Bassoon repertoire

Baroque

• Johann Friedrich Fasch: Several bassoon concerti; the best known is in C major
• Christoph Graupner: Four bassoon concerti
• Johann Wilhelm Hertel: Bassoon Concerto in A minor
• Georg Philipp Telemann: Sonata in F minor
• Antonio Vivaldi: 39 concerti for bassoon, 37 of which exist in their entirety today
• Jan Dismas Zelenka: Six trio sonatas for two oboes, bassoon and basso continuo

  Classical

• Johann Christian Bach:
• *Bassoon Concerto in B
• *Bassoon Concerto in E major
• Franz Danzi:
• *Bassoon Concerto in G minor,
• *Bassoon Concerto in C
• *2 Bassoon Concerto in F major
• *3 Quartets for Bassoon and Strings, Op. 40
• François Devienne:
• *12 Sonatas
• *3 Quartets
• *Bassoon Concerto
• *6 Duos Concertants
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Grand Concerto for Bassoon
• Leopold Kozeluch:
• *Bassoon Concerto in B major
• *Bassoon Concerto in C major
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B, K. 191, the only surviving of the original three bassoon concertos he wrote
• Antonio Rosetti:
• *Bassoon Concertos in F major
• *Bassoon Concertos in B major
• *Bassoon Concerto in E major
• Carl Stamitz: Bassoon Concerto in F major
• Johann Baptist Wanhal:
• *Bassoon Concerto in C major
• *Concerto in F major for two bassoons and orchestra

  Romantic

• Franz Berwald: Konzertstück
• Ferdinand David: Concertino for bassoon and orchestra, op. 12
• Edward Elgar: Romance for bassoon and orchestra, op. 62
• Johann Nepomuk Fuchs: Bassoon Concerto in B major
• Julius Fučík: Der alte Brummbär for bassoon and orchestra, op. 210
• Reinhold Glière: Humoresque and Impromptu for Bassoon and Piano, op. 35, nos. 8 and 9
• Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata for bassoon and piano in G major, op. 168
• Carl Maria von Weber:
• *Andante e rondo ungarese in C minor, op. 35b
• *Bassoon Concerto in F, op. 75

  Twentieth century

• Miguel del Aguila:
• *Hexen for bassoon and string orchestra
• *Hexen for bassoon and piano
• Luciano Berio: Sequenza XII for solo bassoon
• Pierre Boulez: Dialogue de l'ombre double for bassoon and electronics
• Howard J. Buss: A Day in the City for solo bassoon
• *Time Capsule for oboe and bassoon
• *Desert Odyssey for clarinet, bassoon and piano
• Peter Maxwell Davies: Strathclyde Concerto no.8 for bassoon and orchestra
• Edison Denisov
• *Cinq Etudes for bassoon
• *Sonata for solo bassoon
• Franco Donatoni: Concerto for bassoon
• Henri Dutilleux:
• *Sarabande et Cortège for bassoon and piano
• * Regards sur l'Infini and Deux sonnets de Jean Cassou for bassoon and piano
• Alvin Etler: Sonata for bassoon and piano
• Jean Françaix:
• *Quadruple Concerto for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and orchestra
• *Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet
• *Le coq et le renard for 4 bassoons
• *Sept impromptus for flute and bassoon
• *Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano
• *Two pieces for bassoon and piano
• Glenn Gould: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
• Sofia Gubaidulina:
• *Concerto for bassoon and low strings
• *Duo sonata for two bassoons
• Paul Hindemith:
• *Sonata for bassoon and piano
• *Four pieces for cello and bassoon
• *Concerto for trumpet, bassoon and orchestra
• *Concerto for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, harp and orchestra
• Bertold Hummel:
• *Concertino for bassoon and strings, Op. 27b
• *5 Epigrams for bassoon solo Op. 51
• *Divertimento for bassoon and violoncello, Op. 62
• Gordon Jacob:
• *Concerto for bassoon, strings and percussion
• *Four Sketches for bassoon
• *Partita for bassoon
• Paul Jeanjean: Prelude and Scherzo for bassoon and piano
• André Jolivet:
• *Concerto for bassoon, strings, harp and piano
• *Pastorales de Noël for flute, bassoon and harp
• Lev Knipper: Concerto for bassoon and strings
• Charles Koechlin:
• *Three pieces for bassoon and piano, Op. 18
• *Sonata for bassoon and piano, Op.71
• *Silhouettes de comédie, 12 pieces for bassoon and orchestra, Op. 193
• György Kurtág: Játékok és üzenetek for solo bassoon
• Mary Jane Leach: Feu de Joie for solo bassoon and six taped bassoons
• Anne LeBaron: After a Dammit to Hell for bassoon solo
• Jef Maes: Burlesque for bassoon and piano
• Francisco Mignone:
• *Double Bassoon Sonata
• *16 valses for bassoon
• *Concertino for bassoon and orchestra
• Willson Osborne: Rhapsody for bassoon
• Andrzej Panufnik: Concerto for bassoon and small orchestra
• Sergei Prokofiev: Humoristic Scherzo for four bassoons, Op. 12b
• Einojuhani Rautavaara: Bassoon Sonata
• Alan Ridout: Concertino for bassoon and strings
• Timothy Salter:
• *Monopolies for solo bassoon
• *Imprints for bassoon and piano
• Richard Strauss: Duet Concertino for clarinet and bassoon with strings and harp
• Lubos Sluka: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
• Stjepan Šulek: Concerto for bassoon and orchestra
• Alexandre Tansman:
• *Sonatine for bassoon and piano
• *Suite for bassoon and piano
• Heitor Villa-Lobos: Ciranda das sete notas for bassoon and string orchestra
• John Williams: The Five Sacred Trees: Concerto for bassoon and orchestra
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari: Suite-concertino for bassoon and chamber orchestra
• Isang Yun: Monolog for bassoon solo
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Concerto for bassoon and orchestra

