43 Fagottini and Tenoroons Small-Sized Bassoons from the 18th and 19th Centuries DONNA AGRELL, THOMAS DRESCHER, MARTIN KIRNBAUER (EDS.) BASLER BEITRÄGE ZUR HISTORISCHEN MUSIKPRAXIS Basler Beiträge zur Historischen Musikpraxis Veröffentlichungen der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz / Musik-Akademie Basel Hochschule für Musik Basel Herausgegeben von Martin Kirnbauer Band 43 Donna Agrell, Thomas Drescher, Martin Kirnbauer (eds.) Fagottini and Tenoroons Small-Sized Bassoons from the 18th and 19th Centuries Schwabe Verlag Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2025 by the authors; editorial matters and compilation © 2025 Donna Agrell, Thomas Drescher, Martin Kirnbauer, published by Schwabe Verlag Basel, Schwabe Verlagsgruppe AG, Basel, Schweiz Cover illustration: AVIATICFILMS Graphic design: icona basel gmbh, Basel Cover: Kathrin Strohschnieder, STROH Design, Oldenburg Typesetting: Claudia Wild, Konstanz Print: Hubert & Co., Göttingen Printed in Germany ISBN Print 978-3-7965-5181-9 ISBN eBook (PDF) 978-3-7965-5182-6 DOI 10.24894/978-3-7965-5182-6 The ebook has identical page numbers to the print edition (first printing) and supports full-text search. Furthermore, the table of contents is linked to the headings. rights@schwabe.ch www.schwabe.ch Editorial Board: Susan Boynton (Columbia University New York), Christelle Cazaux (SCB), Martin Kirnbauer (SCB), Tess Knighton Bolton (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Ulrich Konrad (Universität Würzburg), Kelly Landerkin (SCB), Birgit Lodes (Universität Wien), Johannes Menke (SCB), Martina Papiro (SCB), Agnese Pavanello (SCB), Katelijne Schiltz (Universität Regensburg), Peter Wollny (Bach-Archiv Leipzig) The open access publication of this book has been published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Open Access: Unless otherwise stated, this publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Any commercial exploitation by others requires the prior consent of the publisher. https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/#nd Contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Small Bassoons: Some History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Thomas Drescher: Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Klaus Hubmann: Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian, Especially in the Northern Italian and German-Speaking Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Áurea Domínguez: Bassoons Come in all Sizes: A Typology of Fagottini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 James Kopp: Small Bassoons by the Savarys: Context and Style . . . . . . . . . 67 Repertoire, Performers, and Pedagogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Donna Agrell: Rediscovering Forgotten Relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Zoë Matthews-Visentin: The Hamburg Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 David Gasche: The Tenor Bassoon in the Context of Harmoniemusik, Turkish Music and Military Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Giovanni Battista Graziadio: Fagottino Players: Evidence of Historical Performance Practice in 18th- and 19th-Century Bassoon Repertoire . . . . 141 Letizia Viola: Pedagogical Applications of the Historical Fagottino: A Report from the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 6 Contents6 Construction and Reconstruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Donna Agrell: Notes About the Reconstructed and Printed Models . . . . . 171 Ricardo Simian: Coming Full Circle: Using Digital Technologies in the Fagottini and Tenoroons Research Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Vincenzo Onida: New Tools in the Making of Historical Woodwind Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Instrument Catalogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Donna Agrell, Áurea Domínguez, Giovanni Battista Graziadio: Instrument Catalogue of Small-Sized Bassoons, ca. 1700–ca. 1915 . . . . . . 205 Donna Agrell: Images of Selected Fagottini and Tenoroons . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Abstracts and CVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Preface The present volume is devoted to the subject of small-sized bassoons. It com- bines important initiatives underlying the modern-day revival of historical musical practice, which began in the second half of the 20th century, namely the study and reconstruction of historical musical instruments, their playing techniques, and their distinctive timbres. A special feature of the topic is that it is already implicitly present in instruments of the 16th and 17th centuries and thus extends over a span of more than 350 years. The articles in this publication are the outcome of several research pro- jects conducted at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis between 2017 and 2023. Two of them (“Fagottini and Tenoroons – Small Forgotten Giants” and “Out of the Bass Register – Uncovering the Organology, Pedagogy, and Performance Practice of Small-Sized Bassoons from the 18th and 19th Centuries”) were sup- ported by the Swiss National Science Foundation; a third and smaller one (“Neue alte Klangkörper”) was funded by private foundations. The authors of the following articles include members of the SCB research team (Donna Agrell, Thomas Drescher, Áurea Domínguez, Giovanni Battista Graziadio, Zoë Matthews-Visentin, Letizia Viola) and experts on various as- pects of the topic (David Gasche, Klaus Hubmann, James Kopp, Vincenzo Onida, Ricardo Simian). The interest in these special instruments began with the simple observa- tion that a surprising number of historical bassoons of smaller formats have been preserved in museums and private collections. However, their instru- mental roles and musical function are largely unclear, even though the litera- ture has referred to these instruments and their special repertoire for some 8 Preface8 time.1 Initially only about 30 specimens were known;2 through preparatory work by the Basel team it soon became apparent that considerably more were to be found. By the time the projects were completed in the spring of 2023, more than 130 specimens from the 18th and 19th centuries had been traced, quite a few of them from the hands of the best makers of their time.3 They are divided into two types: octave instruments, so-called “fagottini” in c (con- ceived from an eight-foot bass in C), found mainly in the early and middle 18th century, and instruments in tenor register (“tenoroons”), a fifth (G) above the eight-foot bass, or alternatively a fourth (F) above it, which predominated in the second half of the 18th and in the 19th century; in the 19th century these appeared almost exclusively as quart bassoons. Historical references offer a broad assortment of other terms, including “piccolo-fagotto”, “bassonetto”, “Tenorfagott”, “Quint-/Quartfagott”, and so on. It was decided at the onset of our research to use “fagottino” to refer in general to all small-sized bassoons, in addition to the octave models. “Tenoroon” re- fers to all those instruments pitched a fourth or fifth higher than the “full- sized” bassoon. To make matters even more complicated, when one hears the term “fagottino” today, however, it is almost always in reference to a small modern bassoon model (either a fourth or fifth higher), designed primarily for children and for pedagogical purposes in the second half of the 20th century. 1 Harry Jean Hedlund, A study of certain representative compositions for woodwind en- sembles, ca. 1695–1815, PhD diss. Iowa: University of Iowa 1959; Lyndesay G. Langwill, An Index of Musical Wind-instrument Makers, Edinburgh: L. G. Langwill, 1960 (several edi- tions); James B. Kopp, The Bassoon, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012; Klaus Hub- mann, “Hochgestimmte Fagotte (Tenorfagotte) in der Musik vom späten 16. bis zum späten 18.  Jahrhundert”, in: Christian Ahrens, Gregor Klinke (eds.), Flöte, Oboe, Klarinette und Fagott: Holzblasinstrumente bis zum Ende des 18.  Jahrhunderts, München and Salzburg: Katzbichler 2011, 71–84. 2 Hugo Rodríguez Arteaga, Investigating smaller bassoons from the XVIII and XIX cen- turies, with practical performance on a Baroque fagottino, MA project, Royal Conservatoire The Hague, 2017; online: https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/236269/343124 (10 Oc- tober 2023). 3 A detailed documentation of all research materials and results of the projects can be found on the following websites: https://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/1/0845 (permalink) and https://www.historical-bassoon.ch/ (10 October 2023). A list of identified instruments is also available on these websites and in this volume. 9Preface 9 What distinguishes these instruments and how were they used? To answer these questions, a multi-disciplinary approach was taken. The surviving in- struments were documented and about half of them (63) were analysed in situ in greater detail. Selected models were documented in CT scans (Sebastian Kirsch &  Niko Plath, Fürth/Bavaria) and subsequently reproduced as 3D prints (Ricardo Simian, Oslo) in two formats. Shrinkage of the wood over the centuries led to certain irregularities and an ovalisation of the bore. As a result, one version with current bore dimensions was printed and a second modified version attempted to simulate the original round construction. The results were handed over to a traditional instrument maker (Vincenzo Onida, Milan), who produced wooden replicas of individual models with corrected bores, as it is nearly impossible to duplicate bore deformation. The manual process was considerably aided by the technological one; the 3D reproductions enabled more precise and detailed insights than possible with the delicate originals. The reproductions made of synthetic materials proved to be surprisingly us able musical instruments. Compared to the wooden instruments, only minor differences in sound are noticeable, as can be heard in the recording of a can- tata by F. W. Zachow, in which a pair of fagottini made of wood and plastic respectively were played by members of the Basel research team.4 Although the organological and material studies provided valuable in- sights into the construction and playing of small bassoons, the question of when such instruments were used remains partially unanswered. It is easier to draw a conclusion where there is an explicit repertoire, as is particularly the case in the early period of their appearance during the 18th century. Instru- ment pairs, often of octave fagottini, and later also of tenoroons, were fre- quently used. Despite the numerous surviving originals, it is surprising how few specifically notated parts exist for these instruments. Research into reper- toire meets the limits of evidence here and must rely to some extent on specu- lation. On the one hand, there seems to have been an expansion around 1800, thanks to excellent virtuosos, of the playable range of “full-sized” bassoons; on the other hand, it is likely that high parts in the bassoon repertoire were taken 4 Zoë Matthews-Visentin and Letizia Viola. See: https://youtu.be/ZWfM9Peg-Ok (10 Oc- tober 2023). 