Trivia
Bassoon classics - Chamber music works

Chamber music for solo bassoonists came to be composed in earnest in the first half of the 18th century (late Baroque period). However, as compositions from that period are not frequently performed today, we present some works that date since the classical period.

W. A. Mozart: Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in B♭ Major KV.292

This work is known as the "Sonata for Bassoon and Cello", but as the cello part could be considered a "basso continuo" bass accompaniment, it could be suggested that the part played by the bassoon alongside this basso continuo is in fact a bassoon sonata. The delightful melody, in Mozart's distinctive style, occupies a high register, and it is a work in which one can fully enjoy the charms of the bassoon, referred to in the classical period as the "instrument of love." It is said that Mozart composed the piece for his friend Baron von Dürnitz, who loved the bassoon.

C. Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano Op. 168

In 1921, the year he died at age 86, Saint-Saëns worked on a number of sonatas for the oboe, clarinet and bassoon together with the piano. His "Sonata for Bassoon and Piano" is written in G Major, and has quite a conservative feel for its time. However, its unconventional melody and refined harmony express an unfolding dialogue between the piano and bassoon, and its style is representative of the pioneering maturity showed in his last works.