The Bassoons in Marin Mersenne's Harmonie universelle (1636)The Bassoons in Marin Mersenne'sHarmonie universelle (1636)Richard Semmens, The Universityof Western Ontario, Canada[The following article first appeared in the JOURNAL OF THEAMERICAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SOCIETY, Vol. X, 1984, and is reprintedhere with the kind permission of the General Editor, Ms. MarthaMaas. Ed.]Recent scholarship has shown that many Woodwind Instruments- notably the recorder, flute, oboe, and bassoon - underwent considerableremodelling during the middle decades of the seventeenth century.[1] The remodellings, moreover, havebeen shown to have taken place in and around Paris, specificallyby a group of woodturners centering around Jean Hotteterre (d.ca. 1678).[2] In light of the changesthat occurred in seventeenth-century woodwinds, the monumentalHarmonie universelle[3] ofMarin Mersenne (1588-1648) assumes paramount significance, forafter its publication there were few printed French sources describingwoodwind Instruments until 1700,[4]when the instruments had already been remodelled. As a result,Mersenne traditionally has been considered one of the final exponentsof the older instruments, and his descriptions of woodwinds haveserved as a point of departure, a source to which discussionsof remodelled instruments may be compared. In the case of theshawm and recorder families, both of which are treated in Harmonieuniverselle in much the same way as they had been in the sixteenthand early seventeenth centuries, such an approach to the writingsof Mersenne seems perfectly valid. The bassoons described by Mersenne,on the other hand, do not lend themselves so convincingly to suchan approach.This article will attempt to come to terms with the instrumentsthat Mersenne calls fagots and bassons. In so doing,it will demonstrate that the instruments under Mersenne's scrutinyhad already entered a period of transition between the older dulzianand the more modern baroque bassoon. It is necessary at the outsetto establish an early seventeenth -century standard bassoon againstwhich we may judge the several types described by Mersenne.In 1596 Lodovico Zacconi provided a range of C to b-flat foran instrument that he calls the Fagotto-chorista.[5]This instrument is not illustrated by Zacconi, but inasmuch asits range and especially its name correspond to the Chorist-Fagottdescribed by Michael Praetorius in 1619,[6]we may assume it to be an early bassoon. Praetorius's De organographia,in conjunction with his diagrams in Theatrum instrumentorum (1620),gives us an accurate idea of the early seventeenth - century bassoon.He writes, "on the Chorist-Fagott, the lowest note is C [and]on the double bassoon, FF."[7]Praetorius next describes two varieties of double bassoons: aQuart-bass, which descends to GG, and the Quint-bass,with FF as its lowest tone. He continues: ... and it is most useful when both these kinds [of double bassoons] are available in an ensemble, since semitones cannot be altered and produced with the holes as surely by means of keys as by means of the fingers.[8]In plate 10 of his Theatrum instrumentorum Praetorius depictsa large consort of double-reed instruments.[9]The Chorist- Fagott in this diagram is about three and one-halffeet tall,[10] having two keys (clearlyindicated as being for the notes E and F) and eight other finger-holes.Both keys arc protected by fontanelles, the F-key having a doublewing to accommodate both left- and right-handed players. The Quartbass,four feet in length, demonstrates the same key and finger- holearrangement, but the keys on this instrument, of course, produceC and BBb. Extant instruments of this period substantiate thedescriptions by Praetorius. The Chorist-Fagott, the Quart-bass,and the Quintbass may be seen as representative of the normalearly seventeenth -century bassoon.The confused, often contradictory description of the bassoonin Mersenne's Harmonie universelle suggests that the instrumentwas, indeed, in a period of transition. Proposition 32 of book5 of Mersenne's work deals with at least four double-reed bassinstruments in some detail: the basson, the fagot,the courtaut, and the cervelat.The information Mersenne provides for the basson and fagotappears to defy coherent ordering. His discussion of the basson,for example, seems to be convincingly concluded in a single paragraph,after which he directs the reader's attention to his diagram ofthe cervelat. In the middle of this new paragraph, however, heintroduces information of a most significant nature concerningthe basson. Such curious ordering of details in proposition 32has resulted in errors in intepretation on the part of modernscholarship.