10 Preface10 over by tenoroons, without this being specifically marked in the score.5 The choice was seemingly based on musical practice, which possibly influenced certain technical aspects, in addition to tonal ones. A prominent example of this may be the slow middle movement of Beethoven’s Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Piano (WoO 37).6 But a repertoire that has only survived in rare examples may also play an important role: arrangements of vocal works, primarily opera arias, were incorporated into the concert programmes of outstanding players in virtuoso arrangements or sets of variations. As often in the history of instru- mental repertoire, such works were not written out at all or were sketched in manuscripts, but not preserved. These few references demonstrate what problems are faced by research into repertoire. In cases where high instruments are not explicitly called for, a careful examination of specific parts and their context may suggest the likeli- hood, without being able to provide clear evidence. Also problematic are aspects of the interface between player and instru- ment. There is no historical information available on the construction of reeds for small bassoons, and only very few instruments have survived with their matching bocals.7 In the crucial area of sound production and concept, we must rely on the tonal and technical judgements and decisions of today’s play- ers. It can be assumed that individual differences among bassoonists in the 18th and 19th centuries, when regional or national differences were more pro- nounced, were no less significant than at present. In addition to their construction, performance, and repertoire in a histor- ical context, small-scale instruments also have potential in modern instru- mental pedagogy. The small format enables children and young people to come to grips with the instruments at a relatively early age, a practice for 5 Donna Agrell, Repertoire for a Swedish Bassoon Virtuoso: Approaching early nine- teenth-century works composed for Frans Preumayr with an original Grenser & Wiesner bas- soon, PhD, Leiden University, 2015. Open access: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/36960 (10 October 2023). 6 See a video with Letizia Viola playing a tenoroon in G: “A taste of Beethoven with te- noroon”, https://www.historical-bassoon.ch/other-videos/ (10 October 2023). 7 See Table 3, “Bocal lengths and diameters” in “Measurement comparisons”, in Fagot- tino project research articles and documents at the data repository: https://ark.dasch.swiss/ ark:/72163/1/0845 (permalink), or on the project website: https://www.historical-bassoon. ch/measurement-comparisons/ (10 October 2023). 11Preface 11 which there are isolated indications as early as the 18th century. Although small-scale bassoons (modern fagottini) have been available for use by chil- dren and young people since the 1980s, historical models, with their lighter weight and fewer keys, show significant advantages for the training of young players, but nonetheless demand a flexible approach. As a result, they form a basis for recruiting musicians directly to historical music practice who will not need to switch to historical instruments later as adults. The contributions to this volume reflect many of the research aspects dis- cussed above. For more information about the contents, please refer to the abstracts at the end of the book. The following highlights some of the key as- pects of the texts. The articles by Thomas Drescher and Klaus Hubmann deal with the pre- history of small bassoons in the 16th and 17th centuries. This phase is important for understanding subsequent developments, and especially for determining whether smaller instruments have an uninterrupted history and, if not, which factors call for a new approach for instruments from around 1700 onwards. Áurea Domínguez gives an overview of small bassoons during the 18th and 19th centuries. She is able to show, on the basis of surviving instruments, that the development over almost two centuries can be divided into different phases. In a case study, James Kopp takes a close look at Jean-Nicolas Savary jeune, perhaps the most important woodwind instrument-maker of the 19th century, from whom no fewer than 14 small bassoons of the highest quality are known. Through the careful evaluation of numerous documents, an impressive and detailed picture emerges of instrument making and the use of small bassoons in France in the first half of the 19th century. These texts on aspects of historical development are followed by contribu- tions on repertoire, performers and pedagogy, subject areas which, in addition to demonstrating valuable sources, also leave us with many unanswered ques- tions. Donna Agrell addresses the subject of repertoire evaluation about which, as already mentioned, little concrete information unfortunately exists. Signi ficant references to the use of small bassoons can be found in music from sources in Hamburg and corresponding locations during the first half of the 18th century, including in works by prominent composers such as Reinhard Keiser, Johann Mattheson and Georg Philipp Telemann. Zoë Matthews-Visen- tin systematically compiles the material and evaluates it with regard to aspects 12 Preface12 of notation, tonal references, and performance practice. David Gasche looks at Harmoniemusik and that for military ensembles, a central repertoire for wind players in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the context of a close look at the development of these ensembles, he pursues the question of whether teno- roons were also used. Giovanni Battista Graziadio explores other regions and discusses what has been discovered about performers and performances with small bassoons in Vienna, Italy, and France. It appears that there were important influences from the Austrian capital on bassoon playing in Italy. A report based on pedagogical practice concludes this part of the contribu- tions. Letizia Viola summarizes some very positive experiences, encouraging teachers to make small bassoons a permanent part of the education for stu- dents of all ages. The volume closes with articles on the construction and reconstruction of small bassoons, both as 3D-printed copies and as reproductions in wood. Donna Agrell introduces the subject by describing the choice of instruments for the reconstructions and discussing specific challenges in the approach to small bassoons. Ricardo Simian relates his experiences in producing synthetic copies. He discusses changes in bore diameters compared to the originals and places a new production method using 3D printing in the larger framework of craft and industrial processes. Vincenzo Onida offers an insight into tradition- ally handcrafted processes in the making of small bassoons and the benefits that the experience with 3D copies has brought to these, an area where crafts- manship and digital analysis intersect. The volume ends with a detailed catalogue of all small bassoons that have been identified to date and selected images. Although small bassoons still hold some secrets, many issues have neverthe- less been clarified. We now have a much better understanding of the material basis, and a broader picture of how these instruments were used. A great deal of experience in building and playing them has been gained, and their peda- gogical use has led to promising results. Ultimately, musical practice has been provided with another instrumental voice with its own characteristics. In the remaining fuzzy areas of the subject, the informed creativity of researchers and musicians must fill the gaps. This allows for freedom, because it is the beginning of a genuinely artistic process that is irreplaceable in the production of sounding music. 13Preface 13 Finally, we would like to thank a number of people and institutions. Donna Agrell, as the initiator of the project and tireless supporter of all involved, played a decisive role at the start and during the successful implementation of the projects. The research team did not stray from its goals, even though the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic prevented some planned trips to instrument collections. Contact had already been established with external experts during various project phases. Vincenzo Onida (Milan) and Ricardo Simian (Oslo) were associated members of the projects and should be men- tioned here as partners concerning instrument construction. Sebastian Kirsch and Niko Plath (culturalheritage.digital; working with the “Fraunhofer Ent wicklungszentrum für Röntgentechnik” in Fürth/Bavaria) carried out the scans of selected instruments. We would like to thank Conny Restle, director of the Musikinstrumenten-Museum of the Staatliches Institut für Musik- forschung – Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz for the loan of a fagottino by Heinrich Grenser (MIM 2373; FT50), Richard Adler, conservator of the Mu- seum für Gestaltung Zürich for the loan of a Scherer fagottino (1963–60.102; FT30), and Josef Focht, former director of the Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig for the loan of another Scherer fagottino (1548; FT44). Three private collectors in Switzerland generously allowed us access to the fagottino FT40 Anonymous and tenoroons FT6 Anonymous, and FT42 Savary jeune. Important financial support for the various projects was provided by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, as well as by funds from Die Mobiliar and the Ernst Göhner-Stiftung. The Hochschule für Musik Ba- sel/Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz provided the infrastructure as well as substantial research funding for all projects. Special appreciation goes to Ag- nieszka Tutton and André Weishaupt for their prudent management of the funds. We also would like to thank the peer reviewers, who provided feedback on the text. Marc Destrubé carried out the copy-editing with expertise in lan- guage and content. Last but not least, we are grateful to Arlette Neumann and Sonja Peschutter of the Schwabe Verlag for their, as always, careful supervision of the publication. Basel, February 2024 Donna Agrell, Thomas Drescher, Martin Kirnbauer Small Bassoons: Some History Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 Thomas Drescher Although the existence of small-format bassoons in the 18th and 19th centuries is a relatively recent discovery, different sizes of an instrument have not been an exceptional phenomenon, but rather a common occurrence in the develop- ment of instrument families since the emergence of the modern instrumentar- ium around and after 1500. This is equally true for the bassoon family, in which the bass instrument is the eight-foot one in C (since the late 17th century with an extension to low B’), and it remains the reference size for the whole family today, as it was in the 16th century.1 This paper will focus on how the development of the bassoon family in the 16th and early 17th centuries relates to more recent small bassoons, and what elements might have influenced the emergence and musical use of smaller instruments. The second volume of the Syntagma Musicum (De Or- ganographia) and the accompanying illustrated part (Theatrum Instrumento- rum) by Michael Praetorius will serve as a reference. It follows a very system- atic approach, even and especially where there are breaks in that method.2 1 See the texts by Klaus Hubmann, “Hochgestimmte Fagotte (Tenorfagotte) in der Musik vom späten 16. bis zum späten 18. Jahrhundert”, in: Christian Ahrens, Gregor Klinke (eds.), Flöte, Oboe, Klarinette und Fagott: Holzblasinstrumente bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhun- derts, München and Salzburg: Katzbichler 2011, 71–84; and by James B. Kopp, The Bassoon, New Haven and London: Yale University Press 2012, 222–228 (chap. 11). 2 Michael Praetorius, Syntagmatis Musici […] Tomus Secundus De Organographia, Wolffenbüttel: Elias Holwein 1619; digitized copy of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München: https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/details:bsb10527678 (permalink); Michael Prae- torius, Theatrum Instrumentorum seu Sciagraphia, Wolffenbüttel [Elias Holwein] 1620; dig- itized copy of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München: https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/de tails:bsb00110986 (permalink); Facsimile reprint of both parts: Kassel – Basel – Tours etc.: Bärenreiter 1958 a.m.o., edited and with an afterword by Wilibald Gurlitt. Thomas Drescher18 A brief look at other instrument families should help in viewing the develop- ment of the bassoon family within a larger framework, and thus lead to a better understanding of its special features. Situated at the historical intersec- tion of the Renaissance and the early Baroque, Praetorius’ treatise on musical instruments summarises the history of the 16th century, but already contains implicit references to future developments.3 Instrument family groups in the 16th century In order to identify different instrument sizes, referring to the human voice ranges is still preferred, e. g. “soprano saxophone”, “alto recorder”, “tenor trom- bone”, “bass tuba”. The ‘ideal’ interval between the human voice ranges is that of a fifth. The same interval was aimed for, if possible, in the spacing of the instrument families, with a fourth as a plagal variant. These intervals also played an important role in the hexachord system that divided the tonal space in the 16th and early 17th centuries.4 This gives the impression that the same divisions are used for human voices as with instruments. As will be seen, this is only true to a limited extent. It is first necessary to clarify the terminology used by Praetorius. At the begin- ning of his treatise, he defines the terms “Accort” and “Sorten”, from which it appears that “Accort” is to be understood as a ‘registers of pipes / bassoons and I use the term “bassoon” here in a general, generic form, regardless of whether it is made of one piece of wood (“dulcian”) or in four parts (“Fagott/fagotto”), as has been cus- tomary since the baroque bassoon in the last third of the 17th century. Michael Praetorius already used the two terms synonymously: “Fagotten und Dolcianen (Italis Fagotto & Dolcesouno [sic!]) werden mehrertheils indifferenter also genennet” (‘Bassoons and dul- cians (in Italian Fagotto & Dolcesuono) are mostly called so without distinction’), – Syn- tagma II, 27 [recte: 38]. 