterre c1765. Contains a fingering chart for bassoon. In the Library of Congress.

Berg, Lorents Nicolaj. Instrumental-Runsten. Kristiansand: 1782. For four-keyed bassoon or dulcian.

Berlin, Johann Daniel. Musicalische Elementer. Trondheim: 1744. Four-keyed bassoon.

Bertini, Auguste. New System for Instruments and Voice. London: Longman & Co., 1830. Seven-keyed bassoon.

Böhm. Scala für den Fagott. Berlin: 1817. Identical to Ritter. Four-keyed bassoon.

Borde, Jean Benjamin de la. Essai sur la Musique ancienne et moderne. Paris: EugŠne Onfray, 1780. Contains a fingering chart for a 5-keyed bassoon.

Callcott, J. W. Incomplete manuscript. London: 1797-1802. Four-keyed bassoon.

Diderot and d'Alembert. Encyclopédie. Paris: 1751.

Eisel, Johann Philipp. Musicus didactus-der sich selbst informierender Musicus, welcher über 24 Sorten sowohl mit Saiten bezogener als bläsender und schlagender Instrumente beschreibt. Erfurt: Joh. Michael Funcken, 1738. Contains fingering charts for recorder, flute, flageolet, oboe, clarinet, and four-key bassoon. Copy in Newberry Library.

Eley, Ch. F. Compleat Instruction. London: 1828. Eight-keyed bassoon.

Fahrbach, Joseph. Grifftabelle für Fagott. Milan: G. Ricordi.

Fröhlich. Vollständige theoretisch-pracktische Musikschule. Bonn: 1811. Eight-keyed bassoon.

Goodale, Ezekial. The Instrumental Director. Hallowell, Maine: 1819. Identical to Holyoke. Four-keyed bassoon.

Gehot, Joseph. Complete Instructions. London: 1820. Four-keyed bassoon.

Graves, Susan. "My Experiences with Early Bassoons." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 7 (1979): 3. Includes 11 fingerings for her nine-keyed bassoon.

Griswold, Harold Eugene. "Comparing Fingerings for Evolving Bassoons from the Second Half of the 18th Century to the Beginning of the 19th Century." The Double Reed 2/2 (October 1979): 18-24. Compiles in two tables fingerings from nine sources: Diderot and L'Alembert (1787), Hotteterre (1765), Cugnier (1780), Ozi (1787, 1803, and ?), Fr”hlich (1810 and 1829), and Rees (1807). Fingerings from A1 (lipped-down Bb1) to F5.

HalfPenny, Eric. "The Evolution of the Bassoon in England, 1750-1800. The Galpin Society Journal 10 (May 1957): 34-36. Fingerings for A1 to Bb4 from six tablatures published in France and England.

Halfpenny, Eric. "The Earliest English Bassoon Tutor." The Galpin Society Journal 17 (February 1964): 105. Fingerings for F3, F#3, G3, F#4 which supplement Halfpenny's prior publication.

Hawkes. The simplicity tutor for bassoon. London: Hawkes & Son, 1904. Contains a fingering chart for the 1875 type Mahillon bassoon.

Herrick, Joseph. The Instrumental Preceptor. Exeter, New Hamshire: 1807.

Heckel, Wilhelm. Grifftabelle für Kontrafagott. Leipzig: Fr. Zimmermann, 1900.

Holyoke, Samuel. The Instrumental Assistant. Exeter, New Hampshire: 1807. Six-keyed bassoon.

Hotteterre, Jacques M. Méthode pour apprendre à jouer en pue de la flû. Paris: Baileux, c. 1765. Earliest edition of a chart for five-keyed bassoon.

Jancourt, Eugène. Tablature de basson à19 clefs, système Jancourt. Paris: Gautrot Ainé & Cie.

Jancourt, Eugène. Tablature de basson ordinaire à 17 clefs. Paris: Gautrot Ain‚ & Cie, re-edited by Costallat.

Jancourt, Eugène. Tablature de basson perfectionné à 16 clefs. Paris: Costallat.

Jancourt, Eugène. Nouvelle tablature de basson perfectionné à 22 clefs, anneaux mobiles et plateau. Paris: Costallat.

Klein, Johann Joseph. Lehrbuchder theoretisch Musik. Leipzig: 1801. Four-keyed bassoon.

Levin. Philip A. "A Compatible Reed and Fingering Chart for Moeck Baroque Bassoon." To the World's Bassoonists 6/3 (1976): 1. Contains chromatic fingerings for Bb2-G#4. NOTE: the fingering chart contains errors due the printer. See the reprint in 1979 for the correction.

Levin. Philip A. "A Compatible Reed and Fingering Chart for Moeck Baroque Bassoon." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 7 (1979): 8. A reprint of Levin's 1976 article. Contains chromatic fingerings for Bb2-G#4.

Longman and Lukey. New and Compleat Instructions. London: 1770. Four-keyed bassoon.