[11] Mersenne's chapteron bassoons is further complicated by his careful distinctionbetween the terms basson and fagot; the former isa contra instrument, not unlike Praetorius's Quart-bass, whilethe latter is analogous to the Chorist-Fagott. Few, if any, subsequentwriters followed Mersenne's care in this matter, and throughoutthe seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the two terms were interchangeable.Mersenne first treats the fagot. He writes: I treat these species of basses because they can be joined in the concert of oboes, and are different from the preceding bass [i.e., the bass pommer] only in that they break into two parts to be able to be managed and carried more easily; that is why they are called fagots, because they resemble two pieces of wood which are bound and faggotted together.[12] Henext refers the reader to his diagram of the instrument (see fig.1). One is immediately struck by a number of discrepancies betweenthis instrument and the Chorist-Fagott described by Praetorius.There appears to be a distinct bell- joint. Moreover, the instrumenthas three keys, as opposed to the standard twokeyed bassoon ofthe early seventeenth century. Most startling of all, perhaps,are the twelve holes (including the ones closed by keys), an increaseof two over Praetorius's bassoons. Our understanding of this uniqueinstrument is complicated, in addition, by the rough and disproportionatenature of the diagram.The explanations offered by Mersenne, fortunately, do offersome help. The purpose of one of the two extra note-holes is indicated:the twelfth is one "which is not stopped at all,"[13] according to Mersenne. It is, infact, a tuning vent. Of the three keys, two are quite obviouslyanalogous to the F- and E-keys of the Praetorius bassoon. Indeed,the first nine holes of Mersenne's instrument would appear tobe identical in position and function to those of the Chorist-Fagott.To determine the function of the third key and the eleventh hole,we must look further into Mersenne's discussion. After describingother instruments included in his first diagram, Mersenne writes: It must be added only that the bassons and the fagots have not all the same size, and that there are some that go lower than the others by a third or fourth. Some name this species of instrument tarot, but it is of very little importance what they are called, provided the manufacture and usage is understood, which consists of serving a bass in the concerts of musettes and voices, and in singing all sorts of music, according to its range which is of a tenth or an eleventh.[14]The only difference between a normal fagot and a basson isapparently one of size. The ranges of Mersenne's bassoons seemto have decreased considerably from the two and one-half octavesof Praetorius's instruments. However, Mersenne must be referringto the natural range of the bassoon; as with other free-blowndouble reeds of the time, increasing the breath and adjustingthe embouchure increased the range by at least an octave.Mersenne begins his explanation by stating: As to the basson, which is all of one piece of wood, it is easy to understand its construction and its parts from what we have said of the preceding fagots.[15] Wenotice on Mersenne's diagram (see fig. 2) that the basson hasfour keys, the additional one operating the eleventh hole of theinstrument. Mersenne explains: This has four keys because it descends lower, and the same thumb that opens the key G opens similarly the key F, and the one that opens the ninth hole, which is behind the instrument, also opens the eighth by means of the key E.[16]As mentioned above, we are subsequently introduced to the cervelat.But Mersenne interrupts this discussion: But before speaking of the disposition of its [i.e., the cervelat's] holes and its range, the proportions of the preceding basson which descends a fourth lower than the ordinary ones must be explained.[17]Mersenne finally makes it clear that his basson bears the samerelationship to his fagot as the Quart-bass does to the Chorist-Fagott.We may now attempt to define the function of the enigmaticeleventh hole of Mersenne's bassoons. Since the case of the fagot,the first nine holes, including the first two keys, are apparentlyidentical to those of the standard early seventeenth - centurybassoon, it seems probable that the tenth, keyed hole producesthe note C. Mersenne says that the basson has a keyed eleventhhole because "it descends lower."[18]The eleventh hole on the fagot obviously performs the same function.It is likely, therefore, that the eleventh hole on Mersenne'sfagot produces BBb. The basson, in compliance with Mersenne'sstatement that it is a fourth lower than the normal bassoon, wouldconsequently descend to FF. The hypothesis that the fagot hasBBb as a fundamental tone is all the more credible when one considersthe normal use to which the instrument was put. It is suitable,Mersenne tells us, "for the large ensemble, such as the ballets."[19] In these spectacles the bassoonnormally doubled the bass line of the cellos.[20]Mersenne himself informs us that the cellos of the Vingt-quatreviolons du Roi used an interesting tuning, having as their lowestnote BBb.