3 Reference should be made here to the essential study by Frank P. Bär, who has com- pared the relevant treatises of the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the early Baroque with regard to family formation: Frank P. Bär, Holzblasinstrumente im 16. und frühen 17. Jahrhundert. Familienbildung und Musiktheorie, Tutzing: Hans Schneider 2002 (Tübin- ger Beiträge zur Musikwissenschaft 24). 4 Frank P. Bär (Holzblasinstrumente, see n. 3), for example, is underlaying the different instrument sizes in the treatises of the time with the intervals in the hexachord system. 19Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 other instruments’,5 analogous to a group of related organ stops. It is surprising, however, that he mentions bassoons (“Fagotten”) as an explicit example of related instruments, in addition to the general term for wind instruments (“Pfeiffen” / ‘pipes’).6 In an “Accort”, there are only wind instruments of a single type, and he refers to each instrument, or the range of each instrument, that is, “Sorten”.7 Unfortunately the terms are not used as consistently throughout the book as described here. “Stimmwerck” is used in the part showing woodcuts of the instruments (Theatrum Instrumentorum), grouped as a ‘family’ with the recorders, for example.8 On the other hand, the brackets above the columns of the Tabella universalis also denote an “Accort” as a ‘family’ in the narrow sense.9 In the individual columns of the Tabella universalis, “Sort.” with an order number designates a single instrument in each case. This reading is confirmed by the table at the beginning of the treatise,10 which distinguishes between “Accort od[er] Stimmwerck von Instrumenten”, each of which has three, four, five, seven or eight sizes of instruments in the ‘family’. At this point, there are five sizes (“Sorten”) of bassoon, from the double bassoon (“Dop-  5 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 12. “Ein Accort, ist ein gantz Stimmwerck von Pfeiffen / Fagotten vnnd andern Instrumenten, do von dem vntersten Baß vnd der größten Pfeiffen an / immer eine nach der andern / biß zur kleinesten Discant Pfeiffen folget.“ (‘An Accort, is a whole set of registers of pipes / bassoons and other instruments, where from the lowest bass and the largest pipes onwards / always one follows the other / up to the smallest descant pipes.’) – all translations by the author.  6 Praetorius derives his terminology from organ building (“Stimmwerck”). He possibly wants to distinguish between labial pipes (“Pfeiffen”), i. e., wind instruments that are played over a sharp edge, and lingual pipes (“Fagotten vnnd andern Instrumenten”), i. e., wind instruments with reeds, and the imitation of other instruments with reed pipes.  7 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 12. “Sorten ist nur eine einige Art von Pfeiffen in demselben Accort;” (‘Sorten is only one single kind of pipe in the same Accort;’).  8 Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum (see n. 2), Plate IX, legend, no. 1: “Blockflöiten/ gantz Stimwerck.”  9 This can only be seen in the table of the trombones (Syntagma II [see n. 2], 20, Ta- ble V.), in which four different instrument sizes are numbered as one “Sort.” each with 1 to 4, and these are summarised above the columns with a bracket which is described as “Ein gantz Accort” (‘a whole Accort’). This applies tacitly to all the bracketed instrument groups on the following pages in the third chapter of the Tabella universalis, pages 18 to 30. 10 Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum (see n. 2), 13. Thomas Drescher20 pelfagott”) in contra-F’ to the descant; three “Chorist-Fagott” and two small bassoons (“Fagott piccolo”) are included in the panoply of instruments, which makes a total of eight instruments in five sizes. In the Tabella universalis, consorts belonging together are also indicated by assigning vocal ranges to individual instruments (see below for the example of the recorders). Further information on the instruments can be found in Praetorius’ descriptive text11 and also in the woodcuts of the Theatrum Instru- mentorum, where all the instruments of a family are depicted to scale.12 The bassoons can be found in Plate X. 11 For the bassoons: Praetorius, Syntagma (see n. 2), 27 [recte: 38] “Das XI. Capittel. Fagotten : Dolcianen”. 12 Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum (see n. 2). The corresponding scale can be found at the foot of each woodcut. The units refer to a foot in Brunswick measure, which is derived from the cubit (= 57.1 cm). A cubit is two feet long, so one quarter of a Brunswick Fig. 1: Michael Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum II, Wolfenbüttel 1619, 20 (detail): “Tabella universalis” (I–)IV, “Vox viva seu humana”. Facsimile reprint, edited by Wilibald Gurlitt, Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel. 21Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 As already mentioned, the human voice, in the sense of an “imitatio naturae”, establishes a reference for the tonal range of the instruments. Praetorius takes this into account in Plate IV of the Tabella universalis (Fig. 1: “Vox viva seu humana” / ‘Living or human voice’) and indicates four human voice ranges: bass, tenor, alto, and treble (“Bassista”, “Tenorista”, “Altista”, “Discantista”). Their range is an octave and a third (alto), or an octave and a fourth (tenor and treble); only the bass substantially deviates, with a range of an oc- tave and a seventh, the extended range being primarily in the low register, down to C. This extends considerably beyond the range of an ordinary bass voice in an ensemble (F or E would be expected). The notes notated in black, in the high register up to d’ and in the low register down to F’, indicate unu- sual ranges that “can be achieved by a practised and experienced instrumen- talist [here: vocalist]”.13 Praetorius provides the reason for the extensive range of the bass in the preceding text: ‘For this C is the right lowest tone of a right bass singer in princely chapels, if he can reach this note naturally with a full and loud voice.’14 For the extreme extension in the low range, he cites as examples members of the Bavarian court chapel under Orlando di Lasso – the Fischer brothers from Landshut and a certain Grasser – who could reach a low F’ in “Chorton” and thus even an E’ in “Cammerton”.15 It may well have suited Praetorius that the reference tone C at the lower limit of the eight-foot register could also apply to the vocal parts, regardless of the average ability of the singers. The extremely low F’ is also an important lower limit for the contra instruments. The three higher vocal registers are cubit is 14.275 cm, which in turn is 6 inches, as Praetorius shows in the reference scale on the back of the title page: “Dieses ist die rechte Lenge und Maß …” (‘This is the right length and measure  …’). See Fritz Verdenhalven, Alte Maße, Münzen und Gewichte aus dem deutschen Sprachgebiet, Neustadt/Aisch: Verlag Degener 1968, 21 or Wolfgang Trapp and Heinz Wallerus, Handbuch der Maße, Zahlen, Gewichte und der Zeitrechnung, Stuttgart: Reclam 52006, 251; here the Brunswick cubit is given exactly as 57.07 cm. 13 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 19. 14 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 17. “Denn diß C. ist die rechte Tieffe eines rechten Bassisten in Fürstlichen Capellen / wenn er dasselbe mit voller vnd gantzer Stimme natür- lich haben kann.” 15 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 17. Thomas Drescher22 within their normal range for the lowest notes, which are usually a fifth apart (tenor: B; alto: f; treble: c’). Only between bass and tenor is there a special in- terval of a seventh. Intervals of a fifth are, as already mentioned, used for the family designa- tions of the instruments, where this is possible. The clearest system is found for the recorders, which in the Renaissance – if the so-called consort flutes are considered – have approximately the same ambitus as human voices. As is easily recognisable, units that belong together – let us call them a ‘consort’ (Praetorius does not offer a term for this) – are always composed of three voice registers, which, regardless of the actual position of the voices, are called “Baß”, “Ten. Alto” and “Cant.”. Alto and tenor form a uniform category of middle voices, as the designations at the bottom of the table clearly indicate. In the case of the recorders (Fig. 2), this constellation of three related voices wanders through all sizes, so that consorts of higher and lower registers are created. The same instrument can function as a bass in a higher register, as Fig. 2: Michael Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum II, Wolfenbüttel 1619, 21 (detail): “Tabella universalis VII, Flauti: Plockpfeiffen:”. Facsimile reprint, edited by Wilibald Gurlitt, Bären- reiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel. 23Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 a middle voice in a lower register, and as a treble in an even lower one.16 The prerequisite, however, is that neighbouring registers are always combined. There are also certain higher instruments listed that are placed outside the system; Praetorius labels them ‘exiled’.17 Three – and only three – voice registers, bassus, tenor and cantus, are already found in prints of instrumental music from the early 16th century, for example in the Bicinia by Eustachio Romano from 1521, one of the first illustrations of printed compositions for melody instruments.18 Further and significant evi- dence of the various divisions of middle-range vocal and instrumental parts can be found in Orlando di Lasso’s Bicinia print from 1577, where there are 12 texted bicinia for voice, and 12 un-texted ones for instruments.19 The vocal pieces make use of four registers (cantus, altus, tenor, bassus), but the instru- mental pieces only three (cantus, tenor, bassus). Lasso does not give any infor- mation about performance with specific instruments. The examples show that Praetorius draws on an instrumental ensemble practice that is already a cen- tury old and is presumably linked to earlier three-part compositions, whose central voice is the tenor. The only 16th-century three-part consort of instruments to survive is the violin family, referred to in Praetorius’ Tabella as “Viole de Braccio. Violins”. 16 See, for example, the instrument in the column of the “3. Sort.” which, depending on the position in the consort, can be “Basset”, “Ten. Al[t].” or “Cant[us]”. 17 “Exilent”. Lat. “exsilare”: to go beyond, to jump out; but also: “exilis”: skinny, lanky, small. 18 Musica Duorum Eustachij Romani de macionibus excusit […] Ingenti cura & industria magristri Johanis Jacobi de pasotis de Monticulo Regiensis Impressum fuit hoc opus Musicae, Rome 1521 [RISM ID no.: 990017273]; Digitized copy of the Österreichische Nationalbib- liothek: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC09847055 (28 June 2023). On this Thomas Drescher, “‘Poi le parole!’