  Twenty-first century

• Nimrod Borenstein
• *Concerto for bassoon and string orchestra opus 56a
• Howard J. Buss: Ballad for bassoon and piano ; Behind the Invisible Mask for bassoon and one percussion ; Concerto for Bassoon for bassoon and piano, 2017; Fables from Aesop for bassoon and violin ; Four Miniatures for two bassoons ; Aquarius for 3 bassoons ; Levi's Dream for bassoon quartet ; Prelude and Intrada for bassoon quartet or ensemble ; Contrasts in Blue for oboe, bassoon and piano ; Cosmic Portraits for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon ; Emanations for two bassoons and drum set, 2016; The Enchanted Garden for bassoon and string trio, 2016; The Heavens Awaken for bassoon and string quartet ; Luminous Horizons for bassoon and harp, 2016; Trio Lyrique for horn, bassoon and piano ; Turbulent Times for flute, bassoon and piano; Village Scenes for oboe, clarinet and bassoon.
• Miguel del Aguila:Sunset Song for bassoon and piano; Nostalgica for bassoon and string quartet; Malambo for bassoon and string quartet ; Malambo for bassoon and piano; Tango Trio for bassoon clarinet and piano; or bassoon, oboe and piano
• Eric Ewazen: Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble
• Karel Janovický: ; Duos for violin and bassoon, No 1, No 2 ; Sonata for bassoon and piano ; Bassoon Quartet.
• Lior Navok: Ex Silentium for bassoon and piano
• Robert Paterson: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano ; Elegy for Two Bassoons and Piano
• Wolfgang Rihm: Psalmus for bassoon and orchestra
• Ananda Sukarlan: "Communication Breakdown" for flute, bassoon and piano
• Graham Waterhouse: Basson Quintet ; Bright Angel for three bassoons and contrabassoon
• Patrick Nunn: Gonk for Bassoon and Sound File

