THE ORCHESTRAL BASSOON: A PEDAGOGICAL WEBSITE FOR BASSOONISTS www.orchestralbassoon.com BY BRETT VAN GANSBEKE Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music, Indiana University May, 2012 Accepted by the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. ________________________________________ William Ludwig, Research Director ________________________________________ William Ludwig, Chairperson ________________________________________ James Campbell ________________________________________ Michael McCraw ________________________________________ Thomas Walsh ii Copyright © 2012 Brett Van Gansbeke iii In Memory of Arthur Weisberg iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for their continued love and support throughout this academic and musical journey. I would not be here without their guidance and understanding, and I am incredibly grateful for them and the rest of my wonderful family. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to study with some of the best bassoonists on the planet: Arthur Weisberg, Michael McCraw, Jeff Keesecker, Peter Simpson, and Roger Soren. Each of these men has had a profound influence on me as a bassoonist, musician, and person, and I cannot thank them enough. A number of my friends and colleagues were instrumental in helping me prepare this massive project: fellow bassoonists Nathan Daniels and Zach Hague, who let me bounce a number of my pedagogical ideas off of them; David Salas, who kindly answered even the most random music theory questions I had; and Tracey Mania, who helped proofread and edit a tremendous amount of my writing, especially when I tried to make an explanation way more complicated than it needed to be. I would like to extend my thanks to the members of my committee, Thomas Walsh and James Campbell, for everything they have done for me during my time at IU, and for helping to make this project the best it could possibly be; and a very big thanks to my music theory minor representative, Marianne Kielian-Gilbert, for her gracious help with some of the more puzzling analytical issues that I came across over the course of this project. Finally, a very special thanks to my bassoon professor, William Ludwig, for helping me get through this crazy doctoral program, and for showing me an entirely new way to think about the bassoon. This project is as much a reflection of his teaching philosophy and influence on me than anything else. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Examples ........................................................................................................................................ xii List of Fingerings ................................................................................................................................... xvii 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 2. Methodology ..........................................................................................................................5 Creating the Excerpt List .......................................................................................................... 5 Determining the Accuracy of Printed Editions ............................................................... 7 Choice and Purpose of Recordings ....................................................................................... 8 Incorporating History, Theory, and Pedagogy ............................................................. 10 Tools, Software, and Reference Books ............................................................................ 15 Legal Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................ 17 3. Views on Fundamentals .................................................................................................. 18 Breathing and Embouchure ................................................................................................. 18 Vibrato ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Articulation ................................................................................................................................. 30 Reeds .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Voicings ......................................................................................................................................... 42 4. Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók ..................................................................... 44 History ........................................................................................................................................... 44 Pedagogy for Excerpts 1 & 2 ................................................................................................ 47 Fingering Charts ........................................................................................................................ 52 Parts, Scores, and Recordings ............................................................................................. 54 vi 5. Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 by Ludwig van Beethoven ................. 56 History ........................................................................................................................................... 56 Pedagogy ...................................................................................................................................... 57 Parts, Scores, and Recordings ............................................................................................ 63 6. Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 by Ludwig van Beethoven .......................... 64 History ........................................................................................................................................... 64 Pedagogy for Excerpt 1 .......................................................................................................... 66 Pedagogy for Excerpt 2 .......................................................................................................... 69 Parts, Scores, and Recordings ............................................................................................ 73 7. Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 by Hector Berlioz .................................................. 75 History ........................................................................................................................................... 75 Pedagogy for Excerpt 1 .......................................................................................................... 80 Pedagogy for Excerpt 2 .......................................................................................................... 82 Fingering Charts ........................................................................................................................ 90 Parts, Scores, and Recordings ............................................................................................ 92 8. Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 by Johannes Brahms .................................... 93 History ........................................................................................................................................... 93 Pedagogy ...................................................................................................................................... 95 Fingering Charts ...................................................................................................................... 101 Parts, Scores, and Recordings .......................................................................................... 103 9. “Una furtiva lagrima” from L’elisir d’amore by Gaetano Donizetti ................ 105 History ......................................................................................................................................... 105 Pedagogy .................................................................................................................................... 108 vii Fingering Charts ...................................................................................................................... 113 Parts, Scores, and Recordings .......................................................................................... 114 10. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas ............................................................ 115 History ......................................................................................................................................... 115 Pedagogy .................................................................................................................................... 117 Parts, Scores, and Recordings .......................................................................................... 121 11. Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492 by W.A. Mozart ......................... 122 History ......................................................................................................................................... 122 Pedagogy ...................................................................................................................................