. Duos von Eustachio Romano (1521) mit Textierungen von Erasmus Roten- bucher (1549)”, in: Martin Kirnbauer (ed.), Beredte Musik. Konversationen zum 80. Geburts tag von Wulf Arlt, Basel: Schwabe 2019, 105–115. 19 Orlando di Lasso, Novae aliquot et ante hac non ita vsitatae ad duas voces Cantiones suauissimae, omnibus Musicis summè vtiles: nec non Tyronibus quàm eius artis peritioribus summopere inseruientes, Munich: Adam Berg 1577 (RISM ID no.: 990036689); digitized copy of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München: https://stimmbuecher.digitale-sammlun gen.de/view?id=bsb00071982 (28 June 2023). Thomas Drescher24 To this day it has three voice ranges in the eight-foot register, designated by Praetorius as “Baß Viol de Braccio”, “Tenor Viol.” and “Discant Viol. Violino”.20 The double bass as a sixteen-foot instrument, belonging to the family of viole da gamba, was ‘adopted’. Praetorius also lists a large quint bass in F’ (“Groß Quint-Baß.”) of the “Viole de Braccio” family in the Tabella, which has not survived in this form.21 The reason for the sustained existence of this ensemble in particular lies in its constituent role in the orchestra, whose roots can be traced to the Italian and French violin ensembles of the 16th century, and in their further evolution, especially at the French court. It is a success story that extends without inter- ruption to the present day.22 In several examples, it can now be seen that Praetorius pays careful attention to the relationships within the consort formation. The fact that the consistency of the interval between the instruments was important is demonstrated once again by the table of the shawms, which now finally enter the field of double- reed instruments (Fig. 3). Here, although their fundamental notes are missing in musical practice, two instruments are inserted hypothetically, as important steps in the se- quence of voice ranges,23 one instrument in f and a high one in c’. Above these instruments, as in the case of the recorders, the allocation to the various con- 20 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 26. 21 On the development of the violin family, see: Jürgen Eppelsheim, “Stimmlagen und Stimmungen der Ensemble-Streichinstrumente im 16. und frühen 17.  Jahrhundert”, in: Thomas Drescher (ed.), Capella Antiqua München. Festschrift zum 25jährigen Bestehen, Tut- zing: Schneider 1988 (Münchner Veröffentlichungen zur Musikgeschichte, 43), 145–173: 158–167. Eppelsheim also offers a plausible explanation for the origin of the unusual octave spacing between violoncello and viola. The ‘systemic’ bass instrument, on the other hand, was in F and thus, in accordance with the rules, a fifth below the viola, which Praetorius also states as an alternative to the more ‘modern’ C tuning of the “Baß Viol de Braccio”. 22 John Spitzer and Neal Zaslaw, The Birth of the Orchestra: History of an Institution, 1650–1815, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2004. 23 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 22. He writes in two different columns of the table, between no. 5 and 6, and between no. 6 and 7: ‘A very high [instrument] would also be needed for this pitch’ (“In diesem Thon were auch ein[e]r von[n]öte[n]” and “In diesem Thon wehre auch ein sehr hoch von[nöten]”). 25Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 sorts can be seen. The two added ones are not assigned numbers, for they do not exist. But a particularly high ‘exiled’ instrument is also listed here, whose lowest note is the unstable b natural. In the commentary on shawms, Praetorius explains the family principle in greater detail than in other parts of his publication:24 Here, however, it must be noted that from time immemorial and even today almost all wind instruments, such as flutes, bombards, shawms, crumhorns, etc., are built and tuned a fifth apart in groups (“Accorten”) or registers (“Stimmwercken”): so that 24 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 26 [recte: 37]. “Allhier ist aber zu mercken: Daß von alters her und auch noch anjzo meistentheils alle Blasende Instrumenta, als Flötten / Pom- mern / Schalmeyen / Krumbhörner / etc. in den Accorten oder Stimmwercken / eins vom andern alzeit eine Quinta ist gearbeitet / und gestimmet worden: darumb daß man allzeit (wie ich zur Nachrichtung in vorhergehender Tabell darbey notiret) drey vnd drey zu sammen / als eine Art zum Bass, die ander zum Tenor vnd Alt, (Denn diese beyde Stim- men / Tenor vnd Alt, können allzeit auß gleichlautenden vnnd einerley Corporibus vnd Instrumenten musicirt werden) die dritte aber zum Cantu, gebrauchen kann.” Fig. 3: Michael Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum II, Wolfenbüttel 1619, 21 (detail): “Tabella universalis X, Bombyces, Pommern. Piffari, Schallmeyen.”. Facsimile reprint, edited by Wilibald Gurlitt, Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel. Thomas Drescher26 one always [puts] three and three together (as I have noted for information in the previous table),25 so [that one can use] the first kind of instrument as bass, the second as tenor and alto (for the two voices, tenor and alto, can always be played from instru- ments sounding the same and built with the same corpus), but the third as cantus. This again reveals the importance of the interval of the fifth in consorts, and the composition of the three adjacent voice parts, whereby it is explicitly stated that the tenor and alto parts are played by one and the same type of instrument. Another detail in Tabella X is important for the consort system: a distinc- tion is made between individual instrument names for the tenor shawm (“Tenor Pommer”, no. 3, in G) and the small alto shawm (“Klein Alt Pom[mer]”, no. 5, in g), which are an octave apart; in between, no. 4 is another alto (only this register is attributed to the instrument), the “Nicolo”, in c.26 Praetorius now has to distinguish between the two alto instruments, although they are only one note apart, which disturbs the idea of a three-part consort. The “Nicolo” seems to be an auxiliary instrument, to bridge the octave gap between the tenor and the small alto.27 With the inclusion of the “Nicolo”, this creates a consort with four distinct parts. In his commentary, Praetorius even speaks of ensembles with up to five different instruments, which are, however, difficult to tune.28 25 This probably refers to Table X. See Fig. 3. 26 A “Basset: Nicolo” is illustrated on Plate XIII of the Theatrum Instrumentorum, next to the crumhorns. The instrument has a wind capsule over the reed like the crumhorns, but it is built straight with a simple tube and reaches C as its lowest note, as the inscription on the keys indicates. 27 Praetorius points out in the commentary (Syntagma II, see n. 2, 16;) that the Nicolo is the same size as the ‘basset / tenor shawm’ (“Basset. Tenor Pommer”) on G, but due to the equipment having only one key in the lower register instead of G it only reaches c. It is therefore a kind of hermaphrodite, a tenor in size but an alto in its playing condition. 28 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 2), 26 [recte: 37]: ‘But if you also want to use the fifth instrument in the low or high register, it is almost difficult to tune [them] together’ (“Wenn man aber das fünffte Instrument in der Tieffe oder Höhe auch noch darzu brauchen will / so ist es fast mühsam zusammen zu accordiren”). 27Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 Bassoons/Dulcians In the closely related family of bassoons (“Fagotten. Dolcianen”, Fig. 4) the situation is no less complicated. In addition to the double bassoon (“Doppel Fagott”/“Quint Fagott”) and the large bassoon (“Fagott: grando”/“Quart Fagot”), both of which reach down into the contra octave (F’ and G’ respectively), three other instruments are listed: first of all, the most common “Chorist Fagott” in C with various names (“Fagott”, “Corthol”, “Doppel Corthol.”), followed by two higher ones: a small bassoon (“Fagott piccolo.”) in G, and an unnamed one an octave above in g, an irregular spacing, as already observed in the shawm family. Praetorius does not correct this by adding instruments in between. Summing up, in the case of the bassoon, the Tabella universalis implicitly describes a coherent family,29 in which the “Chorist Fagott” forms the middle voice, and the bass is available in two variants. The descant voice is provided by the “Fagott piccolo” in G. Plate X of the Theatrum Instrumentorum (Fig. 5) presents a different pic- ture: Here, the inscription explicitly refers to a coherent four-part family that differentiates alto and tenor, as with the shawms. The index is confusing, how- ever, and needs explanation: No. 1, the “Sordu[n]en-Bas” in G’, actually be- longs to another instrumental grouping, as evidenced by its assignment to another instrumental table.30 No. 2 designates the equally low ‘Double Bas- soon in G’ (“Doppel-Fagott bis ins GG”, named in the Tabella as “Fagott: grando”); the alternative instrument in F’ (in the Tabella ‘Double Bassoon’ [“Doppel Fagott”]) is not illustrated. No. 3. names the ‘Open Chorist-Fagott’ (“Offen Chorist-Fagot”) in C, and No. 4 is a stopped (“Gedact”) variant of 29 For comparison, see the “Sordoni” and “Doppioni” in Table XII and XIII at the bottom of page 23 (Fig. 4), in which the consorts are clearly labelled. 30 See Fig. 5. Frank P. Bär, Holzblasinstrumente (see n. 3), 162, however, recognises in the instrument a ‘round-turned construction variant of a quarto dulcian with a key instead of the second thumbhole’. Thomas Drescher28 Fig. 4: Michael Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum, Wolfenbüttel 1619, 23: “Tabella Universalis XI, Fagotten. Dolcianen.”. Facsimile reprint, edited by Wilibald Gurlitt, Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel. 29Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 Fig. 5: Michael Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum, Wolfenbüttel 1620, Plate X. Facsimile reprint, edited by Wilibald Gurlitt, Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel. Thomas Drescher30 it.31 No. 5. ‘Single Curtal. Basset or Tenor to Chorist-Fagott. in G’ (“Singl. Korthold. Basset oder Tenor zum Chorist-Fagott. G.”) already refers to the lower instrument in its name, and it corresponds to the ‘piccolo bassoon’ (“Fagott piccolo”) in the Tabella. No. 6 is an “alto” in d, i. e. another fifth away from the “tenor”, an instrument that the Tabella does not include. And finally, No. 7 is a ‘descant or unusual high instrument to the Chorist-Fagott’ (“Dis- cant oder Exilent zum Chor: Fagott”) in a, again a fifth higher. What is strik- ing about this highest instrument is that it is described as ‘exiled’ and thus as outside the nuclear family; the second peculiarity here is the explicit reference to the eight-foot bass, the Chorist-Fagott, which is indicated in this way as the linchpin of the entire family of instruments. Thus, Praetorius presents five pitches for the bassoon family in the table, but, unlike for other instruments, he does not describe any bassoon consorts in the Tabella. The instruments with a range of about two octaves would allow for this in practice; only the treble instrument (no. 5) reaches an octave and a fourth above the g. The discrepancies between Plate X of the Theatrum Instru- mentorum and page 23 of the Tabella are striking however. The treble instru- ment (no. 5) of the Tabella, although not designated as such, is in g, but in the illustration of the instruments it is in a, and the alto instrument in d of the Plate is missing in the Tabella, as already mentioned. There it would fill the gap to the “Fagott piccolo” in G. In the overview of the “Accort” on p. 13 of the Syntagma, the alto is also not mentioned.32 The interpretation of these differences remains open for the time being. It is possible that, by the beginning of the 17th century, the “Chorist Fagott” was already so dominant as a bass instrument in mixed ensembles, vocal and in- strumental, that a homogeneous consort was of secondary importance.33 31 This refers to instruments with a sieve-like cap on the air outlet, which is supposed to make the sound quieter and softer. See Praetorius, Syntagma II (n. 2), 27 [recte: 38]. An anonymous historical example with a sieve-like brass cap has been preserved in the instru- ment collection of the Schlossmuseum Linz (shelfmark: Mu 29), see Bär, Holzblasinstru- mente (n. 3), 496. 