[21]Anthony Baines[22] and JürgenEppelsheim[23] are among the few modernscholars who seem to have recognized that Mersenne's bassoon descendsto BBb[24] The significance of thisfact, and the implications of the other features of this instrument,however, have not been explored. Three items especially make thebassoon depicted by Mersenne a most significant one. The firstis the downward extension of the instrument's range to BBb, thelowest note of the baroque bassoon of the later seventeenth century.The second is not quite as obvious, but is an equally importantdevelopment.There are hints that Mersenne's fagot is already undergoingthe process of sectionalization, a process that initiated theera of the modern woodwind. We recall that Mersenne writes, "theybreak into two parts to be able to be managed and carried moreeasily; that is why they are called fagots."[25]If we compare this description to that of the basson, which Mersennespecifically notes "is all of one piece of wood,"[26] it seems likely that he was impressedwith the fagot's two pieces. On the other hand, Mersenne's statementmay simply indicate his fascination with the U-tube constructionof the bassoon. Of more significance, perhaps, is the distinctbell joint that appears in the diagram of the fagot (fig. 1).The inaccurate illustration makes the bell look deceptively small;but Mersenne informs us, "this end is almost nine inchesfrom I to H."[27] Describingthe distances between the last holes of the instrument, he writes: And from the eleventh to the twelfth seven and a half inches, and from there to the end of the fagot, which is hidden under the end HI, is five and a half inches.[28]How could the end of the instrument be "hidden" underthe bell of the bassoon, unless the bell were a separate jointthat was mounted onto it? It must be admitted that the extra length,HI, on the fagot could have no effect on the pitch of the instrument,owing to the twelfth, tuning hole[29];however, it would certainly have an acoustical effect on the toneof the bassoon. It seems probable that Mersenne's fagot representsone of the first tentative experiments in sectionalization towhich most of the other woodwinds were to succumb by the end ofthe seventeenth century.The final innovation on Mersenne's fagot is the third key,which we have suggested controlled the note C. The three- keyedbassoon became the standard variety of the late seventeenth andearly eighteenth centuries. The later model, however, demonstratesa key mechanism somewhat different from that on Mersenne's fagot.The F-key of the later bassoon is similar to that of the fagot,being operated by the fourth finger of the lower hand. Insteadof having the fagot's key for E and an open hole for D, both operatedby the lower thumb, the later bassoon gave only an open E-holeto the lower thumb; the upper thumb, however, was given commandof a new D-key, an open C-hole, and a new BBb-key. Thus the mechanismon the back of the fagot was completely reversed in the laterseventeenth-century bassoon; what had on the fagot been operatedby an open hole was now controlled by a key, and vice versa. IfMersenne's fagot does indeed represent an attempt at loweringthe range of the bassoon to BBb, why was not the perfectly workablekey system depicted by him maintained in the later seventeenth- century model? The answer, no doubt, lies in the process ofsectionalization. The newer bassoon had four distinct sections:a tenor joint, a butt joint, a long joint, and a bell joint. Onthis newer instrument the E-hole was situated on the butt joint,while the D-hole was on the long joint. Had the key mechanismof the fagot been retained, the key that operates the note E onthe fagot would have had to cross over the joint between the buttand long sections of the newer bassoon, in order to be in closeproximity to the D-hole. Such an arrangement, of course, wouldbe both impractical and susceptible to damage. In the later model,the two keys on the back of the bassoon were both contained onthe long joint.We may summarize the innovative features of Mersenne's fagotas follows: it descends to BBb; it seems to represent an earlyattempt at sectionalization; and it has three keys, adopting theimportant principle of putting the player's two thumbs in controlof four note-holes on the back of the instrument. These featuresare all indigenous to the remodelled bassoon of the later seventeenthcentury.The appearance of these innovations on the fagot of Harmonieuniverselle has a few significant implications. First of all,we may put back the period of the bassoon's remodelling. AdamCarse has suggested that neither the time nor the place of theappearance of the new bassoon "can be laid down... with anymore accuracy than to conclude that it must have occurred afterabout 1640 and before about 1680."[30]We may conclude that the process of change probably occurred inFrance and was certainly initiated before 1636. An even earlierdate is suggested by the fact that most of Harmonie universellewas completed ten years before its date of publication.