  Works featuring prominent bassoon passages

• Johann Sebastian Bach: many bassoon passages, including: BWV 155 and BWV 149.
• Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; the second movement features woodwind instruments in pairs, beginning with the bassoons, and the recapitulation of their duet adds a third instrument playing a staccato counter-melody.
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, fourth movement; Symphony 9 in D minor: fourth movement: --after the 24-measure exposition of the Ode to Joy, the first bassoon enters with a prominent counter-melody for the next 24 measures; and continues a solo to add emphasis to the theme.
• Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique. In the fourth movement, there are several solo and tutti bassoon passages. This piece calls for four bassoons.
• Georges Bizet: Carmen, Entr'acte to Act II features two bassoons initially in unison to the tune of "Dragons d'Alcala" from the opera.
• Benjamin Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Variation D features the bassoons.
• Emmanuel Chabrier : España, four bassoons in unison play a Spanish tune.
• Frédéric Chopin: "Piano Concerto No. 2 ", measures 82, etc. of the Larghetto feature a sublime moment for the bassoon.
• Michael Daugherty: Alligator Alley features bassoon solos at the beginning and lively melody through the whole piece.
• Gaetano Donizetti: Una furtiva lagrima, from the Italian opera, L'elisir d'amore, opens with a solo bassoon passage.
• Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, widely recognized as used in the film Fantasia; the main melody is first heard in a famous bassoon solo passage.
• Manuel de Falla: The Three-cornered Hat, where the bassoon represents El corregidor.
• Edvard Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King.
• Georg Friedrich Handel: many bassoon passages: including: "Ariodante": "Scherza infida" ; and "Amadigi": "Pena tiranna."
• Franz Josef Haydn: The Creation: "Holde Gattin"; and Symphony No. 68.
• W A Mozart: many, for example, "Symphony No. 41 ", as mentioned above; "Great Mass in C minor, K. 427", in the Et incarnatus est, the bassoon is one of three obligato soloists to accompany the soprano.
• Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel; particularly "Promenade II", "Il Vecchio Castello", and "Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells". A brief solo appears in the second part of "The Hut on the Fowl's Legs: Baba Yaga"
• Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 5, the main theme of the first movement is introduced by a pair of bassoons.
• Carl Orff: Carmina Burana, the 12th movement, "Olim lacus colueram", opens with a high bassoon solo.
• Krzysztof Penderecki: Symphony no. 4 "Adagio", a long solo passage followed by strings in the background appears in the middle of the symphony.
• Sergei Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, the theme of the grandfather; Piano Concerto No.3 in C major Op.26, third movement, bassoon and cellos play the theme in staccato and pizzicato.
• Jean-Philippe Rameau: "Entrée de Polymnie", from the Act IV of his posthumous opera Les Boréades
• Maurice Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole, features a fast, lengthy dual cadenza at the end of the first movement; Boléro, the bassoon has a high descending solo passage near the beginning; Piano Concerto in G Major; Piano Concerto in D Major, prominent use of contrabassoon in the opening; Ma mère l'oye a contrabassoon solo in the fourth part; Alborada del gracioso, solo after the theme, a long solo.
• Ottorino Respighi: "Trittico Botticelliano", the second movement, L'Adorazione dei Magi, opens with a bassoon solo which transitions into an oboe/bassoon duet - the bassoon appears solo later in the movement also in a different figure.
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, second movement: "Tale of the Kalendar Prince"
• Dmitri Shostakovich: Several symphonies including No. 1, No. 4, No. 5, No. 7 "Leningrad" first movement, No. 8, and No. 9 , No. 10, No. 15.
• Jean Sibelius: Symphony 2 in D minor, second movement opening—bassoons play in octaves; Symphony 5 in E-flat major.
• Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, opens with a famously unorthodox bassoon solo; The Firebird, "Berceuse"; "Infernal Dance" with contrabassoon, horns, trombone, tuba; Pulcinella Suite.
• Silvestre Revueltas: Sensemayá, prominently features a solo bassoon playing an ostinato that represents the syllabic rhythm of the poem on which the piece is based, also named Sensemayá by Nicolás Guillén.
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony 4 in F minor, Symphony 5 in E minor, Symphony 6 in B minor.
• Giuseppe Verdi : La donna è mobile, from the opera Rigoletto, bassoon plays the theme on the end of the aria; Messa da Requiem, 1st bassoon has an extended passage which begins solo but then accompanies the soprano, mezzo and tenor in the Quid sum miser section of the Dies Irae.