32 Frank P. Bär summarises the differences in Praetorius’ data in tabular form: Bär, Holz- blasinstrumente (see n. 3), 162. 33 Frank P. Bär points out that the seven-finger fingerings of all six bassoon instruments referred to by Praetorius result in a continuous stratification into fifths (Bär, Holzblasinstru- 31Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 It is clear, however, that Praetorius describes a bassoon in the tenor re gister, or, alternatively, a ‘small bass to the Chorist-Fagott’ in G, and thus a type of instrument that we will encounter again in the 18th and 19th centuries, but with a different design. The treble instrument (in g or a), on the other hand, remains without a successor, and the alto instrument in d also finds no contin- uation, although later octave fagottini are in c and thus only a whole tone away from Praetorius’ instrument. The reason for this is presumably because the distance of an octave makes fingerings possible that players would have been accustomed to from the bass instrument. Michael Praetorius draws from practice and tries to interpret this systemati- cally. His system, for its part, contains contradictions, and the question arises as to which reality it reflects. As Klaus Hubmann was able to show in sum- mary, several historical bassoons of a smaller form exist from the 16th and 17th centuries, and traces of these can also be found in inventories and historical correspondence. In addition, there are a number of compositions that make explicit use of small bassoons, both in the homogeneous consort and as solo- ists and in pairs. In the latter roles, treble and tenor instruments were com- monly used.34 Special instruments of the 18th century With these remarks, the link is made to the more recent history of small bas- soons. As is well known, the grouping of instruments into families lost impor- tance towards the end of the 17th century. Mostly single instruments or pairs of instruments remained, with the exception of the violin family in the newly formed orchestra, as already described. A look at some of the examples dis- cussed by Praetorius confirms this: recorders, whose range had grown to two and a half octaves and more, became solo instruments or appeared in pairs in the same register, in larger or smaller mixed ensembles. The trio sonata, which became widespread at the end of the 17th century, played an important role in mente [see n. 3], 163). This would underline the striving for a “family” stratification of the instruments despite the described problems of classification. 34 Hubmann, “Hochgestimmte Fagotte” (see n. 1); see also the author’s contribution in this volume. Thomas Drescher32 the paired instrumentation of mostly high melody instruments. In the case of recorders in particular, there appeared a significant new tendency towards the construction of special instruments for special tasks. A prominent example is the so-called voice flute in d, which gave access to the large repertoire for vio- lin or transverse flute. Particularly rich in special instruments is the middle register of the high double-reed instruments, successors to the “Pommern und Schalmeyen” in Praetorius. The oboe d’amore is an example of such an instrument, in a and thus a third lower than the important treble instrument. It is intended for special use, with a particular timbre. Similarly, the oboe da caccia is found al- most exclusively in the Leipzig context. Like the cor anglais and the taille, it is in F, a fifth below the (treble) oboe. In the old ‘family’ context therefore, it belongs in the tenor register. The bassoon, with its systematic fundamental C, is a fourth below it. The intervals within the family are thus maintained, but in appearance, timbre and composed literature, the oboe da caccia must be thought of as clearly outside a consort or family. An even later special instrument of the 18th century is the basset clarinet in notated C. Its prominent use in W. A. Mozart’s late compositions made the instrument popular. It extends the clarinet’s low range, and thus makes a par- ticularly attractive register even more usable. Similar tonal effects are behind the use of the basset horn and the cor anglais. Obviously, the guiding idea behind these particular instruments is the search for special timbres, rather than any consideration of fitting into traditional consorts. So what does this mean for the small bassoons of the 18th and 19th centuries? It is not difficult to place the three existing variants in F/G (tenoroons) and c (fagottino) in a ‘family’ context. But they were no longer used in this context, only as individual instruments or in pairs, and, in the case of the tenor instru- ments, as an alternative to ordinary bassoons for playing solo parts in the high register.35 Sound and practical aspects of playing coincide here. Their occa- sional appearance in mixed wind ensembles or Harmoniemusik does not re- place the homogeneous consort, but rather refers to the repertoire and sound 35 See the observations of Áurea Domínguez, Donna Agrell and Giovanni Battista Gra- ziadio in this volume. 33Instrument Families and Small Bassoons in Michael Praetorius’ Syntagma Musicum 1619 of contemporary orchestras in which the different colours of the wind instru- ments were explored. It is difficult to determine whether the special instruments of the 18th and 19th centuries are based on their 16th and 17th century ancestors, or were created ‘ex ovo’, as it were. Michael Praetorius gives a terminologically telling hint when he refers to the instrument No. 5 in the legend to Plate X as ‘[…] Basset or Tenor to the Chorist-Fagott. in G’.36 This could imply that the tenor instrument can also be used as a small bass (“Bassett”), i. e. as an instrument that represents the bass in a higher register. If one follows this idea, then the function of teno- roons in the 18th and 19th centuries was foreshadowed by Praetorius. 36 Praetorius, Theatrum Instrumentorum, Plate X, legend (see Fig. 5). The Term “Basset” is also found in other instrument families, e. g. the shawms and recorders. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian, Especially in the Northern Italian and German-Speaking Regions Klaus Hubmann Michael Praetorius writes at the beginning of the eleventh chapter of the second volume of his Syntagma musicum (De Organographia): “Bassoons and Dulcians (Italis Fagotto & Dolcesouno [sic]) are named more or less indis- criminately”.1 This sounds familiar to our ears at first, but, apart from the fact that in none of the Italian sources of the 16th or 17th centuries known to date is the term dolcesuono to be found – Praetorius has arbitrarily Italianised a German or Latin term – the question arises whether his finding of 1619 would have been just as valid a few decades earlier? Was the instrument we now refer to as the dulcian called a fagotto from the beginning? Where and when does the name Dulzian appear? Woodwind instruments with a double bore, i. e., designed more or less along the lines of the U-shaped trombone slide, were a novelty in the first half of the 16th century. So it should come as no surprise that instruments using this innovative construction principle became the eponym for several instruments in Northern Italy. First of all, fagotto means nothing other than “A burden or heap of many things/so bound together.”2 Chronologically, the first instrument so named is probably the elaborately designed bagpipe-like phagotum or fagotto by Afranius of Ferrara (Albonesii) 1 Michael Praetorius, Syntagma musicum. Tomus Secundus. De Organographia, Wolfen- büttel 1619, 27 (recte: 38). “Fagotten und Dolcianen (Italis Fagotto & Dolcesouno [sic]) werden mehrertheils indifferenter also genennet”. 2 Levinus Hulsius, Dictionarium Teutsch-Italiänisch Vnd Italiänisch-Teutsch, Frankfurt/ Main: Nicolaus Hofmann 1618, [Part 2:] Dittionario Italian’ et Alemano, 143. “Fagotto. Ein Bürd / oder Häufflein vieler Ding / so zusammen gebunden seynd.” Klaus Hubmann36 (ca. 1489–ca. 1565), which was developed around 1515 and played by means of a bellows. Although it was not widely used, it became unexpectedly well known through two highly regarded publications from the first half of the 16th century. The first is the study Introductio in Chaldaicam linguam by the hu- manist Teseo Ambrogio degli Albonesi (1469–1540), a nephew of Afranius, on Syrian, Armenian, Coptic and even Etruscan languages, which was pub- lished in Padua in 1539. Dedicated to his uncle, it contains a detailed descrip- tion of this idiosyncratic instrument, including an elaborate illustration.3 The second is the Banchetti compositioni di vivande, published ten years later by Cristoforo di Messisbugo (Messi detto Sbugo), who was master of ceremonies for Alfonso I and his son Ercole II d’Este at the court of Ferrara from 1524 until his death in 1548. There, Afranius’ performances with “il suo fagotto” at court banquets are mentioned for the years 1529 and 1532.4 The book, which appeared posthumously in 1549, includes a collection of 315 recipes, and is considered to be the first printed cookbook in history. It was reprinted in Venice in several editions from 1557 to 1610 under a different title, Libro novo nel qual s’insegna a far d’ogni sorte di vivanda.5 The term fagotto was therefore largely reserved for this instrument in the Ferrara area, and later also in Venice. In 1706, Zaccaria Tevo (1651–1709) attributed the invention of the (later) bassoon to Afranius in his Il Musico Testore – “Afiano Pavese trovò il Fagotto”,6 a legend that Johann Gottfried Walther7 and Johann Heinrich Zed ler8 spread in the German-speaking world just over a quarter of a century 3 Teseo Ambrogio, Introductio in Chaldaicam linguam […], Padua 1539, fol. 178v and fol. 179r. 4 Cena di pesce, 20 May 1529 (Hyppolito d’Este) and Cena domestica, 21 November 1532 (Alphonso, Duca di Ferrara); Cristoforo di Messisbugo, Banchetti compositioni di vi- vande, Ferrara 1549, fol. 2v or fol. 9r. 5 New edition as “Libro novo nel qual s’insegna a far d’ogni sorte di vivanda”, Venice 1557; further editions of 1559, 1596, 1600 and 1610 in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Mu- nich. 6 Zaccaria Tevo, Il Musico Testore, Venice 1706, 12. 7 Johann Gottfried Walther, Musicalisches Lexicon Oder Musicalische Bibliothec, Leipzig 1732, 11. 8 Johann Heinrich Zedler et al, Grosses vollständiges Universal Lexicon Aller Wissen- schafften und Künste, vol. 1, Halle and Leipzig 1732, 727. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 37 later, and which, as is well known, persisted into the 20th century in numerous writings on organology.9 Twelve years ago, in his study10 about a beautiful drawing by Giovanni da Udine (1487–1564) from Berlin,11 Martin Kirnbauer plausibly demonstrated that, among other things, the double-bored columnar flute, which we know from the workshop of the Rauch family of instrument builders from Schrat- tenbach, was also referred to as a fagotto. Probably the earliest reference to the dulcian comes from a report of the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona from March 1546, which states that, among other instruments, “dui basonj soto il dito fagoto” were procured from Venice, i. e., two bass instruments, which are also referred to by the name fagotto. The term bassono appears a few times later in Venetian documents directly con- nected with the instrument makers Jacomo Bassano (1518–1566) and his son-in-law Santo Griti da Sebenico (today Šibenik/Cro) (ca. 1530–1586), who later also called himself Bassano. In the first of these Venetian sources, in a 1559 cost estimate for the Pifferi del Doge12, “pifari bassoni da quatro chiave, as well as bassoni curti” are listed, among others. Which instruments were meant here? There are two possibilities: the “pifari bassoni da quatro chiave” could be understood as bass bombards (Basspommer) with a key for F and three low extension keys down to C. In this case, the “bassoni curti” would probably be short bass instruments, i. e. most likely bassoons, which are only about half as long due to their double bore. On the other hand, it is also pos- sible that “pifari bassoni da quatro chiave” actually refers to bassoons which, like the richly decorated dulcian at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vi- enna, now kept in the collection of early musical instruments at the Kunsthis- torisches Museum (KHM GdM 117), were equipped with four keys instead of  9 For a detailed account of the history surrounding the phagotum of Afranius, see: James B. Kopp, The Bassoon, New Haven and London: Yale University Press 2012, 9–15. 