[31]It is possible, then, that the period of transition in the caseof the bassoon was commenced as early as ca. 1626.A second conclusion we may base on the evidence of the fagot'sinnovations is that the bassoon was probably one of the firstof the woodwinds to undergo extensive remodelling. Baines believesthat the recorder was the first woodwind to submit to change.[32] Insofar as the recorders describedby Mersenne do not appear to be much different in structure fromthose depicted by Praetorius, it would seem that the bassoon anticipatedthe recorder's remodelling by at least a few years.Finally, the features of Mersenne's fagot allow us to set upa tentative chronology in the process of remodelling the bassoon.Since the basson had an extended range to FF, but was neverthelessof "one piece of wood,'"[33]we may suppose that the extension of the range down to BBb onthe fagot, along with the addition of a new key, was the firstpractical innovation. The process of sectional ization, althoughexperimental on Mersenne's bassoon, was the next feature to appear.Full-fledged sectionalization, dividing the bassoon into fourdistinct parts, probably followed shortly thereafter. A fullysectionalized bassoon, as we have seen, necessitated a rearrangementof the key mechanism. The familiar baroque bassoon probably developedin these stages.To understand the changes that occurred in the seventeenth-centurybassoon, a comprehensive appreciation of the instrument that Mersennecalls the fagot is essential. We have seen that in thecase of the bassoon, Mersenne should not be viewed as the lastchronicler of an instrument that was soon after to fall into disuse.Rather, he should be seen as describing an instrument in transitionfrom the older Chorist-Fagott to the more modern baroque bassoon. ENDNOTES1 . See, for example, Anthony Baines,Woodwind Instruments and Their History, rev. ed. (New York:W.W. Norton, 1963), pp. 273-94.2. Ibid., pp. 275-77.3. Marin Mersenne, Harmonie universellecontenant to théorie et to pratique de to musique (Paris,1636), facsimile ed. by Francois Lesure, 3 vols. (Paris: Editionsdu Centre national de recherche scientifique, 1965). See alsoMarin Mersenne, Harmonie universelle: The Books on Instruments,trans. by Roger E. Chapman (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1957).4. Charles Borjon's Traitéde la musette (Lyons, 1672) is, perhaps, a notable exception.This work, however, was undertaken outside the mainstream of instrument-making activity in Paris.5. Lodovico Zacconi, Pratticadi musica, [part 1](Venice, 1596), book 4, p. 218.6. Michael Praetorius, Syntagmamusicum, vol. 2, De organographia (Wolffenbüttel,1619), facsimile ed. by Wilibald Gurlitt (Kassel: Barenreiter,1968), chapter 9, p. 38.7. Ibid. "Im ChoristFagottist der unterste Clavis C im DoppelFaggott F."8. Ibid. und sehr bequem ist / wennman in der Music beyderley dieser arten haben kan:denn die Semitonia Konnen in den Lochern durch die Schlussel nichtalso füglich C als durchdie Finger geendert and zu wege bracht werden. "9. Praetorius, Syntagma musicum.Modern reproductions of this plate are available in several sources,including Lyndesay G. Langwill, The Bassoon and Contrabassoon(London: Ernest Benn Ltd., 1965), plate 6.10. The foot measurement used byPraetorius was slightly smaller than today's standard.11. Anthony Baines (WoodwindInstruments, p. 286), for example, suggests that Mersenne'sbasson (and not the fagot) descended to BBb, which indictatesthat Baines may have fallen prey to the confusing organizationof information in proposition 32.12. Mersenne, Harmonie universelle,trans. by RogerE. Chapman, p. 372.13. Ibid., p. 373.14. Ibid.15. Ibid., p. 374.16. Ibid.17. Ibid.18. Ibid. The cumbersome size ofthe basson, no doubt, accounts for the necessity of its additionalkey.19. Ibid.20. Richard Semmens, "WoodwindTreatment in the Early Ballets of Jean Baptiste Lully" (M.A.thesis, University of British Columbia, 1975), pp. 27-53.21. Mersenne, Harmonie universelle,trans. by RogerE. Chapman, pp. 236-37.22. Baines, Woodwind Instruments' p. 286.23. Jürgen Eppelsheim, DasOrchester in den Werken Jean Baptiste Lullys (Tutzing: H.Schneider, 1961), p. 108.24. As pointed out in n. 11, however,Baines assigns BBb as the fundamental for the basson, rather thanfor the fagot.25. Mersenne, Harmonie universelle,trans. by Roger E. Chapman, p. 372.26. Ibid., p. 374.27. Ibid., p. 373.28. Ibid.29. Mersenne says that the twelfthhole is twice as large in diameter as the other noteholes.30. Adam Carse, Musical WindInstruments (London: Macmillan and Co., 1939; reprint ed.,New York: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1965), p. 186.31. Baines, Woodwind Instruments,p. 238.32. Ibid.33. Mersenne, Harmonic universelle,trans. by RogerE. Chapman, p. 374.Table of Contents |
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