The treatment of the bassoon in three chamber works of Igor Stravinsky.

Abstract

This document examines Stravinsky's treatment and use of the bassoon in three of his chamber works: L'Histoire du Soldat, Octet, and Septet. The research contained within will, in part, assess the extent to which Stravinsky has affected the development of the bassoon's role in a chamber ensemble, and will provide a general evaluation of his varied treatment of the bassoon in terms of technique, range, articulation, and ensemble. Another aspect of this study considers the possibility that Stravinsky wrote for the French system bassoon. A comparison of the two types of bassoon systems will demonstrate why Stravinsky's works seem so ungrateful to many modern bassoonists who have been trained on the German system instrument.