10 Martin Kirnbauer, ‘si chiama fagotto’: Concerning a drawing of musical instruments by Giovanni Ricamatori, otherwise known as Giovanni da Udine, in: Early Music 39/2 (2011), 5–7. 11 Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kdz 5223. 12 Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Notarile Atti, Atti Giacomo Formento, busta 5584, 30 March 1559; see: Giulio M. Ongaro, “16th-century Venetian Wind Instrument Makers and their Clients”, in: Early Music 13/3 (1985), 397. Klaus Hubmann38 the usual two. In this case the “bassoni curti” could probably be interpreted as bassoons in a higher register. In any case, there are some indications that the name bassono was not only used to designate an instrument in the bass register but was also intended as a trademark and as a reference to the in ventor, perhaps Jacomo Bassano; one only needs to change one letter and Bassano becomes Bassono. Two observations support this thesis: firstly, around 1582 Santo Bassano (Griti) named his invention Bassanello, alluding to his chosen surname.13 Secondly, in Spain, where the dulcian became pop- ular early on, the instrument was consistently named bajon or similar, after the Italian bassono. As early as 1562, Melchor de Canzer is listed as playing baxón at the court of Philip II in Madrid.14 But what does Dolcian or Dulzian mean, and where and when was the instrument so named? Extensive comparisons of written sources, such as in- ventories, accounts, etc. at German-speaking courts, churches and monaster- ies of the 16th and 17th centuries, indicate that a great deal of effort was made to avoid confusion. This explains why the Italian term bassono was not adopted in German-speaking countries; it is too similar to the German bas- sun, one of the possible names for the trombone. The term dolcian or dulcian, mentioned by Praetorius and adopted by numerous authors after him, and so called “perhaps because of their sweetness”15, is not found at all in literary sources before 1615, the year of publication of the first part of his Syntagma musicum, and only sporadically in archive materials. In Stuttgart, a Dulcin is mentioned in 157116, as well as in Nuremberg in 157517, but whether this name actually indicates a Fagotto or perhaps a Dolzaina, – a name somewhat 13 Eleanor Selfridge-Field, “Venetian Instrumentalists in England: A Bassano Chronicle (1538–1660)”, in: Studi musicali 8 (1979), 175. 14 Maria Antonia Virgili Blanquet, “La capilla musical de Felipe II en 1562”, in: Nassare. Revista Aragonesa de Musicologica 4 (1988), 278. 15 Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 1), 27 (recte: 38). “Daher sie dann / villeicht wegen ihrer Liebligkeit / Dolcianen quasi Dulcisonantes genennet werden”. 16 Quoted from: Gustav Bossert, “Die Hofkantorei unter Herzog Christoph (1550– 1568)”, in: Württembergische Vierteljahreshefte für Landesgeschichte, Neue Folge XII, Stutt- gart 1898, 153. 17 Quoted from: Ekkehart Nickel, Der Holzblasinstrumentenbau in der Freien Reichsstadt Nürnberg, Munich: Katzbichler 1971 (Schriften zur Musik Band 8), 338. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 39 shrouded in mystery today but surprisingly widespread in the 16th century – cannot be answered unequivocally. Invoices for the Leipzig town pipers men- tion “a Dulzana” (7 June 1572), “2 Dulzan” (17 October 1579), “1 Dulzan” (12 August 1587) and ‘4 reeds to the dulcians’ (“4 Röhr zu den Dulcianen”) (26 March 1597).18 We also find the name Dulzan in the second stanza of the five- part song “Frisch auf, du edle Musikkunst” in Johann Hermann Schein’s Venus Kräntzlein, published in Leipzig in 1609. The fact that these Leipzig examples are referring to the bassoon may be proven by an interesting letter of 17 April 1577 from Andreas Sievers, “[…] trombonist along with other colleagues, who are town trumpet players in Bremen”, to the Leipzig town piper and instrument maker Conrad Rude, in which he asks him to send “a good dulcian, which is in good repair, trusting that it will be done properly”.19 In any case it is clear that, to avoid possible confusion, the name Dulzian was only used for Fagotto at courts or churches that did not have dolzaines or dulzaines. This was not, however, the case at the courts of Graz and Innsbruck, in Munich, with the Fugger family in Augsburg, or in the large and wealthy monasteries such as Kremsmünster. The term Dulzian or similar was practic ally unknown in southern Germany and Austria. It was only on 4 January 1706 that Georg Reutter the Elder (1656–1738) drew up an inventory of mu- sical instruments for the Viennese court orchestra20, which lists, among other items, “Nine dulcians, like the fagotti of rare black wood, red and inlaid with white bone, with ornaments, and reeds”.21 18 Rudolf Wustmann, Musikgeschichte Leipzigs bis zur Mitte des 17.  Jahrhunderts (= Vol. 1), Leipzig and Berlin: Kistner & Sigel 1909, 161. 19 Quoted from: Amalie Arnheim, “Aus dem Bremer Musikleben im 17. Jahrhundert”, in: Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft 12 (1911), 378. “Bassunist [= Po- saunist] sambt andern seinen Mitgesellen, Rathstrummeter zu Bremen”, / “a guhten Dul- cian, so auff guhten gelawen rechtschaffen zugerichtet […]”. 20 Inventario De’Instrumenti Musicali, che si ritrovano nella camera Musicale di S[ua] M[aestà] Ces[area] Anno 1706 (Vienna, ÖNB, Ser. Nov. 1603). 21 Quoted from Susanne and Theophil Antonicek, “Drei Dokumente zu Musik und Theater unter Kaiser Joseph I”, in: Manfred Angerer et al. (eds.), Festschrift Othmar Wessely zum 60. Geburtstag, Tutzing: Schneider 1982, 11–37; see also: Gerhard Stradner, “Die Blas instrumente in einem Inventar der Wiener Hofkapelle von 1706”, in: Studien zur Musikwis- senschaft 38 (1987), 53–63. “Nove Dolcini, come li fagoti di legno Negr’oscuro, rosse ed incastrati di osso bianco, con suoi adornamenti, e Cane”. Klaus Hubmann40 Continuing with Praetorius: “Otherwise, some think that these are the right Dolcians, which are called Zingel Korthol by the English”.22 He clearly means the tenor dulcian in C, as can be seen from the table showing the ranges, and from Plate X of the Theatrum instrumentorum. It is also interesting to note that many consider the instrument in C to be the reference size. Praetorius himself is clearly guided by Lodovico Zacconi, who, in Libro Quarto of his Prattica musica,23 refers to the bass instruments. In the third part of his Syn- tagma musicum, Praetorius writes: “Or one can use a Zingelcorthol and Dis- cant Fagott, although these” – and here he probably means the alto dulcian – “are seldom found purely pitched and properly tuned”.24 With respect to the Zingelcorthol, it is noted in a well-known later English source, namely the handwritten records of Randle Holmes’ Academy of Armony from just before 1688 that: “A double curtall is double the bigness of the other, and in play is 8 notes deeper than the single one”.25 In 1770, John Hoyle made a similar com- ment about the bassoon: “as big again as the Fagottino”.26 In both cases it is not a tenor but an alto instrument that is being described. In an inventory of the Graz court chapel of 4 June 157727, “a whole ensem- ble of old plain bassoons, including two bass, three tenor and two descant …”, are listed in addition to “a good bassoon, to be used daily.” This entry is re- 22 Michael Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 1), 27 (recte 38). “Sonsten wollen etliche / daß diß die rechte Dolcianen seyn / die von den Engelländern Zingel Korthol genennet werden”. 23 Lodovico Zacconi, Prattica di Musica, Venice 1592/96, fol. 118v. 24 Michael Praetorius, Syntagma musicum. Tomus Tertius, Wolfenbüttel: Elias Holwein 1619, 160. “Oder man kann ein Zingelcorthol und DiskantFagott / wiewol dieselben selten rein intonirt vnd recht gestimmet befunden werden / darzu gebrauchen”. 25 GB-Lbl Harlean MS. 2034f: Randle Holme III, Academy of Armory, before 1688. 26 John Hoyle, A complete dictionary of music. Containing a full and clear explanation, divested of technical phrases, of all the words and terms, English, Italian, &c. made use of in that science, London 1770, 45. 27 Verzaichnis Irer Frl: Dur: etc. Instrumenten, Trometten vnnd Gesanng Püecher, auch was darzue gehörig, so ich durch Merten Camerlannder den vierten Junij im Siebentundsie- benzigisten Jar, auch aines Thayls hernach, höchsternenter Irer Frl: Drht: Öbristen Musico Siman Gatto einantwortten vnd vbergeben hab lassen. (Hofakten des Ministeriums des In- nern I C 4, Kart. 5, fol. 20–21 in Vienna, Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv); quoted from the original, see also: Hellmut Federhofer, Musikpflege und Musiker am Grazer Habsburgerhof der Erzherzöge Karl und Ferdinand von Innerösterreich (1564–1619), Mainz: Schott 1967, Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 41 markable in several respects. On the one hand we have a very rare reference to daily (!) use, and on the other hand the designation ‘old’, which suggests that these instruments were made around the middle of the century. It is likely that the organist at San Marco in Venice, Annibale Padovano (1527–1575), Musi- cus from 1565 and obrister Musicus in Graz from 1567 at the latest, had pro- cured them in Venice at the beginning of 1566, in addition to other instru- ments, on the orders of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria. The imperial orator in Venice, Baron Franz von Thurn, lent him a hundred and seventy crowns for the “purchase of several instruments”.28 “Schlecht” likely doesn’t mean “bad” but “plain”, i. e., without ornamentation. It is also interesting to note the precise indication of the registers of the voices. This is the first men- tion of a complete set of ranges (“copia”) of dulcians. The “two descant” would be understood in newer terminology as instruments in the alto register, but they were probably dulcians in d, i. e. lying a fifth above the tenor, which – as can be seen in an illustration in the handwritten compendium Instrumentäli scher Bettlermantl – were called discant in the south of Germany and in Aus- tria.29 After the Archduke’s death in 1590, all instruments and musical materi- als acquired after 1577 were added to the list. Thus, in the addendum dated 1 November 1590, one finds “a big bassoon, a fifth lower” (“Ain groß fagat, ain Quint niderer”). This is the earliest reference to the existence of a great bass dulcian. Therefore, even before the five-year interregnum after 1590, the Graz court chapel had a complete dulcian consort in fifths (presumably F’, C, G, d). The first printed mention of the dulcian is also closely linked to the Graz court chapel. Lodovico Zacconi (1555–1627), a tenor singer at the Graz court from 1585 to 1590, describes the instrument in his extensive Prattica di Musica, which he was only able to write on the basis of musical knowledge he had ac- quired through contact with the Graz court musicians Simone Gatto, France 282. “ain ganze Copia alte schlechte fagati, darunder zween Baß, drey Tenor und zween discant” / “Ain guetter fagato, welcher täglich gebraucht wierdt.” 28 HKR 1566 Bd 2b, fol. 143; quoted from: Federhofer, Musikpflege (see n. 27), 106. “[…] zu erkhauffung etlicher Instrument hundert vnd sibenzig Cronen fürgestreckt”. 