Contrabassoon

As Printed on a Score

Labels the contrabassoon in English-language scores, abbreviated Cbsn. or C. Bsn.; older British scores often call it Double Bassoon. It is written in bass clef an octave above the sound. The part is often played by the third bassoonist, with changes marked in the bassoon staff.

Abbreviations: Cbsn., C. Bsn.

Also spelled: Double Bassoon, Contrabassoons

How Composers Use It

The lowest woodwind, reaching down to B-flat0, with a buzzing, growling bottom and a smoother middle. It reinforces the double basses and tuba, adds a dark floor to woodwind chords, and can be grotesque or comic in solos. Keep its lines simple and not too fast, double it for definition in loud passages, and remember its lowest notes respond slowly and cannot be played very softly.

Related Terms