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Arias with Obbligato Bassoon: My interest in vocal works with obbligato bassoon began about 30 years ago. On the car radio in Melbourne, I heard a tenor aria with two wonderful bassoons – pungent French bassons of the sort that are now a threatened species – and more similar arias followed. The work was part of Laudate Nomen Domini, a motet from psalm 135 of Jean Gilles (1668-1705); a couple of months later the vinyl 33rpm of the abbreviated Jean- Loius Petit version arrived. The complete motet is now on CD (see below). Several years later, I heard a tenor aria accompanied by a duo obbligato of cello and bassoon in an ‘authentic instruments’ broadcast from Vienna of Fux’ Orpheo ed Euridice; the Garland publication of that opera showed that Fux had actually written for two bassoons. An incipit of the aria in a paper on Fux obbligati for bass wind instruments identifies a library source that leads to a volume in the Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, Vienna that contains twelve virtually unknown arias with obbligati for one or two bassoons, written between 1710 and 1730 by various composers, including some highlights from a hidden repertoire by Jim Stockigt. This repertoire summary is respectfully dedicated to the late William Waterhouse in deep appreciation of his unique contributions to bassoon literature, scholarship and organology. Without his stimulating and generous encouragement, this project would not have progressed. Bill Waterhouse and the author, examining recent additions to this repertoire. (Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire, September 2007) 14 Double Reed News 85 Winter 2008 Fux and Caldara. The material is so well preserved (see illustration page 15) that paste-ups from microfilm are easily legible after almost 300 years! A collection of almost 200 arias with obbligato bassoon, alone or together with other instruments as part of a concertante group, has now been put together from vocal works written between 1700 and 1850. Since submission of the original article in The Double Reed magazine, over fifty more works have been added; details of the collection are available on a website www.obbligatofagotto.com that also includes some on-line scores and parts suitable for performance. The abbreviated summary that follows draws together some of the more interesting works, together with their sources either published or unpublished, with some information about available recordings. Details of better known published and recorded sources, such as the JS Bach cantatas BWV 143, 149, 155, 173a, 177, 197 and 202 are not given here. The 200 or so arias include works from several sources that deserve more detailed study. For example, the 1400 cantatas of Christoph Graupner (1683- 1760), accessible at the Hessische Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, Darmstadt, contain at least 30 arias with challenging obbligato bassoon parts. Many of these are elaborate ostinato continuo parts that require great facility and stamina. Of one of the Graupner arias listed here, Gross sind des Herren Werke from Wie wunderbar ist Gottes Güt (1717) for bass, oboe d’amore, bassoon and continuo, Bruce Haynes in The Eloquent Oboe (p.369) writes: “The ‘Hautbois’ part is very simple. The real soloist in this aria is the bassoon”. (That cantata has been recorded by Accademia Daniel, with the Australian bassoonist Simon Rickard). A further fourteen Graupner arias together with links to the solo bassoon parts are now included on the website. The cantatas of Georg Gebel (1709-1753) held in the Thüringisches Staatsarchiv, Rudolstadt, contain many cantatas with challenging bassoon obbligati, often with oboe. Twelve more of his arias with links to the solo bassoon parts have now also been included on the website. As far as I know, the oboe obbligati in the Gebel works still remain unexplored. The church cantatas of Telemann, still not completely catalogued, include about thirty works with bassono or fagotto obbligato! Some of these works are gradually being published by Habsburger Verlag, Frankfurt (www.habsburgerverlag.de). The selection that follows highlights some of the main works that could extend the bassoon repertoire, for performance and for further research. Librarians and archivists from European libraries are helpful in making this material available; they are as keen as anyone to publicise little-known repertoire from their collections. Many libraries now have catalogues available on-line.
The obbligato bassoon part, a paste-up from the manuscript score of the aria Scocca dall’alto il fulmine from the opera Mitridate by Antonio Caldara, performed in Vienna in 1728. The setting is for tenor, solo fagotto with unfigured bass, with only a few bars for two violins and viola. (Reproduced with permission, from Sammelband Mus. Hs. 17051, (Livero Terzo), Musiksammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, Wien.) [Adapted by the author from his recent article in The Double Reed, Journal of the International Double Reed Society. Jim Stockigt’s email is jrs@netspace.net.au] Arias with obbligato bassoon (1700-1850): selections from a little-known repertoire. Instrumental designations from original sources are underlined Voice, bassoon(s), continuo Caldara Antonio (1670-1736) Missa dolorosa Gloria, No.6 Domine Fili for tenor, bass, fagotto solo, continuo Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich 1906; 26: 78-81 and Carus Verlag 40.680, 1980 Gionata, Aria del Oratorio: Occhi, che vi fissate nel sole for bass, fagotti, continuo Il due Dittatori, Aria dell’Opera: Non dovria chi impera e regge for bass, fagotti concertati, continuo The second and third arias are in Sammelband Mus. Hs. 17051, (Livero Terzo), Musiksammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, Wien. (The first is an elaborated continuo, the second and third are challenging dual obbligato parts.) Fux Johann Joseph (1660-1741) La Desposizione dalla Croce di Jesu Cristo Salvator Nostro Aria del Sepulcro No.14: Se pura piu nel core for bass, fagotto solo, continuo CD Haselböck Novalis 150 089-2 AVC Switzerland 1992 Orfeo ed Euridice, Componimento da Camera No.1: Per Regnar con piu di Gloria for tenor, fagotto 1º, fagotto 2º, continuo Both arias are in Sammelband Mus. Hs. 17051, (Livero Terzo), Musiksammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, Wien. The second aria is published by Garland Publ. 1978, and Akademische Druck- und Verlageanstalt, Graz, 2004, Double Reed News 85 Winter 2008 15
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Page 6 and 7: of my miserable existing reeds and
Page 8 and 9: in Tokyo, Madrid, London, Helsinki,
Page 10 and 11: Reports and News Continuing my show
Page 12 and 13: John Waite, 15 years: The Day start
Page 16 and 17: pp109-116. (Both arias have wonderf
Page 18 and 19: (Wonderful ensemble obbligato writi
Page 20 and 21: Oboes is a 5-movement work which us
Page 22 and 23: Herr Ludwig Milde is now qualified
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Page 26 and 27: Facsimilies by Fuzeau These three v
Page 28 and 29: Ill.1. out that it could not have b
Page 30 and 31: versions of other foreign oboe meth
Page 32 and 33: quacks, but one only hears its bril
Page 34 and 35: Bassonicus Ludwig Van, marathon man
Page 36 and 37: Under Foreign Skies Reeds can be an
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Page 40 and 41: only had his own baroque bassoon cl
Page 42 and 43: professional ensemble of their kind
Page 44 and 45: Classified Bassoon and Contra Servi
Page 46 and 47: Index to Advertisers Britannia Musi
Page 48: Fox Bassoons Oboes and Cor Anglais

Double Reed 70 cover - British Double Reed Society

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