29 Anonymus A. S.P., Instrumentälischer Bettlermantl. Darinn in die dreissig Instrumenta mit etwas Unterricht ihren gebrauchs Zusamben getragner sein, ca. 1645/50, Edinburgh Uni- versity Library Ms. 319, 128. Klaus Hubmann42 sco Rovigo and Annibale Perini.30 In the first part, printed in Venice in 1592, which he originally intended to dedicate to Archduke Charles II, he reports: “It is called chorist bassoon because there is another one not tuned in the same way, but slightly higher or lower”.31 Lyndesey Langwill’s interpretation of this passage: “He is referring to the doppel fagott a fourth lower (G,), or a fifth lower (F,), and to the piccolo fagott, a fifth higher (G), which are Nos. 1, 2 and 4 in Praetorius’ table”,32 has been adopted uncritically in the relevant literature. It’s much more likely, however, that Zacconi, who does not refer to the family groupings of other instruments when describing them, means three different pitches, each differing by a semitone. Fagotto chorista, unlike Praetorius’ Chorist Fagott about a quarter of a century later, refers to a dulcian at Chorton. In 1782, Philipp Jacob Flathe wrote: “strumento corista, an instrument that has a chorus pitch”.33 In 1594 dulcians were also to be found at the Protestant collegiate church in Graz. In an inventory drawn up by the collegiate preacher Balthasar Fischer, “24 large and small instruments” are also listed as “a large cudgel [stick], two smaller cudgels [or sticks], a bassoon [fagottino?], of which the brass bocal is lost”.34 Here we encounter for the first time the term prigel [= Prügel, engl.: cudgel], a somewhat clumsy German or Austrian translation of the usual Italian fagotto. In 1607, “a big bassoon or stick [cudgel] with a leather bag”, is described in Innsbruck, clearly referring to a bass-sized dulcian.35 Accord- ingly, the Graz instruments are probably one bass, two tenor and one alto or treble dulcian. 30 Hermann Kretzschmar, “Lodovico Zacconis Leben auf Grund seiner Autobiographie”, in: Jahrbuch der Musikbibliothek Peters für 1910, Leipzig 1911, 53. 31 Lodovico Zacconi, Prattica di Musica, Venice 1592/96, fol. 118r. “Si dice Fagotto chorista perche ve n’ è vn’ altro che non è del suo tuono, ma vn poco piu alto over piu basso”. 32 Lyndesey G. Langwill, The Bassoon and Contrabassoon, London: Benn 1965, 112. 33 Philipp Jacob Flathe, Deutsch=Italienisches Wörterbuch, Leipzig 1782, 688. “Stru- mento corista, ein Instrument, das den Chorton hat”. 34 Graz, Landesarchiv, ständisches Archiv, Protestantika, Fasc. 90 (organists), fol. 2; quoted from: Hellmut Federhofer, “Annibale Perini”, in: Die Musikforschung 7 (1954), 408. “24 gross vnd khlein Instrumenta” / “Ain grosse Prigel, zween kliener Prigel, ain Fagotin, ist das Mundtror von Meßing daruon verlohrn”. 35 “Ain grosßer fagot oder prügel mit einem lederen sackh”. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 43 The earliest instrumentation with a dulcian clearly in the tenor or alto register can be seen in the instruction “Con basoncico alias fagotto piccolo”, which ap- pears in the altus secundus chorus part of the double-chorus psalm Laudate pueri in Giovanni Pietro Flaccomio’s (ca. 1565–1617) collection Liber primus concentus in duos distincti choros, published in Venice in 1611 by Angelo Gar- dano & Fratelli. This is the only Italian source found to date describing the use of a high-pitched dulcian. The entries “2 Fagottini da fiato” in the inventory of musical instruments of the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona of 1628, and “Vn fagottino di busso”36 in the inventories of 1640 and 1659, probably refer to the two Doppioni kept in the Museo Civico in Verona, as Albert Reimann already asserted in 1957.37 Incidentally, these instruments also have a double bore. There is a part, notated in baritone clef (F3) and probably intended for a tenor dulcian, in a choir book prepared by the Graz court singer and copyist Georg Kugelmann (died between 1613 and 1616). This volume is from the collection of the chapel of Archduke Ferdinand (from 1619 Emperor Ferdi- nand II), which had moved to Vienna; the part in question appears at the be- ginning of the bassus part of the Chorus Secundus of the Missa Dominus reg- navit a 16, composed by Lambert de Sayve (1549–1614) for the coronation of Emperor Matthias in 1612.38 In 1613 Christoph Strauß (Straus) (1575–1631), who was also present at the 1612 coronation in Frankfurt, had the Liber primus of his large collection of motets Nova ac diversimoda sacrarum cantionum compositio printed by Jo- hannes Fidler in Vienna. The nine-part motet Gabriel Angelus (no. 32) speci- fies a “Faggot: pic[colo]” for the “Octava vox”, notated in baritone clef (F3). In the twenty-part Missa Spiritus Sancti from Strauß’ collection Missae Christo- phori Strav, published by Matthäus Formica in Vienna in 1631, there is also the note “Faggot: pic: ó Tromb: & Voce”. 36 Probably bosso, i. e., boxwood, is meant here. 37 Verona, Museo Civico, inv. no. 13.288 and 13.289; Albert Reimann, Studien zur Geschichte des Fagotts. Das “Phagotum” des Afranius Albonesii und zwei “Fagotti” in Ve- rona. Geschichte der Namen für das Fagott, Diss. Freiburg i. Br. 1957, 62–68 and Kirnbauer (see n. 10), 4. 38 Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Wien (A-Wn), Mus.Hs. 16702/II, fol. 76r. Klaus Hubmann44 In the inventory of the Innsbruck court chapel, which was compiled in 1596 after the death of Archduke Ferdinand, “8 sordunes with their cases, which are: 2 basses, 3 tenors, 2 trebles and a smaller treble” are listed.39 In the 1665 invent ory, however, they are called “A whole family of seven identically built small and larger bassoons, each of which has six brass keys [literally: brass finger- ings]”.40 These instruments have a mostly cylindrical and rather narrow bore (like the Dolzaina), but double (like the Dulzian). The deep-sounding sordunes, which react acoustically like a stopped organ pipe, cannot be overblown, but have extension keys which expand their range lower and higher, and thereby achieve a range of an octave and a small seventh. Their designation as bassoons is hardly surprising if one reads Michael Praetorius, who writes about the sor- dune: “Sordun (Italis Sordoni, some call it Dolzianen) is almost equal in reso- nance to the Cornamuses or soft crumhorns.”41 The four ‘Innsbruck’ instru- ments, two great basses in C’ and two basses in F and G, which have been preserved in the collection of early musical instruments at the Kunsthisto risches Museum in Vienna, as well as another instrument in Rome,42 differ in their construction from those described by Praetorius however. The motet Benedicam Dominum from the large collection Apparatus mu- sicus sacrarum cantionum concertantium by Johann Stadlmayr (ca. 1575–1648), published by Michael Wagner in Innsbruck in 1645, calls for five low instru- ments in addition to two tenor or soprano parts. These are indicated as “Viola, Fagotto ò Trombon”, notated in baritone clef (F3) for the top voice, “Viola, 39 Inventari weilend der fürstlich durchlaucht erzherzog Ferdinanden zu Österreich etc. lobseligster gedechtnus varnuszen und mobilien, fol. 229v–230v; quoted from Wendelin Boe- heim [ed.], “Urkunden und Regesten aus der k. k. Hofbibliothek”, in: Jahrbuch der Kunsthis- torischen Sammlungen des allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses, vol. 7, Vienna 1888, CCLVII. “Sor- dani, 8 stuckh, mit iren fueteralen, als 2 pasz, 3 tenor; 2 discant und ain clainerer discant”. 40 See Franz Waldner, “Zwei Inventarien aus dem XVI. und XVII. Jahrhundert über hinterlassene Musikinstrumente und Musikalien am Innsbrucker Hofe”, in: Studien zur Musikwissenschaft 4 (1916), 132–133. “Ain ganz Stimwerkh von 7 gleichgemachten cleinen vnnd grösseren Fagötten, deren jeder mit 6. Messing griffen”. 41 Michael Praetorius, Syntagma II (see n. 1), 39. “Sordun (Italis Sordoni, etliche nennen es Dolzianen) ist am Resonantz fast den CornaMusen oder stillen Krumbhörnern gleich”. 42 Rome, Museo degli strumenti musicali, Sign. 705; see: Luisa Cervelli, La Galleria Ar- monica. Catalogo del Museo degli strumenti musicali di Roma, Rome: Istituto poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato 1994, 249–250. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 45 Trombon ò Fagotto” for the second and third voices, and “Violon ò Fagotto”, in sub-bass clef (F5), for the two lowest. It is probable that Stadlmayr was think- ing of an instrumentation with five sordunes.43 The first references to dulcians in Innsbruck can be found during the reign (from 1602) of Maximilian III, who had already established a chapel in 1585 at his residence in Mergentheim, shortly after his appointment as Grand Master of the German Order. In a recently-discovered inventory from the archives of this Deutschmeisterorden, probably compiled in 1607 on the occasion of the transfer of the post of Court Kapellmeister from Johannes de Fossa (?–1611) to Johann Stadlmayr, one of the items listed is “a big bassoon or cudgel with a leather bag”, as mentioned above.44 Additionally, in 1613 Maximilian’s governor in Mergentheim, Johann Eustach von Westernach (1545–1627), sent a large collection of musical instruments to Innsbruck, which included “two single bassoons” (“Zwen einfache fagöt”),45 a designation that is probably synonym ous with the Zingel Korthol in Praetorius. So these are clearly the two tenor dulcians that are also listed in the chapel inventory of 1655. It is likely that a very interesting Canzon A 2 Tenori, No. 22, from the Canzoni fantasie e correnti da suonar a 1, 2, 3, 4 voci con Basso Continuo by the Spanish bassoonist Barto- lomeo de Selma y Salaverde (ca. 1595–after 1638), printed by Pietro Magni in Venice, relates to the instruments mentioned above. From 1628 to 1630 Selma was employed at the Innsbruck court chapel, and eight years later still proudly referred to himself as “Musico & Suonator di Fagotto DELL’ ALTEZZA SER. DI LEOPOLDO Archiduca d’Austria di Felice memoria & d’altri Prencipi & c.”. The Canzona No. 38 for soprano, tenor, bass instruments and basso continuo, whose two lower concertante parts can be successfully played with tenor and bass dulcians, also deserves mention. Tenor dulcians are also used in four-, six-, eight- and fourteen-part instrumental canzonas, as well as in several motets with large instrumentation. They can be found as well in Johann Stadlmayr’s 43 See: Klaus Hubmann, “‘Nit a iedem wohl pekant’ – Der Dulzian in Österreich”, in: Klaus Aringer and Bernhard Rainer (eds.), Musik in Österreich von 1564 bis 1740, Graz: Leykam 2022 (Neue Beiträge zur Aufführungspraxis 9), 186–188. 44 See n. 34. 45 “Dan ist durch herrn von Westernachs stathaltern anno 1613 von Mergentheim al- hero nacher Insprugh überschickht worden”; friendly communication from Franz Gratl, Innsbruck. Klaus Hubmann46 Apparatus musicus, designated there as Fagottino and notated in tenor clef (C4), and also in the five-part motets O beatum virum Martinum (4th Chorus: Altus & 5 Fagotti) and Vox caelestis (1st Chorus: 2 Corn[etti]. 1 Trombone. o Fagot- tino), from the collection Ara musica solemni concertu ad veram et veteram formam redacta by Stadlmayr’s pupil Abraham Megerle (1607–1680), which unfortunately survives only in fragments.46 Very early on, as early as 1589 or the following year, there were “5 bas- soons, including 4 tenors” (“5 Vagoten, darunter 4 Tenor”) in the Stuttgart court chapel. These instruments may have been a bass, three tenors and an alto in d. The inventory of 1589, with additions up to 1594, specifies: “1 bassoon, which is a treble, sent back to Breslau [today: Wrocław, PL] to be completed”, apparently because something was missing or broken off, with a note added in the margin: “not been sent back after the agreed time. 1 small bassoon, which is a tenor, decorated with brass, made by the Dutchman Melchior Billigkheim”. It also includes a further entry: “Two small bassoons made by Daniel Schorn- dorfer in the year [15]90”.47 On 24 February 1613, the Kassel Kapellmeister George Otto (1550–1618) made an inventory of the musical materials and instruments in the possession of Landgraf Moritz of Hesse-Kassel, which includes, among other things, “a small bassoon in C as well as a very small bassoon”, which must have been a tenor and an alto dulcian. Maggie Kilbey proposes that Heinrich Schütz ac- quired a considerable number of instruments for Moritz Landgraf of Hesse, among them bassoons and bassanelli, during his first stay in Venice.48 In any 46 The information on instrumentation is taken from the “Partitura” part book in München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (D-Mbs), sign. 2 Mus. pr. 333. 