Majer, Joseph F. Museum Musicum Theoretico Practicum. Nürnberg: 1732. Southern German tutor employed during the early Baroque period. Four-keyed bassoon.

Minguet è Irol, Pablo. Regas ... de tañer todos los instrumentos mejores, y mas usuales. Madrid: J. Ibarra, 1754. Gerneral tutor for all instruments. Copy in the Library of Congress.

Ozi, Étienne. Neue Fagot Schule von Ozi. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1807.

Ozi, Étienne. Nouvelle méthode de basson. Paris: 1803. Reprinted as Nouvelle édition de la métho de basson par Ozi. Paris and Bruxelles: Henry Lemoine & Co., 1871-1879. Contains Ozi's revised seven-keyed bassoon chart.

Ozi, Étienne. Nouvelle méthode de basson.. Leipzig: Offenbach, 1805. Contains French and German text of the 1803 edition.

Ozi, Étienne. Méthode nouvelle et raisonnée pour le basson.. Paris: 1787. Charts for six-, seven-, and ten-keyed bassoon. Copy in Paris Conservatory Library.

Ozi, Étienne. Petit méthode de basson. Lyon: Heral, 1810. Reprinted as Nouvelle édition de la méthode de basson par Ozi. Paris: Dufaut et Dubois. Ten-keyed bassoon.

Pezzi, Vincent. "The Boehm Bassoon." Woodwind Magazine 3/1 (Septemeber 1950): 8-9. Contains a fingering chart from Bb1 to F5 by Emanuele Krakamp (1813-1883) and key mechanism for the Boehm Bassoon.

Perkins, Monty. "Bassoon Tutors 1687-1887, An Annotated Listing" The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 8 (1980):58-67.

Prelleur (Preller?), Peter. The Modern Musick-Master. London: 1731. Four-keyed bassoon. Copy in the Library of Congress.

Rees, Abraham. The Cyclopaedia. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1807. Eight-keyed bassoon.

Reynvaan, J. V. Muzijkaal Kunst-Woordenboek. Amsterdam: 1795. Two, four, and six-keyed bassoon charts.

Ritter, George Wenzel. Berlin: R. Werchmeister, 1806-1809.

Sadler, John. Apollo's Cabinet. Liverpool: 1756. Four-keyed bassoon.

Sauer, Ignaz. Neue Scala für den Fagott für Schülen zum Selbstunterricht. Vienna: Ignaz Sauer, c. 1830. Eight-keyed bassoon.

Schwarz, C. S. Unpublished letter, 1823. For a four-keyed bassoon made by F. G. A. Kirst.

Shaw, O. For the Bassoon or Fagatto. Deham, Mass.: 1807. Six-keyed bassoon.

Scheider, Wilhelm. Historisch-Technishe der musicalischen Instrumente. Leipzig: 1834. Four-keyed bassoon.

Stritter, Friedrich. Grifftabelle fur Kontrafagott nach F. Stritter. Leipzig: C. Merseburger. A left-hand version of W. Heckel's right-hand model.

Speer, Daniel. Grundrichtiger Unterricht der musicalischen Kunst... Ulm: 1687. Tutor of the two-keyed Dulcian. Copy in the Library of Congress.

Talbot, James. Manuscript (Christ Church Music MS 1187). Oxford: c. 1684-1695. Contains only fingerings for Bb1, C2, and D2. Four-keyed bassoon.

Tans'ur, William. The Elements of Music Display'd. London: 1772. Four-keyed bassoon.

Turkovic, Milan. "Performance on Original Period Bassoons." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 7 (1979): 2. Supplies 10 fingerings for Caspar Tauber bassoons (1780).

Ventzke, Karl. "Boehm-System Bassoons in the 19th Century." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 5 (1977): 62. Facsimile of the No. 1 fingering chart by Tri‚bert taken from the Krakamp basssoon method. Pages 60 and 66 contain photographs of the instruments.

Voorhees, Jerry L. "Some Notes on the Fingering Systems of `Boehm' Bassoons." The Galpin Society Journal 29 (May 1976)" 51-61. Contains a facsimile of an 1855 fingering chart published by Tri‚bert and Company. The article also contains eight diagrams of the key mechanisms.

Voorhees, Jerry L. "Some Notes on the Fingering Systems of `Boehm' Bassoons." The Journal of the International Double Reed Society 5 (1977): 67-78. A republication of the Voorhees May 1976 article.

Walsh. Musica Bellicosa. London: 1730. Earliest complete source for bassoon in England. Four-keyed bassoon.

White, Paul. "Early Bassoon Fingering Charts." The Galpin Society Journal 43 (March 1990): 76-107. A1-F5. An extensive tabulation from about forty sources of fingerings for bassoons with three to ten or more keys. His dissertation may be of further interest to performers of historical instruments: "The Influence of Reeds and Fingering Patterns on the Evolution of the Early Bassoon" (Hertford College, Oxford: Ph. D. dissertation).

Whitely, William. The Instrumental Preceptor. Utica, NY: 1816. Four-keyed bassooon. Identical to Holyoke.



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