47 Quoted from: Gustav Bossert, “Die Hofkapelle unter Eberhard III.; Beilage Nr. 2: Ka talog der Bibliothek der Hofkapelle von 1589, Inventarium instrumentorum musicorum in anno 1589”, in: Württembergische Vierteljahreshefte für Landesgeschichte, Neue Folge 21 (1912), 134. “1 Vagot, so 1 Discant ist, gen Preßlaw widerumben zu ergänzen ge schickt” / “nach der Zeit nit wieder geschickt. 1 kleiner Vagot, so ein Tenor mit Meß be schlagen, den Melchior Billigkheim der Niederländer verfertigt” / “2 kleine Vagoten, so Daniel Schorndorfer in ao. 90 verfertigt”. 48 Maggie Kilbey, Curtal, Dulcian, Bajón: A History of the Precursor to the Bassoon, St. Al- bans: M. Kilbey 2002, 17. “Ein kleiner Fagott ins C sowie Ein gar kleiner Fagott”. Reflections on the Origin, Distribution, and Repertoire of the High-Pitched Dulcian 47 case, Schütz must have been familiar with bassoons in various sizes. A very instructive example appears in his two-part motet In lectulo per noctes – Inven- erunt me custodes civitatis (SWV 272/273), from the Symphoniae sacrae, pub- lished in Venice in 1629, which includes a three-part dulcian consort consist- ing of a tenor and two basses. An anonymous Sonata à 8. 4 Viole & 4. Fagotti, attributed to Clemens Thieme (1631–1668), probably written around 1650 and to be found in Kass- el,49 features alto, tenor, bass and quint bass dulcians. This work most likely relates to the dulcians of the Kassel Court Chapel. In 1643 Thomas Selle (1599–1663) featured two tenor dulcians as accom- panying instruments to the Evangelist part in his Passion 2dum Johannem.50 Andreas Unger (ca. 1605–1657), cantor at the Wenzelskirche in Naumburg an der Saale, bequeathed 53 wind and 10 string instruments to his church in 1657. Among these were two alto, four tenor and two bass dulcians, all of which have been preserved, with the exception of one alto instrument which was lost during the Second World War. They are now in the Musikinstru- menten-Museum of the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung Preußischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin. Also from Unger’s private library51 came a copy of a “Concert à 21 Schützens. Domini est terra ex g”,52 held in the Universitätsbib- liothek of Königsberg (present-day Kaliningrad), with the shelfmark 13609 (3), but unfortunately lost during the Second World War. This is probably an authentic Schütz arrangement (SWV 476) of No. 39, “Domini est terra. Con- cert: à 16. 8 vocibus è 8 Instrumentis. Pro Ascensione Domini vel omni tem- pore” (Psalm 24) from Johann Stadlmayr’s Apparatus musicus of 1645, with 49 D-Kl, sign. 2° Ms. Mus. 60f; See: Clytus Gottwald, Die Handschriften der Gesamthoch- schulbibliothek Kassel, Landesbibliothek und Murhardsche Bibliothek der Stadt Kassel, Wies- baden: Harrassowitz 1997 (Manuscripta musica 6), 171. 50 Thomas Selle, Opera omnia, Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Carl von Ossietzky, Hamburg (D-Hs), sign. Scrin. 251. 51 Arno Werner, “Die alte Musikbibliothek und die Instrumentensammlung an St. Wen- zel in Naumburg an der Saale”, in: Archiv für Musikwissenschaft 8 (1926/27), 413. 52 Joseph Müller, Die musikalischen Schätze der Königlichen- und Universitätsbibliothek zu Königsberg in Preußen. Aus dem Nachlasse Friedrich August Gottholds, Bonn 1870; re- print Hildesheim, New York: Olms 1971, 326. Klaus Hubmann48 the addition of a five-part dulcian consort consisting of an alto, two tenors, a bass and a great bass (in low F’). In the Neu=gepflantzten Thüringischen Lust=Gartens Ander Theil by Jo- hann Rudolph Ahle, published in 1658 by Johann Hüter in Mühlhausen, ap- pears the highly interesting Christmas cantata, No. XXVIII, Fürchtet euch nicht, for eight voices, four dulcians (alto, tenor, tenor, bass) and basso continuo. On three cover pages of a copy of Johann Kuhnau’s cantata Gott sei mir gnädig nach deiner Güte, from the collection of the Fürstenschule Grimma53 made around 1705, the fagottino part of an anonymous Sonata à 4 with the movements Adagio–Allegro–Adagio, Allemand, Courand, Gavott, Saraband and Gigue has been preserved. Judging by the writing and the musical style, this work, which unfortunately has only survived in fragments, probably dates from the last quarter of the 17th century and must therefore be regarded – at least for the time being  – as the last known composition from the Ger- man-speaking region to include a solo tenor dulcian. Admittedly, for about a century from the last quarter of the 16th century, dul- cians in the tenor or alto register were only to be found in relatively few chapels of wealthy courts and churches. The fact that they nevertheless attracted the interest of renowned composers, from Lambert de Sayve to Johann Stadlmayr, and Thomas Selle to Heinrich Schütz, speaks to the fascination held by the smaller siblings of what was probably the most successful double-reed instru- ment of the 17th century. 53 Today in: Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (D-Dl), sign. Mus.2133-E-507. Bassoons Come in all Sizes: A Typology of Fagottini Áurea Domínguez Changes to the morphology of small-sized bassoons in the 18th and 19th centu- ries were closely intertwined with those of their full-sized counterparts. These small instruments were developed and built by prominent woodwind manu- facturers across Europe, including Denner, Grenser, and Savary. Various na- tional characteristics in craftsmanship emerged, resulting in the development of three distinct types, each tuned to different pitches. This article explores the history of small-sized bassoons, namely the fagottino, tuned an octave higher, and the tenoroon, tuned either a fifth or a fourth higher, spanning from the early 18th century to the present day.1 Organological descriptions of the differ- ent models are drawn from examinations of surviving instruments held in museums and private collections all over the world. This survey of the history of small bassoons aims to contribute to a greater understanding of bassoon manufacturing history, specifically during the period from the early 18th to the early 20th centuries, a period in which significant changes in bassoon construc- tion took place. Figure 1 depicts bassoons side-by-side, showing the complexity and vari- ety of sizes, and the relationship between different models and sizes. From top to bottom, the instruments shown are: an instrument in C tuned at the octave (with a total length of just 60 cm), one in G tuned a fifth higher, an instrument in F tuned at the fourth, a full-sized bassoon, and a contrabassoon. These are the most common, although some historical references to instruments tuned in E-flat exist. It is unclear, however, if any have survived. 1 In this article, the term “fagottino” refers to all types of transposing small bassoons, as well as to models that sound an octave higher than the bassoon. Instruments pitched a fifth or fourth higher are referred to as tenoroons in G or F. The instruments studied by the re- search team have been catalogued, with each instrument assigned an index number begin- ning with the letters FT (Fagottino/Tenoroon). Áurea Domínguez50 The oldest surviving fagottini The fagottino and tenoroon possess a rich and intricate history, which is evi- dent from the large number of existing instruments and the range of variation observed among them. The oldest surviving small bassoons were built at the end of the 17th century. In the earliest stage of fagottino construction, dating from ca. 1680 to around 1780, we find that around thirty instruments have survived, which is a relatively large number considering their age. Table 1 shows a list of instruments and their makers that have survived from this early period. It is an excerpt from the full catalogue of small bas- soons compiled by the fagottino research team from 2017 to 2023, which is available online.2 Table 1 provides also a general overview of the regions in which these early instruments were made, as well as some basic details of their construction, such as the number of keys and transposition size. It shows that most of these 18th-century small bassoons are octave instruments, although some tenoroons in G were also made during the 18th century. As was the case with full-sized bassoons in the first half of the 18th century, small-sized bas- soons of this period had three or four keys. Many of these octave fagottini were built in Germany by makers such as Johann Christoph Denner, who was active 2 “Instrument Catalogue of Small-sized Bassoons, ca. 1700–ca. 1915” https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.13909393 (10 October 2024), also included in this volume. Fig. 1: Bassoons built in different sizes. From top to bottom: 3D-printed octave fagottino after FT30 Scherer, FT6 Anonymous Austrian tenoroon in G, copy after FT42 Savary jeune teno roon in F, Baroque bassoon after Wietfelt by Pau Orriols, and Baroque contrabassoon after Eichentopf by Guntrum Wolf. Photo: Áurea Domínguez. Bassoons Come in all Sizes: A Typology of Fagottini 51 in Nuremberg from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century, or by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, who worked in Leipzig around the same time.3 Besides other anonymous instruments sharing the same characteristics, some lesser- known makers also built small bassoons, including J. Kuteruf and Müller.4 The production of woodwind instruments in the 18th century was fre- quently centralised in large workshops where numerous artisans produced a variety of instruments and instrument parts at the same time. In many cases, these workshops continued for generations as family businesses with the same 3 Phillip T. Young, 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments: An Inventory of 200 Makers in International Collections, London: Tony Bingham 1993, 69. 4 Ibid., 274. Table 1: List of surviving small bassoons manufactured 1680–1780. MAKER INSTRUMENTS PROVENANCE DATE Anonymous Four instruments: 3–4-key fagottini. FT4/7/40/65 Diverse ca. 1730–1770 Denner 3-key fagottino. FT14 Nuremberg ca. 1700 Eichentopf 3-key fagottino. FT81 Germany ca. 1740 Schramme 3-key fagottino. FT118 Germany ca. 1700–1740 Scherer Six instruments: 4–5-key fagottini. FT28/29/30/39/44/115 Butzbach ca. 1750–1778 Kraus Five instruments: 3–4-key tenoroon in G. FT18/91/92/93/ 94 Germany ca. 1750–1790 Kuteruf 3-key fagottino. FT59 Germany ca. 1700–1760 Grenser, A. 4-key fagottino. FT86 Dresden ca. 1744–1798 Müller 4-key fagottino. FT20 Germany ca. 1770 Schlegel 4-key fagottino. FT116 Basel ca. 1752–1792 Rottenburgh Three instruments: 4-key fagottino. FT23/107/108 Brussels ca. 1760 Le Breton Reference to a “counter-tenor bassoon”. FT97 Paris ca. 1692 Lot, M. Two instruments: 3–5-key fagottini. FT98/99 Paris ca. 1743–1785 Prudent Fagottino. FT106 Paris ca. 1765–1783 Collings 3-key fagottino. FT78 UK ca. 1771–1773 Áurea Domínguez52 name, like two of the most prolific fagottino makers of the 18th century, Scherer and I. Kraus. These two workshops were among the largest of the 18th-century woodwind instrument family companies operating in Germany and, although they were both active for several generations, not much is known about them. The family-operated Kraus workshop made several tenor instruments in G. The five surviving instruments are two 3-key tenoroons and three 4-key tenoroons, which are held today in museums in Japan, Munich, Eisenach, Salzburg, and Paris.5 There is a relatively small body of research about the Kraus family and instrument-building workshop. In 1986 Herbert Heyde pub- lished a comprehensive study of the Kraus tenoroon located in Eisenach, in which he noted Kraus’ use of some specific measurement units, which at the time were used only in Switzerland and in the neighbouring area of Baden. Based on this discovery, one can surmise that there was a connection between Kraus and “Pfeifenmacher Kraus”, a late 17th-century maker working in Liech- tenstein mentioned by Fride